Week #2 - My thoughts and observations ...

Goose Egg – USC’s 34-0 white-wash of N.C. State gave the Gamecocks’ its third season opening shutout since 2000 – South Carolina blanked New Mexico State 31-0 in 2000 and Mississippi State 15-0 on the road in 2004 … Carolina also held opening day foes to single digits in 2003 (Louisiana-Lafayette 14-7) and 2004 (at Vanderbilt 31-6) … Other season openers since ’00: Boise State (32-13, 2001); New Mexico State (34-24, 2002); Central Florida (24-15, 2005); and Louisiana-Lafayette (28-14, 2006) … The three season opening shutouts are the only games South Carolina has been able to blank its opponent since a 26-0 victory at East Carolina in 1997.

Tailgatin’ – With the shortened work day we left our house in Cayce, S.C., around 4:00 p.m., and decided to take the 12th Street Extension to I-77 so that we could bypass the sinkhole that occurred on South Huger Street earlier in the week … We were in front of the National Guard Armory on Bluff Road by 4:15 and into the State Farmer’s Market by 4:30 … Upon our arrival we were joined by our tailgating crew that is enjoying perhaps the last year ever at the Watermelon Shed … Big Al brought some of the best boiled peanuts I have ever tasted as a snack and let me tell you that Rikard’s in Gilbert, S.C., knows how to get those goobers perfect! … It was so friggin’ humid that I passed on the Highland Ale (Asheville, N.C.) I had brought in honor of our night’s opponent in favor of the “Taste of the Carolinas” – Natural Light … Knocking down those bad boys like ice water was no problem in the heat and we dined on an assortment of D’s Wings (Parkland Plaza in Cayce) … It was great to see all of our tailgating neighbors and a lot of pregame fun was had by all … Anxious to get the season underway, we broke down our tailgating area a little earlier than normal and headed across Bluff Road.

Game Notes – With the long weekend I am sure most of you have read reports and blurbs about everything that went on at Williams-Brice Stadium this past Thursday … Well, just skip along if you don’t want to read more  … The new signage wrappings at “The W-B” look great and just another example of the current administration “getting it” in regards to the little things – it actually looks like the home of the Gamecocks now! … Kudos to the Carolina crowd for 90% of you donning the school’s colors of Garnet & Black – those folks in the green, yellow, and pink “got some ‘splaining to do” … I got to my seat 25-30 minutes prior to kickoff and visited with the regular group I have been sitting around for more than 20 years (GG, Ann, Henry, Dean, Cindy, the guys from Simpsonville, the family from Lancaster, etc.), but I was very disappointed to learn that the Wingo’s of Anderson had to give up their seats directly behind me – Stuart, give me a ring … The new sound system is excellent and was absolutely blaring when ‘2001’ started … The field looked outstanding so props to the field crew of Clark Cox, Eddie Dunning, James Bouknight, etc. … I noted last week that Ellis Johnson and Ray Rychleski were the two biggest “recruits” during the offseason – both provided huge dividends vs. N.C. State … Offensive line (every member) was awful for three quarters … Garrett Anderson’s personal foul was a poor call by the ACC official … Tommy Beecher definitely suffered from stage fright, but got some important yardage that setup the field goal to make it 13-0 – he took some shots for three quarters (tough kid) … Chris Smelley was sharp off the bench … I agree with the old saying that “if you have two quarterbacks, then you have no QBs”, but this seems to be a necessity since Beecher left the game woozy … On that same note, better get Stephen Garcia some work in a Syvelle Newton type package if the offensive line plays most of the year like they did the first three stanzas … Mike “The Fridge” Davis ran hard, caught the ball well, and made a huge impact on the game – but his blocking was atrocious … Taylor Rank is a deserved backup … Brian Maddox was impressive in a brief spell … Pat DiMarco was superb in his blocking role … Kenny McKinley might be the best wide receiver in the country … The touchdown passes from Smelley to Jared Cook and Dion Lecorn were super throws and those receivers made the most of their limited opportunities … Ryan Succop has been outstanding since arriving in Columbia and Thursday may have been his most consistent performance – 2-for-2 on field goals of 29 and 46 yards, 4-for-4 on extra points, seven kickoffs with four touchbacks and a 69.9 average (that is 0.1 from hitting every single kick into the end zone) … Spencer Lanning had some booming punts, but two were negated by sailing into the end zone – however, he has a strong leg and gets good hang time, so he should perform well this fall, especially since freshman Ryan Doerr has left the team due to homesickness … Captain Munnerlyn had some solid returns and I thought on one he was gone, but that will come soon … Emanuel Cook is a beast and ranks up there with the Tony Watkins’ and the Rashad Faison’s in the pound-for-pound hardest hitter – he was all over the place … Darian Stewart looked good to me despite being hampered by a nagging injury … Jordin Lindsey was very active and is the epitome of a “football player” – really like him at the defensive end spot … I thought Byron McKnight was supposed to be a “thrown in” when USC received the commitment of Travian Robertson – both got in on the action and McKnight had a great sack … Stoney Woodson and Carlos Thomas each had nice interceptions … Akeem Auguste made some nice special teams plays … Nathan Pepper returned from the knee injury and had some nice moments as did Cliff Matthews, who was hustling from start to finish … Ladi Ajiboye, who I really like, had a tough night inside … I liked ‘2001’ prior to the 4th quarter … I don’t remember a more boring three quarters at W-B … N.C. State looked as bad offensively as South Caroilna’s 1999 team which featured six quarterbacks and zero success on that side of the ball … The weather was extremely humid and Mark Smith must have done a great job getting the guys in shape, because the Wolfpack were dropping like flies and USC kept on ticking … ACC referee Ron Cherry irks me to no end … Andre Brown turned in a workman’s performance with 101 yards rushing on 21 carries … The NCSU quarterback trio of Wilson-Evans-Beck were pathetic … The punter Pierson did a good job … N.C. State won’t win more than three games this season – and that might even be a stretch … I thought USC’s combination of the white helmet/garnet jersey/white pants looked sharp and I felt like N.C. State’s combo of all white was as non-descript as a GLAD trash bag – I like all white, but the plainness of the Wolfpack’s threads was awful.

