Week 8 vs. Vanderbilt ...

Chapel Hill Bound - KCock93 and I decided to take the "scenic" route to Chapel Hill based on the advice of several Gamecock message board members who indicated that the traffic in Charlotte would be unbearable on Friday afternoon ... I'll be honest, in 36 years of living in the Palmetto State, I had never traveled the Highway 1 route from Camden to North Carolina ... It certainly gave new meaning to the town names of Cassat, Bethune, McBee, Patrick -- home of the "Pinestraw Festival", Cheraw, and Wallace -- pretty area of South Carolina during the fall ... Just past Rockingham, N.C., home of NASCAR's old speedway, "The Rock", we lost daylight so the scenic part of the trip was over for us ... It seemed that we took the road less traveled as the only Gamecock fans we saw en route to the "Old North State" was a van of USC fans in Cheraw ... There really wasn't much in terms of people or sights along the way, but Southern Pines looked to be a nice area ... We picked up 15/501 in Sanford and after rolling through Asbury, Pittsboro, and Bynum we reached the Holiday Inn on Fordham Blvd., in Chapel Hill at 8:15 p.m. -- just under a four hour drive ... We didn't see more than a handful of cars the entire way waving flags in support of the Tar Heels or Gamecocks (different culture indeed).

Friday Night - We downed a couple of Natural Light's at the hotel while putting our stuff away and caught a cab to Franklin Street where we checked out the Carolina Brewery ... I tried the local Flagship IPA and it was excellent -- in fact, it won the 2006 Gold Medal at the Great American Beer Festival in the English style IPA category -- I certainly understand why as it was smooth and full of hops ... The place was packed and the bar is located on the bottom floor with some available seating, but most of the dinner crowd was seated upstairs ... I ran into the Haney Boys (no, they are not related) Michael (WIS Radio AM-1320 / GamecockCentral.com) and Travis (USC beat writer for the Charleston Post and Courier) and chatted with them briefly before being seated ... While hanging out at the bar for 10-15 minutes I talked with a couple of UNC fans -- one from Charleston and one whose entire family had attended USC, but he is currently in law school at Chapel Hill ... They didn't seem as interested in the football game as they were in the opening men's basketball practice that was being held just across campus ... Don't get me wrong, they want UNC to win in football, but they definitely want the Tar Heels to do nothing worse than a National Championship or at least the Atlantic Coast Conference championship in basketball ... They seemed to realize that North Carolina was a couple of years away with Butch Davis in charge of winning week-in and week-out on the gridiron and seemed pretty content as long as UNC competed this fall ... One thing we noticed was the lack of Carolina Blue in the establishment -- if this were in Athens, Knoxville, or Oxford, you wouldn't see anything other than the school's colors on display -- not so at UNC as it appeared to be a laissez faire attitude towards the game ... When we got seated I ordered the fish and chips -- it was great ... The fish was golden fried after being dipped in a Coppertine Amber Ale batter and it was a plate full along with coleslaw and fries ... KC93 ordered a half rack of brewhouse ribs and the tangy barbeque sauce made him wishing he had ordered the full rack ... After about two hours we headed up the street and dropped by a couple of places -- some sports bar that had some very drunk South Carolina fans at the bar and Budweiser girls taking pictures with everyone who would actually pay to do so (are you serious?) ... We stayed for a couple of beers before moseying up to a Buffalo Wild Wing joint that was crammed on a Karaoke night -- yikes! ... After several Blue Moon's and literally jawdropping laughter moments at the expense of such fools that had the nerve to take the mic, we called it a night and headed back to the hotel ... I know we didn't make it up the street to some of the more popular places, but I wouldn't rate Franklin Street in my top five of nightlife settings.

Saturday A.M. - We got up and drove down to the UNC campus to get our bearings for the day and one thing I noticed immediately was how much Chapel Hill had grown since my other two football visits in 1989 and 1991 ... The campus hasn’t grown in width, but in height as just about every foot of the campus is covered with a building … Kenan Stadium is surrounded by a medical wing (UNC Hospitals) and there are parking decks galore that encompass that side of the campus -- not much room to just stretch out and tailgate ... After driving around we stumbled upon the Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen on East Franklin Street ... We wouldn't have noticed the place except for the fact that there was a line of cars pulled over to the side waiting at this drive-through ... It took us about 10 minutes to go through and order and by the time we did the line behind us was three times as long ... What a choice! ... The chicken biscuits were huge and couldn't have been any better ... Back to the hotel for showers and to get our gear for the day.

