Week #5 - my thoughts and observations …

Tailgating – Great weather, great friends/family, great times … We left the confines of Cayce, SC toward Williams-Brice Stadium around 3:30 p.m., and were parked in the Farmers Market by 3:50 p.m. – great traffic flow through the Olympia section of Columbia … The cold Natural Light was flowing from the start and we dined on delicious Hite’s (West Columbia) barbeque/hash, tortillas/chips, Sonny’s corn-dip, etc. … EDITOR’S NOTE – We started, in the fine tradition of honoring our ‘opponents’ with Thomas Creek (Greenville, SC) “Class Five IPA” – it was terrible! … That stuff is awful! … Way too ‘hoppy’ and way too ‘caramelized’ – it was almost like drinking a caramel apple at the circus – yuck! … Plus, it tasted ‘old’ and had a pungent odor when ‘popping the top’ … The tailgating crowd resembled the lackluster Williams-Brice Stadium attendees, because it was a “down” atmosphere the entire tailgate – almost like USC fans had mailed it in regarding football season … However, we watched the Cubs clinch the National League Central Division crown for the second consecutive year with a win vs. arch-rival St. Louis … I didn’t leave for my seats until 6:35 p.m., just in time for the National Anthem, alma mater, and ‘2001’.

Go Cubs Go! – As many that have followed my readings throughout the years know, I am a diehard Chicago Cubs fan and am enjoying the 2008 season to the utmost … Along with KCock93, KingCock, ChiTown, D.E., etc., I know there are other Cubs Fans amongst “Gamecock Nation” out there as well glowing as we reach the autumn time of year … Believe me, being a Cubs fan and a Gamecocks fan goes hand-in-hand and it’s tough … I’ve been following the National League’s Chicago squad since 1982 (thanks to WGN and Ryne Sandberg) after growing up in a household that pretty much pulled for the New York Yankees (my favorite A.L. team) … However, being in the South meant being surrounded by Atlanta Braves fans for the better part of the past 15 years and the springs, summers, and falls were deluged with talks of Tom Glavine, Andruw Jones, Chipper Jones, and John Smoltz – good for the “ATL”, but insignificant to myself and other Royal Blue pinstripe fans … I ask that those local folks give way to some more baseball coverage on the airwaves and such because the season isn’t over yet like it is for the Braves … Eddie Vedder, lead singer for Pearl Jam and long time Cubs Fan, has penned a tribute to the 2008 Chicago Cubs, “All the Way” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KajeVoqRdrs … Along with the ever popular, “Go Cubs Go”, penned by the late Steve Goodman in 1984, which is heard daily during baseball season at Wrigley Field or via WGN - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGWAX0Gi18E&feature=related – and it proves that the Cubs have been the “lovable losers” of a century’s worth of professional baseball, but also the fact that their unwavering support will always remain.

Fans - I write this as a comment to the state of “Carolina Football” … I, too, was not happy with the performance vs. I-AA (let the sports writers call it the new name – Football Championship Subdivision) Wofford … However, I did not ‘boo’ at all on Saturday – in fact, the only time I ever did at a USC home football game was in 2003 when South Carolina got bombed by Clemson, 63-17 (my friend, A.C., that sits by me might have more solid info regarding if I have booed the Gamecocks J) … I made it a point that night to go down to the West lower deck’s wall area (about 30 rows from where I sit) and ‘boo’ Athletic Director Mike McGee departing the field for his foolish attempt to keep Lou Holtz around longer than he wanted to be in Columbia … Coach Holtz wanted out after 2001 but McGee wouldn’t let him go and agreed for Coach Holtz to become a part-time coach down in Orlando, Fla. … Call me a bad fan, an ungrateful Gamecock Club member, or a poor Alumnus, and I don’t care – things needed to be stated and the ‘Gestapo’ mentality that McGee had instituted amongst his brethren at 1300 Rosewood Drive needed to be voiced publicly … I said then, and remind now, that the Gamecocks’ gridiron program would have been better off with another set of eyes running USC Football, but McGee got his wish to keep a part-time head football coach in town from 2002-04 and a 16-19 record ensued along with a lot of turmoil … Of course, this is the same Gamecocks program that has lost two consecutive games to Vanderbilt, hmmmmmmm … Let’s fast-forward!

