Week 9 at Tennessee ...

Pregame - We wanted to beat the State Fair traffic and lines on Bluff Road so we left Cayce promptly at 8 o'clock and filled up with ice on South Huger Street across the Blossom Street Bridge ... Perfect timing! ... Absolutely no traffic through Olympia and though there were some football fans parked across Jaco's and a speckling of tailgaters near the Anheuser-Busch building, we were one of the first arrivals ... As we made our way through the Farmer's Market to Shed #14 we had everything setup by 8:30 a.m., and munched on Hardee's biscuits and some Carolina Pride "smokies" (Michael, it's lunch time -- you know, the commercial that is always on the coaches shows) ... Sonny & Willy G. showed up soon after and the Fallaw's were in place by 9 o'clock ... Others that stopped by to chat were the Greers and Dunlaps, along with the Caulks closer to game time ... Good seeing everyone ... Everyone agreed that USC should have little trouble today except for one of Big Al's friends who said he thought Vanderbilt would win by two touchdowns -- after the game I asked AF about that comment and he said that the guy was just joking, but dadgum maybe he knew something we all didn't ... I made my way to the stadium about 12 noon prepared for the Gamecocks to improve to 7-1 overall and 4-1 in the SEC.

Start Time - The topic that dominated the morning conversation was the brilliant idea by the University of South Carolina to schedule a non-televised football game for 12:30 ... Talk about taking away the home field advantage! ... When real TV dictates the start times then I have no problem with the kickoffs, but when a rare game gets slated for Pay Per View (a third rate production if there has been one), then USC ought to consider its loyal fans that show up to the games ... Noon starts (or thereabouts) are ridiculous ... Lucky for us we live five minutes away, but how about the folks in Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head in the lower state or in Walhalla or Gaffney in the upstate -- for them to attend they have to leave at the break of dawn to attend ... I hope USC, Athletics Director Eric Hyman, Coach Steve Spurrier, and anyone else in that decision making process takes this into account ... Don't give me the State Fair interference -- it's been that way forever during October ... But, when scheduling a PPV event in the future, please do not make the starts any earlier than 2 p.m. ... 79,000+ is a great turnout in my opinion for Vanderbilt -- in fact, it's the second largest crowd ever in the series (83,104 in 2001)! ... Should USC be in this position again in the months of August/September then the start times should automatically be 7 p.m. -- Williams-Brice Stadium is a much better atmosphere during the night time ... If it happens in October then no earlier than a 2 o'clock kickoff should take place ... Have some guts to do what Auburn's Tommy Tuberville did last week when approached by TV to put the Tigers game vs. Ole Miss -- he said NO! and had the game slated for 6 p.m., instead of 12:30 ... There were whispers in the Midlands about the coaching staff wanting to get an early game in order to give the USC players some time off and a chance to watch other football games on Saturday.

Capitol Tours - Another note that came about from the pregame talk was the experience some had on the North Carolina trip with Capitol Tours last week ... They left out of West Columbia and it was a $68 round trip so that is a pretty good deal for an up-and-back ride ... But, after boarding the bus a tour guide mentioned over the speaker system that "the Carolina's have open container laws and that they would appreciate the patrons to abide by those laws and not drink on the bus or when they stop" ... Huh? ... What other purpose is there to take a chauffered vessel? ... People complain about drinking and driving, so the benefit of taking a bus is that 50-60 folks won't be doing that unlawful gesture ... I understand some folks (the vast minority) don't partake in this football ritual, but for the other 98-99% of us that's part of tailgating and enjoying the entire experience with friends and fellow fans ... Several said the heck with it and did it anyway until at a stop in Greensboro, N.C., when the bus driver searched through someone's personal belongings to confiscate a cup -- sorry, but words would have been exchanged and possibly more if I was on that bus ... If a bus company wants to make these policies then by all means charter your trips, but let the folks traveling know this in advance ... I had a similar experience with a group entitled the "Faithful Fans" several years ago and though they let us do what we pretty much wanted, I stated then that it would be my last "ride" on a bus unless I chartered it myself (not to mention the fact that they got us to the 2005 Clemson game late because of two stops on the way, including one in Anderson!) ... It wasn't like that the first 20-25 years of taking a coach for USC football games.