Tailgating, Chapel Hill Style - We arrived at our parking spot in the Cardinal Parking Deck around 11:30 a.m. … The weather was superb (blue sky, full sun, and a nice breeze on the top floor) … Upon parking we remembered that we did a similar thing back in ’91 for the football game at UNC … There were plenty of Gamecock fans bustling about and when a North Carolina fan and his Carolina Blue entourage arrived they wondered aloud if they had taken a wrong turn and driven to Columbia, S.C., instead … I told them that there would be plenty of USC fans out and about and asked them where the UNC faithful were at 3 ½ hours before game time … His response was that they would be here by game time and pretty much left it at that -- interesting! … Chapel Hill is a nice place, but their football 'enthusiasm' leaves a lot to be desired … A very laissez faire attitude for the Tar Heels fans when it comes to the pigskin … We met a really nice family, the Johnson’s, from Wilson, N.C. … The father, Clay Johnson, played baseball for the Tar Heels in the mid-1970s and was a roommate of current UNC baseball coach Mike Fox … His son, Bennett Johnson, set all types of football records at Beddingfield HS last year by throwing for almost 4,000 yards his senior season … We saw him throwing the football and he has really good form and put a lot of zip on the ball … Unfortunately for Bennett he’s listed at 6-0, 190 pounds and he hardly got recruited as a quarterback … Google his name if you want some information on him, but after trying out at Guilford College this past year he has turned his hopes of walking on at East Carolina, Coastal Carolina, etc., in the future … For anyone familiar with Richard Mounce at Blythewood HS, it’s a similar story -- not tall enough for D-1A offers … The Johnson’s (along with Bennett’s brother and a friend of his now at Appalachian State) invited us to eat with them and their grilled chicken wings were outstanding … The Johnson Family was excited about seeing a SEC team and commented that they watch games like Auburn/Vanderbilt over games like Duke/Virginia every weekend … They were totally awed by the likes of Florida and LSU, etc. … Said they couldn't wait to get to Columbia for a game -- this was a football family more so than basketball … We had to go pick up our tickets from Manning’s own G.G. and met him down the street where he swapped his lower deck Section 101 tickets for the upper deck seats to sit with his family -- thanks! … Back at the tailgate were a couple more beers, a trip to the Port-A-John six levels below, and the 10 minute walk to the stadium.

Game Thoughts - At 21-3, I thought my "sucker bet" was a lock … Oops! … I wasn't terribly disappointed with the game (heck, USC led 21-3 after three quarters), but as I stated when the Gamecocks knocked down that final pass -- I would rather win ugly than lose pretty … I don't understand why Coach Spurrier got away from the run in the third quarter … Cory Boyd rips off back-to-back 9 yard runs and then its three straight incompletions and all down hill offensively from that point on … Two of the best kickers in the country both miss on Saturday, albeit from long range ? strange … Any word from the USC camp about the number of players making a mad dash to the locker room during the second half? … I bet 8-10 players sprinted back to the dressing room and then reappeared moments later -- wonder if there was a stomach bug or such going around? … I thought Cory Boyd ran as well as he has all year … Who didn’t know that Mike Davis would cough up the ball this past Saturday after The State focused on this point last week -- he still ran hard to the tune of a 5.6 average … Chris Smelley continues to impress me and 17 of 26 I’ll take every time out … His three touchdown strikes were all highlight reel material … What a catch by Kenny McKinley -- he had that UNC defensive back hook, line, and sinker … Smelley spread the ball around well with eight catches by wide receivers, four by tight ends (Weslye Saunders needs some stick ‘em), and five to the backs … Ladi Ajiboye might be the #1 player from last year’s recruiting class … Emanuel Cook is a stud (2 INTs, 9 TKL, 2 TFL, 1 SACK) … It’s only a matter of time before Captain Munnerlyn takes one all the way back and he chipped in seven stops … Eric Norwood was steady once again, but I felt like Casper Brinkley was missing in action at times … Cody Wells meet Brandon Tate! … Darian Stewart made another pick and caused a fumble … Mike West saw significant playing time in the fourth quarter and UNC scored 12 of their 15 points -- go figure … How did USC not recover one of those North Carolina fumbles? … I like Addison Williams and think he’s going to be a good one at USC, but if he’s 5-9, 170 then I’m 6-2, 250 (and I’m nowhere close to those numbers) … Jared Cook got rooked on the roughing the punter call -- that should have been running into the punter at worst and the punter should be awarded an Emmy Award for that acting job … UNC’s Hakeem Nicks is going to be outstanding … Good seeing Kevin M., David F., Ben C., Kirk H., Bill M., Alex C., Scott B., and most of the Ultimate Tailgaters at Kenan Stadium … We sat behind former USC baseball player Mark Stanley’s parents and Mrs. Stanley it’s alright to breathe now -- she was very nervous the final five minutes :-).