Saturday Night – Carolina 23-13 Wofford … Whew! … The first words that came to my head when USC quarterback Chris Smelley connected on a 17-yard touchdown pass to Dion Lecorn with less than two minutes remaining in the game vs. a I-AA foe … To say I was nervous every time Smelley dropped back vs. the Terriers is an understatement … After the first series of the game, in which Smelley sent a ball intended for a Gamecock receiver surrounded by about five gold helmets and was promptly intercepted, I just threw up my hands and resigned myself to the fact that it would be one of those nights at Williams-Brice Stadium … Thank goodness Carolina was able to hold the possession advantage in terms of time and plays run, because if it was the opposite then Wofford would be enjoying this victory for the next century … USC did not play poor offensively (76 plays, 376 yards, 4.9 average), but the Gamecocks stalled time-and-again vs. an inferior foe … Until the Gamecocks get better quarterback play then this will be a reoccurring theme – hate to say it, but it’s true … Smelley was 4-2 as a starter last year and is 1-2 this season – that’s 5-4 … Tommy Beecher had his one start for all time at USC and, though he went 1-0 statistically, he has proved that he does not have the intestinal fortitude to lead the Garnet & Black … Time to unkey the shackles of Stephen Garcia – who knows what he can do? … We’ve all seen the ceiling that Beecher & Smelley (sounds like a law firm) offer and can perform … However, I would at least like a look before SEC play resumes as USC will host Alabama-Birmingham next week – UAB to the “non-informed” non-UAB folks!

No Fun – I know USC has signed up I-AA opponents for the next decade or so, but I really wish the Southeastern Conference would step in and make the league members play an 11 game SEC slate and then have one non-conference game … For roughly $50 per ticket I would rather watch SEC teams rather than I-AA foes … Truth of the matter is that I-AA football is boring and I-A teams have nothing to gain by winning … Sure you get to put a ‘W’ in the win column, but other than that you gain nothing and have everything to lose … With the new TV deal (CBS/ESPN/etc.) what does it matter anyway about wins/losses? … The SEC basically has a monopoly on college football now and in my estimation the SEC Champion will be recognized as the National Champion – even with one or two losses … If you go 7-5 or 6-6 then at least it’s against the best competition in the country – bar none … These games have zero interest as the multitude of folks dressed as silver bleachers can attest.

Heart! – Boy, I would love to see South Carolina get a “coach’s kid” like Andy Strickland in every recruiting class … Is he a 4*? No! … Is he a stud? No! … I remember him as a toddler roaming the stands during Brookland-Cayce High School games for one season in 1993 … From there his father, Phil, resurrected the Batesburg-Leesville program into a Class 2A power and then joined the Class 4A Upstate power that is Gaffney HS and has restored that program to its state title contender status every year … ‘Andy’ just epitomizes the effort of a I-AA player compared to a I-A recipient player … The senior finance major at Wofford College, who prepped at Gaffney HS, contributed 20 yards on three carries and 25 yards receiving with three catches … Does he do the ‘little things’ to be successful at college football? Yes! … What is that? … Well, considering that Wofford College bused down-and-back I-26 on Saturday during their $225,000 payday from USC and the fact that South Carolina spent $12,000 on a one-night ‘getaway’ for preparations almost sickens me … How can a dormitory status program like the Spartanburg, S.C., based Terriers compete with “big ole Capital City USC”? … Heart!!! … If it wasn’t more evident than Saturday night, then the announced crowd of 76,599 (more like 67,599), well, you must not have been there at “The W-B” … I can’t remember a worse crowd-in-the-seats game than the Wofford contest of 2008 – someone help me refresh my memory … Maybe Louisiana Tech in 1992 or 1993 since Carolina joined the SEC? … A former BCHS and Wofford College baseball standout came over after the game and he is an avid South Carolina athletics fan … But, the first thing he stated after the game at the Farmers Market was that USC lacked “heart” and that it was evident from the pregame warm-ups … Throw in the tardy arrival of ‘2001’ where it must have been 30 seconds that passed after the entrance part of the theme (for the second week in a row) and it is just a poor product right now in Columbia … An old-timer once told me that things always rot from the head down … I don’t want to go that far right now, but some people with Carolina Football need to start looking in the mirror!

Coaching – Yikes! … Did any of us think this would be a problem? … To start off, if this was the popular QB1 Game that is available in sports bars, then I would fail miserably at calling plays for USC … In four games, I still have no idea as what Carolina wants to do offensively … It is very maddening to say the least – at least if something wasn’t working (and we knew what that ‘was’ then it might make it more bearable) … Did USC not hire Steve Spurrier as the head coach, and subsequently, since he did not hire one, the offensive coordinator? … Where are the ‘ingenious plays’? … Also, what is this with the reports of a couple of assistant coaches celebrating a win last night in Five Points? … Come on, if I were a football coach at USC last night, I would have sought my personal refuge to get away from any kind of public comments – maybe I’m “soft-skinned” … Wow is all I can say! … This was Wofford – not Alabama, Auburn, Florida, or Georgia … USC is 2-2 overall and 0-2 in the SEC (with a loss to Vanderbilt) … South Carolina is 2-7 overall since a narrow 21-15 win at North Carolina last fall (10/13/07) with no SEC victories … Time to start acting like a SEC program and not one hailing from Appalachian State (I-AA) or Millersville, PA (whatever they are)!