The Game - It was ugly ... Pitiful performance by the offense ... Worst performance in the Spurrier era and the only thing close to it was the second half of the 2005 Independence Bowl -- for totally different reasons (the defense imploded that game) ... This time the defense kept South Carolina in the game, but the offense was so pathetic that 17 points might as well have been 50 ... Super job by the defense all game, especially by Emanuel Cook, Eric Norwood, Casper Brinkley, and Marque Hall (best game of the year for him) ... It went from bad to worse throughout the day due to penalties and poor execution ... Did USC take the week off? ... Where was the coaching? ... Why the Gamecocks didn't just run the ball is beyond me ... Why abandon the game plan so early and just chunk it around? ... A year ago South Carolina rolled up nearly 200 yards alone in rushing at Nashville in a 31-13 victory vs. the Commodores -- the same should have taken place in 2007 ... A steady diet of Cory Boyd and Mike Davis would have done the trick, but Coach Spurrier seemed more concerned about getting the passing game on track instead of getting win #7, which assures you of a winning record and more importantly would have put USC in position to control its destiny in the SEC East Division ... Remember that in 2006 USC turned the ball over four times vs. Vandy and repeated that performance on Saturday ... If you would have told me that the Gamecocks would hold Vandy wideout Earl Bennett to a pair of catches, then I would have said that South Carolina would win by 30 points or more ... Absolutely ridiculous! ... Take a look at the Gamecocks' first six offensive and special teams plays: Chris Smelley throws a pick with his third pass; Chris Culliver fumbles the Vandy kickoff that was recovered by Cody Wells; and Cory Boyd fumbles his second carry -- awful! ... I think I heard that VU entered the game with 12 sacks as a team and left Columbia with seven in just one game to tie a school record ... Vandy did a good job of just running the clock while USC seemed to panic once the deficit reached three scores ... Three interceptions, a lost fumble (along with two others), terrible field position, seven punts, six penalties (five illegal procedures -- that's just concentration at home games), and just 1 of 12 conversions on third down is a recipe for disaster and this 17-6 drubbing certainly fits that bill ... Six quarters without a touchdown -- maybe UNC radio host Deems May was right about the Gamecocks' offense ... I thought it was just me, but several people confirmed my hearing of Gamecock football radio announcer Todd Ellis refer to the Commodores as the "Midshipmen" before and during the broadcast -- maybe the former gunslinger was having flashbacks to his senior year at Page HS in Greensboro, N.C., as he was listening to the 1984 upset by Navy at Annapolis, MD that sent USC tumbling down the national rankings (much like this loss should do) ... Spartanburg native D.J. Moore (2 INT, 3 PBU, 5 TKL) had a field day on the same field in which he led the Broome Centurions to the Class 2A State Championship in 2004 ... The play of the game I believe was the interception of Smelley by Moore in the end zone at the 7:40 mark of the 3rd quarter with Carolina trailing by 11 ... Until that pick, I felt USC would still win the game, but you could feel the confidence swell for the Gold & Black after that point as the Dores were happy to just run clock and hang on ... I'll tell you this -- for the ticket price of $45 that was a rip-off for Gamecock fans ... No entertainment value whatsoever unless the Garnet & Black faithful enjoyed watching the golden helmets celebrate with their throng of 100 VU fans in the southeast corner of the stadium -- embarrassing! ... Enough on this subject.

Eating Crow - I'll be honest, VU Coach Bobby Johnson (79-82 record) has never impressed me as a head coach ... He was in charge of Furman's only two losing campaigns since 1980 and has never tallied a winning mark at Vanderbilt (now in year #6 and 19-46) ... I know it's not an easy place to win, but the local media have really made him look better than he is basically because he's a local boy from Eau Claire High School and Clemson University ... But, I've got to eat crow, because the Dores stuck it to the USC coaching staff yesterday, especially defensively as the VU zone really confused Chris Smelley and Blake Mitchell and the blitzing safeties just blew by Seaver "The Sieve" Brown, Web "Farmer" Brown, and Lemuel "Lemon Juice" Jeanpierre (thanks for exposing that weakness Tar Heels) ... Aren't pancake blocks awarded only to offensive linemen? ... Too bad, because The Sieve and LJ were planted on their backsides enough for a 100% grade by the Dores linemen all day long ... Vandy sits at 4-3 overall and 2-3 in the SEC and I hope the Dores can at least beat another SEC team along with Miami-Ohio to qualify for a bowl game ... I guess 14-3 against a SEC foe means that the law of average will swing the other way from time to time and maybe that's what happened ... Truly a case for "that's why you play the game instead of looking at it on paper" ... However, I felt South Carolina gave the game away instead of Vanderbilt actually going out and winning it, but to the victors go the spoils and my congratulations to the Commodores and Coach Johnson ... Vandy coaching records since 1979:

Bobby Johnson (2002-present) = 19-46, .292 / 8-39, .170 SEC
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Woody Widenhofer (1997-2001) = 15-40, .273 / 4-36, .100 SEC
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Rod Dowhower (1995-96) = 4-18, .182 / 1-15, .063 SEC
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Gerry DiNardo (1991-94) = 19-25, .432 / 5-19, .208 SEC (1992-94)
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Watson Brown (1986-90) = 10-45, .182
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George MacIntyre (1979-85) = 25-52-1, .327
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Postgame - My comment upon arriving at our tailgaiting spot was, "Where did that truck come from? I didn't see that coming!" ... That about sums it up ... Carolina played poorly offensively in the second half at UNC and the Vandy game looked like a continuation of that game -- this time for a full 60 minutes ... Everyone was disgusted and probably still are when they read this recap ... One thing that Carolina fans have been able to hang their hats onto since 2000 is that the Gamecocks generally take care of beating the teams they are favored to beat -- that didn't happen and I"m hoping this was just a hiccup ... Not everything was terrible though as long time Columbia entertainer Jim LeBlanc played live for the Uncle Louie's crowd toward the end of the Watermelon Shed and at least good music was available instead of listening to the postgame show ... It was good to see Liz S. (former neighbor), and Allison from Chesterfield -- good girls!

Evening - We got home via Bluff Road around 5:45 p.m. ... I guess we stayed around long enough for traffic control to vacate the premise -- finally a decent route home following the game through Olympia ... Still in total disgust, we kept it in on Saturday and though I tried to watch some football I just couldn't stomach thinking of what happened earlier in the day and turned in early.

Sunday A.M. - How bad was this loss? ... I woke up around 4:30 Sunday morning hoping it had not happened, but CSTV's SEC show confirmed it had indeed occurred as I remembered and then read the recount of Saturday's events in The State newspaper -- ugh ... Entering the game USC had posted a 18-1 record since 2000 as double-digit favorites with the only loss coming at the hands of Ole Miss in 2004 at Columbia (another damn 12:30 p.m., kickoff) ... Reading the paper informed me that the victory was a history maker as Vandy had not beaten a team ranked as high as #6 in 70 years -- great ... However, watching CSTV actually made me feel better after I saw that the topsy-turvy world that is college football this year stayed true to form this weekend ... Whoever can get a grasp on what is going on with these teams from week to week should win a Nobel Prize ... Here's the Gamecocks' results as double-digit favorites:

9/16/00 vs. Eastern Michigan (-23), 41-6 W
9/1/01 vs. Boise State (-21.5), 32-13 W
10/6/01 vs. Kentucky (-22.5), 42-6 W
10/20/01 vs. Vanderbilt (-17.5), 46-14 W
8/31/02 vs. New Mexico State (-23.5), 34-24 W
9/21/02 vs. Temple (-17.5), 42-21 W
8/30/03 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (-23.5), 14-7 W
9/20/03 vs. UAB (-14), 42-10 W
10/25/03 vs. Vanderbilt (-15), 35-24 W
9/18/04 vs. South Florida (-12.5), 34-3 W
10/9/04 vs. Ole Miss (-16.5), 28-31 L
10/16/04 @ Kentucky (-13), 12-7 W
9/1/05 vs. Central Florida (-21), 24-15 W
9/24/05 vs. Troy (-17.5), 45-20 W
10/8/05 vs. Kentucky (-12.5), 44-16 W
9/23/06 vs. Florida Atlantic (-28.5), 45-6 W
11/18/06 vs. Middle Tennessee State (-15.5), 52-7 W
9/1/07 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (?), 28-14 W
9/29/07 vs. Miss. State (-14), 38-21 W
11/20/07 vs. Vanderbilt (-13), 6-17 L

Hoodwinked - Gamecock fans, what I'm about to write will probably tick some people off, but so be it ... Those recruiting rankings that everyone gets so gung-ho about every February and are the lifeblood of "experts" are nothing but bullcrap ... I hear it constantly on sports radio shows and read about it on internet message boards about this guy is a 4* and this guy is a 2* ... Guess what? ... It doesn't matter one bit! ... That crap is made up by the Tom Lemmings, Max Emfingers, Tom Lugenbills, Jamie Newbergs, to line their pockets and subsequently for those that run sites at Scout, Rivals, ESPN, etc. ... I know they are based on "projected" talent and contributions, but let me project this -- how many 4* and 5* guys have panned out at USC? ... How many has Vanderbilt ever had? ... Take a look at the 4*/5* signees by USC since 2002:

5*
'07 - Chris Culliver
'03 - Demetris Summers
'02 - Ricardo Hurley, Randy Jackson, Darel Slay

4*
'07 - Olufemi Ajiboye, Akeem Auguste, Jason Barnes, Mark Barnes, Stephen Garcia, Clifton Geathers, Joseph Hills, Melvin Ingram, Dion Lecorn, Brian Maddox, Cliff Matthews, Quentin Richardson, Travian Robertson, Weslye Saunders
'06 - Garrett Anderson, Clarence Bailey, Hutch Eckerson, Kenrick Ellis, Chris Smelley, Kevin Young
'05 - Jonathan Hannah, Brandon Isaac, Shea McKeen, O.J. Murdock, Carlos Thomas, Mike West
'04 - C.J. Barber, Dorian Capers, Marque Hall
'03 - Marcus Lawrence, Blake Mitchell, Syvelle Newton
'02 - Aryhel Freeman, Kenny Irons, Jabari Levey, Cory Peoples, Moe Thompson, Troy Williamson

Milk Carton Alert - Has anyone seen this guy? ... FB Clark Gaston.

OL Problems - OL Jeremy Burgess, OL Garrett Anderson, OL Gurminder Thind, OL James Thompson, OL Kevin Young, OL Pierre Andrews, OL Terence Campbell ... I mention these guys because by my count none of them played ... None of them! ... Despite allowing seven sacks and having five illegal motion penalties no one else was inserted ... Why? ... The entire line played poorly yesterday and a wholesale change was needed not once or twice, but almost on every possession -- something had to be better than what was attempted vs. Vanderbilt ... There are 17 offensive linemen listed on the roster and USC can't find five to play decently? ... This is the third straight season that this has been a problem -- the other two years seemed to have the unit gel about midseason ... Well, it's 2/3 completed and still it's undetermined ... Pitiful -- the true weak link on this team and it speaks volumes about the 2005 signing class that included no offensive linemen ... Is it talent? ... Is it lack of strength? ... Is it Coach John Hunt? ... Can Kenrick Ellis not play on that side of the ball? ... Is Thind chronically injured? ... Is Thompson back in the dog house? ... Does Young have any confidence? ... What do Anderson, Andrews, and Campbell do these days? ... Does Burgess do anything? ... The whole group looks weak compared to others and maybe my lavishing of Mark Smith's strength coordination this season needs to be curtailed because these guys just aren't getting it done -- in any facet of the game ... Frustrating beyond belief! ... The best side-step by a QB yesterday was Smelley's comment after the game, “We had a gameplan for it,” said Smelley, who was 14-of-24 for 154 yards. “We just couldn’t step up and block them.” -- talk about not placing blame (I'll do it for you)!

QB Questions - I'm not going to blame too much on Chris Smelley or Blake Mitchell ... Heck, Brett Favre would get planted time after time behind that offensive line ... And, that's the problem ... USC doesn't have a quarterback right now with any type of escapability ... Stephen Garcia might have that talent, but that remains to be seen ... I'll tell you this -- I play for the present and not for the future because there is no guarantee any of us are going to see those days, but if Garcia is the difference between winning one or two games down the stretch, then I would play him ... Despite the Vandy loss, Carolina has a ton to play for and if winning any of those games gets USC one win closer to a SEC East Division title or a victory vs. Clemson, then the redshirt year comes off of the Tampa, FL product ... Whatever happened to the Kenny McKinley package we heard about in August? ... Has that been scrapped? ... The best pass by a USC player on Saturday was the punt return lateral by McKinley to Captain Munnerlyn -- tight spiral with a lot of zip on it and a super catch-and-go by Captain ... Speaking of zip, does Smelley have any on the ball? ... He did last month but rumors of a shoulder injury appear to be true.

Catching Woes - Kenny McKinley is a stud and the best playmaker on the field ... The running backs duo of Cory Boyd and Mike Davis do a super job of catching the ball ... Any chance of spreading Boyd out to the slot with Davis as the RB? ... Throw in pass catching tight end Jared Cook, who needs another year in the weight room to shed the 1v1 tackles, and how about one of the freshmen like Chris Culliver or Mark Barnes? ... I like Dion Lecorn's ability to block, but there seems to be some mental issues with him running routes, lining up in the right spot, checking the substitution patterns, etc. -- it's a lot for a true freshman to grasp and might be handled by committee instead of one guy dominating the number of snaps ... Weslye Saunders has a lot of upside, but he dropped another pass that might have been a little low, but one that should have been caught ... Andy Boyd is solid in his production, but I, personally, would rather see him at one of the guard spots -- can't be any worse! ... Fullbacks Patrick DiMarco and Lanard Stafford have proven to be sure handed safety valves on the fullback bubble screen.