Postgame - We hung around the parking deck to watch the second and third overtime periods of the Kentucky/LSU game on a Gamecock fans satellite dish and most of the USC fans were happy that LSU took one on the chin … Anyone hear the UNC radio show after the game … That one guy, Deems May just railed on and on about Steve Spurrier … He was a member of the Tar Heels team that got whipped 41-0 that Saturday in 1989 when Duke won the ACC … You would think someone that played in the NFL for eight years could “let it go” … Talk about a bitter guy … Also, Woody Durham is awful on the football broadcast … Maybe he's good at basketball, but he's either too old or just uninformed when it comes to the gridiron -- he wouldn't last a week in a radio booth in the SEC (well, maybe 1-2 of them) … We made it back to the hotel around 9 o’clock and headed over to the bar/restaurant next door, “Time Out” … We sat at the bar and enjoyed a couple of delicious ribeye steaks and plenty of brews … Ran into a guy I used to see all the time at Cayce’s D’s Wings so ‘hello’ if you are reading this … Sat by a mother and her two daughters from Newberry who were in town for the game -- apparently one of the daughters is a Clemson fan and one a USC fan (who is a Golden Spur member) … Said they didn’t have UNC tickets until the week of the game due to the Gamecock Club points system -- miraculously the ticket office found four this week and contacted her (I’m sure “Mr. BigAl” on the Message Boards will enjoy this comment :-) … We cashed in around 1 a.m., with a win in hand and a quick analysis of the SEC showing that South Carolina is in pretty good shape.

Sunday Trip - We left Chapel Hill at 9:30 a.m., and arrived in Cayce at 1:20 p.m. via I-85 to I-77 … We picked up two papers, The Herald-Sun of Durham and the News & Record of Greensboro -- boy, what whopping coverage! … Two articles on the game in those rags -- it’s just not as important north of the border and the print journalism proves that point … Traffic going north on I-77 was full of NASCAR folks driving back from Concord and I was glad not to be in the middle of that mess … Lots of Gamecock fans on the road and we even signaled to a couple of Virginia Tech carloads who had polished off Duke earlier on Saturday in Durham.

Where We Are - I expected South Carolina to be 6-1 at this point of the season … So far, so good … Hopefully the second half of the North Carolina game will serve as a wake up call for the Gamecocks to go ahead and kill a game off when they have the chance … Vanderbilt should be the only focus this week for USC and its fans -- it’s just as important as the final third of the schedule … The theme of “win and move on” is a perfect moniker for the free-for-all that is college football this fall.

Cool to be a Gamecock - What do Ric Flair, Pearl Fryar, Elliott Sadler, Montgomery & Gentry, other NASCAR folks, Lou Holtz, former USC football players on the sideline, Mark Packer etc., all have in common? … It’s the fact that Steve Spurrier has made it cool to be a Gamecock these days … In fact, it’s fun! … Folks, this is important and is a fundamental part of the “culture change” USC is experiencing under this regime … Don’t think that this notion is lost on others … One of the comments made by a Tar Heels fan over the weekend is that a South Carolina win would enhance the Gamecocks’ recruiting efforts in North Carolina and that Spurrier would have the pick of the litter until UNC or N.C. State could shore up their end of the bargain in this brief series from 2007-10 … All of these ‘celebrities’ are finding out what most of us have known all along -- it’s cool to be Cocky!