Game Balls – Red Zone offense converted all five times, but three of those were field goals … Ryan Succop was perfect with a 3-of-3 night on field goals (thank goodness!) … Plus, he notched two of his six kickoffs as touchbacks and only averaged 18.5 per return … Brian Maddox (12 rush, 52 yds, 1 td), Mike Davis (10 rush, 51 yds), and Eric Baker (11 rush, 49 yds) combined for 33 carries and 153 yards for a 4.6 average … The rushing attack looked better, but it still has a long ways to go … I was more worried about Wofford’s offense than their defensive challenges, but despite nearly 400 yards the Terriers stopped Carolina time and again (2 TD, 3 FG) … Davis (6 rec, 51 yds) looked good receiving the ball out of the backfield and Jared Cook (4 rec, 48 yds) is turning into a fantastic target – he has NFL written all over him … Moe Brown (3 rec, 31 yds) was solid and seems to be turning into a “go-to” receiver with Kenny McKinley sideline and Dion Lecorn (3 rec, 22 yds, 1 td) made a nice appearance this year … Joe Hills (2 rec, 23 yds) got some nice time and I would like to see more of this ‘long body’ on receiving routes … Emanuel Cook (10 tkl) is the best player at South Carolina the past 20 years! … He is everywhere and is a joy to watch … When I saw him get on Addison Williams (should have shoved his foot up his butt) for not taking care of his assignment during the long Wofford touchdown play, that just proved to me what kind of player he is … I know he is undersized and probably out of position at USC in regards to the NFL, but Cook is simply a ‘player’ – a lot like Rashad Faison, Tony Watkins, and Scott Windsor – hard hitters and ball players! … Nathan Pepper (7 tkl) was outstanding along the defensive line … Clifton Geathers looked somewhat active against a I-AA opponent with three tackles … The linebackers: Jasper Brinkley (5); Marvin Sapp (7); Rodney Paulk (3); and Eric Norwood (1) did an admirable job with the read-option offense, but when are Brinkley and Norwood going to “show up” consistently? … I have a feeling it will be for the SEC games – hope so, or it’s going to be a long 2/3 of the season remaining … The clock gets a game ball as well! … The Pay-Per-View TV game was played in a crisp 2 hours and 34 minutes and had a great flow from start to finish.

Work to Do - Chris Culliver (3 ret, 65 yds) and the kickoff return crew disappointed against a lot of “lesser athletic guys” … I have always liked Stoney Woodson, but he was oblivious to the down field pass that resulted in such a long gain for Wofford … Addison Williams might need to look elsewhere after the season – he’s lost and has contributed only negative plays to USC the past two years … The offense is just stagnant and not appealing to watch at all right now … Only eight touchdowns in four games … How many turnovers will USC commit in 2008? … The over/under has been set at 45 … As for these “recruiting experts” – talk about a load of crap! … That is a fabricated job if there ever was one and is totally B.S.! … One of my big questions prior to the season was the offensive line – I knew USC had quantity, but the quality is severely lacking … When you are inside the 10-yard line vs. a I-AA defense then touchdowns are expected not field goals … The defense has been tough through four games, but why can’t this unit create any turnovers? … And, the defense has allowed the four opponents to score 7 of 8 times inside the Red Zone … Mark Smith gets a lot of pats on the backs about the conditioning of this team, but the Gamecocks are “soft” when looking at the on-the-field product – no gumption or attitude (save for about 4-5 guys) … I’m going to end this topic with the quarterback play – whew! … Lots of improvement needed at the most important position – it’s been terrible so far!

UAB – Alabama-Birmingham enters with a 1-3 record … This should be an easy victory for USC on Saturday … The last time South Carolina faced the Blazers, USC routed UAB 42-10 in 2003 during a 5-7 campaign … UAB is 2-10 all time vs. SEC foes and Coach Neil Callaway’s troops were 2-10 last season … Carolina should win comfortably and, if so, at 3-2 I still won’t know what kind of team South Carolina has this fall.