Week #10 - My thoughts and observations

My thoughts and observations …

Condolences – First off, I would like to express my condolences to the family of James Wingo, who passed away Monday, November 3, 2008 … He sat directly behind me for more than 20 years in Section 9 and battled Alzheimer’s the past couple of years … Mr. Wingo was a track standout at T.L. Hanna High School in Anderson and was a Letterman in the same sport at the University of South Carolina … His son, Stuart, and I basically grew up together at Williams-Brice Stadium throughout the years and I wish the Wingo Family my condolences at this time … Also, my cousin BKB lost his maternal grandfather this past week and the service was Sunday in Columbia … His grandfather, Buddy Sullivan, was a very good athlete at Dreher High School and during the Outback Bowl season in 2000 we had the opportunity to visit him at his Pinellas Park, Fla., home near Tampa … My thoughts are with my aunt, uncle, and BKB … P.S. – A “Berrian” alert went out at the service … Boy, you out there?

Tailgating – The easiest trip to Williams-Brice Stadium this year occurred this past Saturday … We ventured out the 12th Street Extension in Cayce via I-277 and Bluff Road and were parked by 3 o’clock … Where were the Gamecock fans? … If anyone parks at Stadium Place let me in on some information – is it still open? … Every time we’re heading to the game that place looks like a bomb has exploded because no one is around … What gives? … Do they not open the gates early? … Anyway, lots of cold Natural Light accompanied a D’s Wings (Parkland Plaza in Cayce) spread … Our Kingsport, TN fan that makes every USC home game (and a bunch of the away games, too) was primed to take a “W” back to share with his Big Orange brethren in eastern Tennessee and he was not disappointed as Carolina won for only the third time vs. UT since joining the SEC for football in 1992 … We stayed around for about an hour after the game, but with the early exodus of so many Gamecock fans and the lack of attendance by the Big Orange faithful we were able to scoot home relatively quickly postgame.

ScUTtled – USC took care of their chief SEC East Division nemesis, Tennessee, in fine fashion (27-6) on Saturday in Columbia … The Gamecocks dominated from start to finish and the outcome was never in doubt after Stoney Woodson made a perfect break on Nick Stephens’ pass and raced 68 yards for a score to give Carolina a two touchdown advantage on the first play of the second quarter … For some reason USC had not been able to buck the single-digit trend of losing vs. the Vols as seven of the previous eight meetings had been decided by that form and yet only one of those games was a Gamecock victory … Hopefully, this will be a watershed win and perhaps a changing of the middle tier in the Division as SC and UT have split the past four encounters … Since 2005, USC is 14-16 in the SEC while UT owns a 15-15 mark … One note, in 1992 when South Carolina upset Tennessee 24-23 on Halloween day in Columbia, I was working at USC in the Sports Information Department under the direction of Kerry Tharp (Tom Price had just retired and “KT” and Brian Binette ran the day-to-day office operations) … Tharp, a native of Louisville, Ky., earned his Master’s Degree at UT and worked in the SID for long time UT SID, Bud Ford … The evening before the football game a Cockaboose (new to USC at the time) was the setting for a UT gathering and Coach Johnny Majors was the guest – I had the privilege of shuttling Coach Majors around with some other UT folks in my 1988 Jeep Cherokee Laredo between the USC campus and their hotel headquarters off Two Notch Road in northeast Columbia … It is amazing how much you can soak up and learn when you are in the company of such respected folks in their professions and you could not have met a nicer gentleman than Coach Majors … However, the next day UT slipped on a banana peel as a resurgent USC team – led by walkon linebacker Hank Campbell – stopped James Stewart and the Volunteers on a two-point conversion with less 1:30 remaining in the game – Trick or Treat! … That was basically the end for Coach Majors and the Phil Fulmer era began at UT … I’ve never been a Gamecock fan to dislike Coach Fulmer, because entering the year he was 147-45 overall with a National Championship, a pair of SEC titles, and five East Division crowns … Plus, I have met a couple of his long time assistants (Dan Brooks and John Chavis) who we share a mutual friend … Only legendary Coach Robert Neyland has coached or won more games in Knoxville and Fulmer owned an 8-8 mark in bowl games … Here’s wishing good luck to the Great Pumpkin!