SOS Show - I watched this morning ... 18-20 minutes of advertisements, 5-6 minutes of highlights, and 3-4 minutes of commentary by Todd Ellis and Steve Spurrier ... I don't make it a habit to watch this show, but since I was at home I tuned in -- just not too much to learn from those kinds of replays ... Glad to hear USC is mostly healthy at this point of the season ...

Healthy Comments - I was pleased with these postgame comments:

“We have a lot of goals that are still out there, but we have to play a lot better,” -- Steve Spurrier

“I don’t know about anybody else, but it’s pretty embarrassing to me,” McKinley said. “They spoiled our season. We were up to No. 6, ready to get into the top five, and they spoiled it.” -- Kenny McKinley

“That’s the sorriest team in the SEC we lost to,” Cook said. “We should’ve won that game.” -- Emanuel Cook

Booing - If you are at the game, spend your money, and cheer when the Gamecocks do good, then by the same token those people are entitled to doing a 180 when things go poorly ... If that is booing, then so be it -- sticks and stones ... I didn't boo yesterday and didn't even really hear any of it because I had my headphones on ... But, when the play on the field, court, pitch, diamond, etc., reflects a lackadaisical approach, no enthusiasm, and general "I don't care" attitude then I say let them have it ... These aren't kids, conversely to what Todd Ellis commented about several times during the game ... These are young men that are receiving a college education based on their merits of providing their football (or other sport) talents and for those well paid coaches to garner wins -- it's that simple! ... You can graduate players, run a clean program, blah-blah-blah, but come Saturday the only thing that matters is wins and losses ... To be honest, I took it as a jilt to the South Carolina fans that traveled to Chapel Hill when the final horn sounded that the Gamecocks' players just ran to the locker room and didn't even acknowledge the USC supporters -- I know they were disappointed with the final 15 minutes, but a road win is a road win! ... I guess it works both ways.

SEC East Division - Wide open and going down to the wire ... This week I'll pull for the Gamecocks at Tennessee and for Georgia to knock off Florida in Jacksonville ... It's amazing how week to week I find myself changing allegiances, but whatever helps Carolina is what I'm going to do -- that being said, USC needs to only worry about themselves and their business (I think the coaches and players got a little ahead of themselves last week).

#15 SC 3-2, 6-2, @ UT, @ AR, UF
#9 UF 3-2, 5-2, vs. GA, VU, @ SC
#20 GA 3-2, 5-2, vs. UF, AU, UK
#14 UK 2-2, 6-2, MS, @ VU, @ GA, UT
UT 2-2, 4-3, SC, AR, VU, @ UK
VU 2-3, 4-3, @ UF, UK, @ UT

scoUTing the Vols - Do not underestimate the Volunteers this week ... Not only does UT have history on its side (20-3-2 vs. South Carolina and 13-2 since 1992), but the Vols have played a very difficult schedule thus far with a 1-3 mark vs. ranked teams ... Coach Phil Fulmer's squad is undefeated at 3-0 in Knoxville and the per game home average scores tally out to a 41-20 (+21) UT advantage compared to a 25-42 (-17) road deficit ... For you bettors out there, USC is 7-8 vs. the spread against UT but is a more encouraging 5-2 in Knoxville, including four of five covers as road underdogs ... Carolina has covered the spread just twice ('92 & '96) at Williams-Brice Stadium vs. the Vols since joining the SEC in 1992.

QB Erik Ainge (66%, 1,797 YDS, 13 TD, 4 INT)
RB Arian Foster (625 YDS, 5.7 AVG, 8 TD
RB Montario Hardesty (184 YDS, 4.5 AVG, 2 TD)
WR Lucas Tayor (43 REC, 633 YDS, 14.7 AVG, 3 TD)
WR Austin Rogers (32 REC, 392 YDS, 12.3 AVG, 1 TD)
TE Chris Brown (26 REC, 195 YDS, 7.7 AVG, 5 TD)

A glance at those numbers along with Carolina's poor offense right now tells me to pick the Vols ... My prediction, Tennessee 20-16 Carolina ... GO COCKS, see y'all in Knoxville!