SEC, SEC, SEC – The chants of S-E-C, S-E-C, S-E-C, rang loud and clear across the television screens of college football fans this weekend … Starting with South Carolina’s 34-0 drubbing of N.C. State, the nation’s best football league flexed its muscles with a 10-1 non-conference mark – Tennessee plays at UCLA Monday night.

SEC (Aug. 28-31)
#24 Alabama 34-10 #9 Clemson
ARKANSAS 28-24 Western Illinois
#10 AUBURN 34-0 Louisiana-Monroe
#5 FLORIDA 56-10 Hawaii
#1 GEORGIA 45-21 Georgia Southern
Kentucky 27-2 LOUISVILLE
#7 LSU 41-13 Appalachian State
Mississippi 41-24 MEMPHIS
Mississippi State 14-22 LOUISIANA TECH
SOUTH CAROLINA 34-0 North Carolina State
#18 Tennessee @ UCLA
Vanderbilt 34-13 MIAMI-OHIO

Music City - South Carolina owns a 7-1 mark in Nashville vs. Vanderbilt as members of the SEC, including a 31-13 victory on its last trip in 2006 … USC also won 23-7 in 1961 against the Commodores in the Music City … In Columbia, the Gamecocks are 7-2, which includes last season’s inexplicable 17-6 loss to Vandy – that game started the 2007 spiral that Carolina never recovered from … I understand that VU is planning a “Black Out”, so that will be interesting to see as I am sure a throng of Gamecock fans will be making the trip northwest so be sure to wear your garnet! … I love this trip and we will be heading up the day of the game and returning to the Palmetto State’s capital city on Saturday … I am a big country music fan so Nashville makes for a perfect destination during football season … My prediction: Cocks win 24-13!

7-1 @ Nashville (Average = SC 24.1 – VU 12.1)
‘92, 21-17 W
‘94, 19-16 W
‘96, 27-0 W
‘98, 14-17 L
‘00, 30-14 W
‘02, 20-14 W
‘04, 31-6 W
‘06, 31-13 W

Home Sweet Home (Not) – Under the direction of Columbia, S.C., native Bobby Johnson, the Commodores have posted a 4-20 SEC record at 39,790-seat Vanderbilt Stadium … The Eau Claire High School and Clemson University graduate has seen his Black & Gold troops win one SEC home game in 2003 (Kentucky), 2004 (Miss. State), 2005 (Ole Miss), and 2007 (Ole Miss), but were winless in four outings during the 2002 and 2006 seasons … The lone victory against a team from the SEC East Division was in 2003 vs. UK and you have to go back to South Carolina’s 1-10 season in 1998 under Brad Scott to find their last home win vs. a division rival as the Commodores slipped past the Gamecocks 11-10 at Vanderbilt Stadium.

Bobby Johnson at Vanderbilt (4-20 in Nashville vs. SEC)
2007 (1-3)
20-27 Kentucky
17-20 Georgia
W, 31-17 Ole Miss
10-24 Alabama
2006 (0-4)
10-39 Tennessee
19-25 Florida
13-31 South Carolina
19-21 Arkansas
2005 (1-3)
43-48 Kentucky
17-34 Georgia
6-34 LSU
W, 31-23 Ole Miss
2004 (1-3)
17-34 Florida
W, 31-13 Miss. State
23-26 Ole Miss
6-31 South Carolina
2003 (1-3)
W, 28-17 Kentucky
8-27 Georgia
7-45 Auburn
21-24 Ole Miss
2002 (0-4)
0-24 Tennessee
17-21 Florida
8-30 Alabama
14-20 South Carolina