Catapults – If you are an aspiring punter or just like to see a lot of hang time then the Palmetto State’s Capital City was the place to be for you on Saturday … I can’t remember more punts in a game as Carolina’s Spencer Lanning matched kick for kick the entire Colquitt Clan – this time with Britton doing the duties … Lanning (8-360 yards) and Colquitt (9-408 yards) probably needed crutches on Sunday as the duo combined for 17 punts, 768 yards, a 45+ yard average, and even downed five inside the 20 yard line … Whew! … Not to be outdone were the punt coverages of both teams as Carolina allowed only 31 yards on seven returns Tennessee bettered those numbers with marks of two returns for -2 yards – impressive for both teams! … #29 Chris Hail was excellent on his coverage as was #59 Charles Turner and – my boy – #3 Akeem Auguste!

Perfect Palmettos – Kudos to whomever came up with the Palmetto Tree logos opposite the SEC logos at Williams-Brice Stadium … Again, another indication that the current administration “gets it” when it comes to the little things … Selling your program as a SEC member and the flagship institution of the Palmetto State is a no-brainer and that is a super “touch” on the gridiron.

SEC Since 2000 – A win vs. Arkansas or Florida would give South Carolina its fifth .500 or better SEC campaign in nine seasons … In fact, a victory this coming Saturday vs. the Hogs would flip-flop positions between the permanent SEC East/West foes … SEC records since 2000: #1 Florida (51-19, .729); #2 LSU (50-19, .725); #3-T Auburn (49-21, .700); #3-T Georgia (49-21, .700); #5 Tennessee (45-26, .634); #6 Alabama (35-34, .507); #7 Arkansas (33-36, .478); #8 SOUTH CAROLINA (33-37, .471); #9 Ole Miss (27-43, .386); #10 Kentucky (18-51, .261); #11 Miss. State (16-53, .232); and #12 Vanderbilt (12-57, .174) … .500 or better seasons since 2000: 9 – Florida, Georgia; 8 – Auburn, LSU; 7 – Tennessee; 5 – Alabama, Arkansas; 4 – SOUTH CAROLINA; 3 – Ole Miss; 2 – Miss. State; 1 – Kentucky; and 0 – Vanderbilt.

Bowling – Barring a melee in the finale at Clemson and Gamecock Nation should be afforded the opportunity to go “bowling” this postseason at a pretty desirable locale … I love that time of year as it puts an exclamation point on what has been a pretty good season of gridiron action … I have only missed one bowl game (1988 Liberty) since 1979 and the postseason trips are an absolute blast … I fully expect South Carolina’s defense to shut down Arkansas this week and a scoreline of 27-13 looks about right to me … That would give USC seven victories with two games remaining – that’s in the realm of Outback and Chick-fil-A destinations with the outside chance of perhaps a CapitalOne, Cotton (mainly SEC West), or if things don’t go right then a Music City … Either way, get on the road and support the Garnet & Black! … Being bowl eligible last year and in 2004 and not going left a bad taste in my mouth and I fully enjoyed the trips to the Independence and Liberty Bowls – no such thing as a “bad bowl”! … Plus, the Gamecocks are 4-1 in their last five trips after starting 0-8 – nothing like fun at a neutral site against other big-time conferences.

Sooiee Pig – Time to stick ‘Tusk’ on a BBQ pit as the Razorbacks invade Columbia this Saturday … USC is 4-4 vs. Arkansas at The W-B and it’s time we get over the .500 mark at home in this series … The Hogs lead overall 10-6 in a series played annually since 1992 … Arkansas owns 3-1 marks at Fayetteville and Little Rock, respectively … Three of the last four meetings have seen a lot of points scored, including 84 last year (SC 36-48 AR) … In 2006, the Hogs outlasted USC 26-20 and in 2004 Lou Holtz recorded his final Carolina victory with a 35-32 win … The lone defensive struggle recently was a 14-10 win by USC in 2005 at Fayetteville.