OL Limbo - One question I have through seven games is about offensive line coach John Hunt … The first two years I thought he made chicken salad out of chicken shoo-shoo … This year, though, the musical chairs on the offensive line's interior is getting ridiculous … Why not move Andy Boyd inside to guard? … With the development of Jared Cook and Weslye Saunders it seems that he could be moved -- those guys have to concentrate more on their blocking, but it's adequate as is … I really thought Garrett Anderson should have redshirted this year after playing as a true freshman ? maybe that’s a possibility for next year? … The OL is not a spot where 17-18-19 year olds can just step in and play -- it takes time to gel and this unit has looked like watered down Jello this year with all the movement … A buddy of mine kept my text message and voicemail busy during the game as he said that Justin Sorensen could have a side job as a matador in Spain with all of the O-lays.

UNC Rivalry - I'm all for playing teams from the ACC and other BCS conferences, but Saturday proved to me that UNC has everything to gain and South Carolina not so much … It's true! ... Maybe the roles would be reversed when it comes to basketball, but this situation helps the Tar Heels, N.C. State, etc., more than it does South Carolina … USC is now on par with the Georgias, Tennessees, Floridas, etc., when it comes to college football and others recognize this -- maybe the South Carolina fans might want to look at it from that point of view when they start doubting the Gamecocks program.

ACC - Since joining the Southeastern Conference for football in 1992, South Carolina owns a 7-12 record vs. ACC teams: 5-10 vs. Clemson; 1-0 vs. North Carolina; 0-1 vs. N.C. State; and 1-1 vs. Virginia.

Big Names, Big Wins ? USC is 8-0 vs. non-conference foes the past two years with one remaining vs. Clemson and a bowl game … South Carolina is bowl-eligible for the fourth consecutive season -- first time that has happened since 1987-90 … Dating back to last year the Gamecocks are 9-1 in their past 10 games … Carolina is averaging scores of 17.7-18.3 in road games this fall and 35.5-15.3 at Williams-Brice Stadium … USC has won three games in a row twice this year -- the last time that happened was in 2000 when South Carolina opened 7-1 … Steve Spurrier is 21-11 (.656) overall and 11-9 in the SEC since joining South Carolina … Take a look at the company USC is in right now:

2005-present SEC Records
16-4 Auburn, Louisiana State
14-6 Florida
13-8 Georgia
11-9 Alabama, South Carolina
10-9 Tennessee
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9-10 Arkansas
8-11 Kentucky
5-15 Vanderbilt
3-17 Mississippi, Mississippi State

Vanderbilt - What is the over/under in terms of callers/posters before someone brings up how good of a football coach Bobby Johnson is at Vanderbilt … The Dores lived up to their moniker of "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory" once again this past Saturday vs. Georgia … Seems to be some bad blood between Vandy and UGA after the Dawgs tap-danced on the Vanderbilt logo at midfield following the winning kick … The fact is that Johnson is 18-46 (.281) in Nashville, which is about on par with other recent Vandy coaches: Woody Widenhofer (1997-2001) = 15-40, .273; Rod Dowhower (1995-96) = 4-18, .182; Gerry DiNardo (1991-94) = 19-25, .432; Watson Brown (1986-90) = 10-45, .182; and George MacIntyre (1979-85) = 25-52-1, .327 … There is a reason that Furman endured their only two losing seasons since 1980 with BJ at the helm of the Paladins program … All I have to say about Vandy is mark up on Earl Bennett like Peanuts’ Linus and his blanket … I like South Carolina to win 35-17!

Did He Say That? - For those of you that listen to AM-1400 in Columbia or on the internet, did anyone else hear The State sports columnist Ron Morris on Monday state that “Gyrations - i like all the gyrations on the sideline” in reference to the number of coaches and players it takes to signal in the plays … I don’t know about anyone else, but that’s a strange comment for a man to make about other men.

This post was edited on 10/15 4:07 PM by Kubby