SC State Pre-Game...

Contrary to the buzz around Gamecock Nation, we are not playing LSU this week. It's SC State, people, SC State. Focus!

The Game
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Williams-Brice Stadium
Columbia, SC
7:00pm

The Set-Up
Stuck between an emotional upset win in Athens and a looming opportunity of historical proportions in Baton Rouge, the SC State game sets up like a trap game if there ever was one.

The Bulldogs have been waiting 100 years to play this game…and who could blame them? It’s mind-boggling to think that we’ve never met SC State on the gridiron. Heck, we even played a boatload of games against The Citadel down in Orangeburg, yet we’ve never crossed paths with the hometown Bulldogs.

The SC State faithful will come to town ready to party. I went to an SC State/Furman game up in Paladin Stadium several years ago, and it was a raucous atmosphere…an atmosphere not frequently seen in the shadow of Paris Mountain, let me assure you. It was a culture clash for sure, but a fun time was had by all.

There’s no reason why this Saturday should be any different as we welcome our fellow South Cackalackians to Columbia. Rumors of turmoil surrounding the game are disappointing, and frankly, a little embarrassing. But if you, Mr. Confederate Flag at Gameday Guy, decide that this Saturday would be a dandy time to pull out your relic banner, you honestly deserve whatever comes to you.

This is a historic meeting between two proud fanbases that are separated by a handful of miles, but not by the undying love of their schools. I look forward to kicking-off a new era of competition between the Gamecocks and Bulldogs tomorrow night at 7:00pm. Oh, and halftime…that should be fun, too.

The Deciding Factor
Talent. Skill. Speed. Honestly, there’s no way this should even be close. App State, App State, App State…yeah, I know. But SC State isn’t even close to the same level as Appy, or even Wofford, within the FCS. There is a talent gap here of epic proportions. When you’re playing with Clemson’s rejects, you know you’ve got problems.

I have a lot of respect for Buddy Pough, but he just doesn’t have the weapons to keep up in the arms race that will be going on in The W-B Saturday night.

The Final
South Carolina, 42
SC State, 14