Clemson Crushed – I don’t normally comment on South Carolina’s arch-rivals, but what happened Saturday night has to be addressed … I almost – almost – felt sorry for some of my Clemson friends for seeing their team get manhandled by a legitimate middle-of-the-pack SEC team like Alabama … I figured the game would be close and that a turnover here or there would make the difference, but for the Crimson Tide to absolutely smash mouth the Tigers was hilarious to watch Saturday night – in fact, it got boring … Alabama did anything and everything they wanted in a complete domination that is sure to send shockwaves through Tiger Town for the rest of the season – really before it even got started … I have never bought into all this recruiting hype one way or the other and it is pretty simple to me that Clemson might have above average skill players, but their offensive and defensive lines are not good at all – and that is simply where the games are won or lost (I know, because I have watched South Carolina up close and personal for 30 seasons) … It will be interesting to hear the Midlands area sports talk shows and the Clemson callers: Jeff the ACC Fan; Neil the “soft sounding” moving dude; the fellow that asks “Can we get Jack on” and seems infatuated with sub-4.0 speed players; the guy from Clover that hates UNC and Duke; and the CU supporter who said that N.C. State would beat South Carolina by 2-3 scores; just to name a few … Get the phone ringing boys! … Clemson might have more wins than losses at season’s end, but it isn’t going to mean much in the end, because the ACC is pathetic and I suspect their cronies are realizing the fact that:

Clemson is 1-4 vs. SEC since 2006
L, 10-34 vs. Alabama (Atlanta, GA)
L, 20-23 (ot) vs. Auburn (Atlanta, GA)
W, 23-21 @ South Carolina
L, 20-28 vs. Kentucky (Nashville, TN)
L, 28-31 SOUTH CAROLINA

Coaching Gulf – I know the players, the stadiums, the overall atmosphere is head-and-shoulders better in the SEC than the ACC, but how about the caliber of coaches in the Southeastern Conference? … It really is apples-and-oranges compared to the Atlantic Coast Conference … And, how about that win by East Carolina vs. Virginia Tech in Charlotte, N.C.? … Great win by former USC assistant head coach Skip Holtz and former Gamecock quarterback Phil Petty along with former South Carolina coaches Steve Shankweiler, Donnie Kirkpatrick, Cliff Snow, and Todd Fitch.

Strange Sights – How about these scores from the opening week … Utah 25-23 MICHIGAN – what a screwed up situation the Maize & Blue have become since Rich Rodriguez was hired … Arkansas State 18-14 TEXAS A&M – ruined the home debut for Mike Sherman (that seat he’s on must be one level above Hades) … Bowling Green 27-17 PITTSBURGH – not a good start for year #3 under Dave “Stache” Wannstedt … Buffalo 42-17 UTEP – Mike Price gets trounced by former Nebraska QB Turner Gill’s Bulls in El Paso – wonder if Price will be tipping some of the locals to stay around … Temple 35-7 ARMY – any win by the Owls needs mentioning … LOUISIANA TECH 22-14 Mississippi State – last year may have been a hiccup for Sly Croom’s stay in Starkville (now 17-31 at MSU) … STANFORD 36-28 Oregon State – former Chicago Bears QB Jim Harbaugh is one of the next great line of coaches (college or NFL) … ARIZONA 70-0 Idaho – nothing notable except for the 70 points scored and the fact that Arizona should be 3-0 heading to UCLA on September 20 … Troy 31-17 MIDDLE TENNESSEE – South Carolina has played both in recent years and I found this score interesting.

M-Soccer - Great win by South Carolina Friday night -- that is two in a row vs. Clemson and three of the last five ... The back line (Mario Burstein, Tyler Ruthven, Will Traynor, and Mark Wiltse) and goalkeeper Jimmy Mauer have posted three shutouts during the preseason (Winthrop 1-0 and N.C. State 3-0) and last night's season opener ... Give credit to center midfielder Josh Stewart as well as he performs the "midfield defending duties" giving David MacVane some space to create the attack along with wing midfielders Jeff Scannella and Blake Brettschneider ... The forward duo of Sam Arthur and Mike Lindsay provides a nice complement to one another and this should be a fun Gamecock team to watch this fall ... Arthur's first half score was top-shelf as he quickly settled the ball and turned to roof the ball into the top of the net from six yards away ... Brettschneider's goal should be counted as a double-assist because Lindsay got it started with a well-time flick-header as Arthur collected the ball on the right side of the penalty area where he found a darting Brettschneider who found his bearings and rocketed the ball past the Clemson goalkeeper ... The crowd was incredible and the sea of Garnet/Black from the Press Box was really noticeable ... Presbyterian is up next on Tuesday at Stone Stadium ... The Blue Hose (0-1) entered their second season of NCAA Division I men's soccer with a 3-2 loss vs. Wofford on Friday ... Then, it's onto Winston-Salem, N.C., for matches with #1 Wake Forest and #24 North Carolina -- great way to start the year!

Andrew Smith - In closing, I had the privilege of meeting the young man from Michigan, Andrew Smith and his father Shawn, that has been discussed frequently the past year or so on Gamecock message boards ... I saw the "Honorary Team Captain" for the men’s soccer match as I entered Stone Stadium about 1 1/2 hours prior to the game in preparation for the webcast and introduced myself and welcomed them to Columbia, S.C. ... We're all pulling for you Andrew!