Friend of the blog Layla will be periodically joining us this season with her unique perspective on the Gamecocks. Here is her first installment of 2013. (Although her journalistic credibility takes a hit when she calls us “gentlemen”.)

Before recording their Week 1 podcast, the gentlemen of TRC (put that on a t-shirt) took to social media to probe the minds of their “fans,” looking to discuss those hot-button issues on everyone’s mind.

If you tuned in, you’ll remember a question posed by a dynamic go-getter regarding dealing with those “a-hole” fans of that school in the upstate. If you didn’t tune in, go check it out. I’ll wait.

It’s been a concern for those of us that have the misfortune of forced interactions with Clemson fans, whether it’s at work, church, or ordering at your favorite lunch place. I don’t want to hear about your three-point “domination” over Georgia, I just want to know if I can substitute for a side salad. Get your life together.

Prior to the opening weekend, a few of those Clemson fans I work with asked which team I’d be pulling for; turns out they didn’t appreciate “Bane” as an answer. (C’mon, we’re all thinking it.) In all seriousness, it was hard to root for either team. But it was just too hard to support Clemson, knowing the next work week would be miserable. And it was.

Their fan base is already plagued with delusions of grandeur, and now, having two SEC victories in a row has only served to inflate that ego to dangerous levels. Not dangerous for them, mind you, but for me; though I suppose that also pose some danger to them. I don’t know that I can survive the rest of the season constantly hearing these people go on and on about how they should be in the SEC and that this is going to be their year and wahwah wah wahwahwah wah wah…

After our 41-30 loss to Georgia this weekend, I knew this week would be even more frustrating.

However, I couldn’t fathom just how difficult it would be until a coworker greeted me Monday morning with “Hey, loser.” From there it was a steady, downward spiral of nonsensical taunting, as it dawned on me that these people have no idea what they’re talking about. Do you know how aggravating it is to listen to people blather on when they can’t grasp the importance of play-calling?

We all deal with such trials in different ways. When faced with scenarios like this, I find laughter really is the best medicine. It’s either that or copious amounts of beer, but since this is primarily a work issue that’s not really an option until 5:30. So, here are some fun ways you can not only avoid their mindless prattle, but even have some fun with them!

1. They’re SEC killers? Well, they have beaten two SEC teams in a row. Just politely remind them why that’s not three in a row.
2. They love what Dabo’s been doing in the upstate? Me too! I especially love what he’s done in Columbia. Lose, in case that’s unclear for them.
3. I’d like to know when a three-point win became domination. (Be careful with this, as they’re likely to throw 63-17 into the discussion.)
4. Chances are you won’t need to say anything because they won’t stop talking anyway. Just let them drone on and go about your business. I managed to get up and pour another cup of coffee while “listening” to someone’s assessment of the game. This is especially easy if the speaker is pretentious enough to close their eyes when they talk.
5. Learn this line: Georgia cared more about beating us than Clemson, and prepared for it. You don’t even need to believe this, but it’s been my experience that this will get them foaming at the mouth. At this point, let them continue sputtering out the shade of a complete thought and go get another cup of coffee.
6. Sometimes, I like to slowly raise my hand and hold up four fingers. If they keep talking, I’ll start twitching my thumb. This really only works if they’ve heard “Fear the Thumb” before.

Now, this doesn’t guarantee silence. Actually, silence is unlikely. Blind rage is probably what you’re going to get, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t hilarious. So sit back, have a laugh, and grab a drink. The season is far from over.

A crushing loss to one of your hated rivals got you down? We understand. More than you know. That’s why TRC Unleashed uses its historic 50th episode to try to lend some perspective, and maybe even a little hope, to what appears to be a season gone wrong.

Don’t worry, every little thing is gonna be all right.

Click here, or click the graphic to listen, and enjoy!

Some quick, barely researched, not fully formed thoughts from Carolina’s 41-30 loss to Georgia last night:

Desperate. I don’t normally put a lot of stock in teams being “desperate” and that having any kind of significant impact once pads start popping. But yesterday we saw a Georgia team that played desperate football, and in turn put together one of their best games of the last few years. Their offensive playbook seemed to be several pages deeper and quite a bit more creative than it was last week against Clemson. They also played with more emotion than last week, and we saw what a home field advantage can mean to a team’s psyche. Georgia could afford to lose that game to Clemson. They could not afford to lose to South Carolina, and it showed.

Offensive. We’re very down on our defense today, which is natural the day after you give up 536 yards and 41 points. But please don’t forget how good this offense is for Georgia. It’s essentially the same group that gashed Alabama in the SECCG last year, and has IMO the leading candidate for the Heisman after two weeks in Todd Gurley. Plus, while the facts about Aaron Murray’s track record against top competition are hard to refute, I had a feeling he was going to play really, really well yesterday.

Game Planning. I wrote in a blog post before the season started that I thought it was silly to say teams would scheme and game plan against Jadeveon Clowney any more than they did last year. I was dead wrong. Both UNC and UGA have run away from his side of the field like he has the plague, and used a quick-release passing game and screens to neutralize his effectiveness. The problem is nobody else has stepped up on defense, most notably on the defensive line. Our line was touted as the best in the SEC, and one of the best in the country, but so far we haven’t remotely shown that.

Clowney Concern. Geez, man, this is getting on my nerves:

Does that really deserve a “Wow”? Does it mean we should start promoting Darius English for Heisman? There is nothing wrong with Jadeveon Clowney, move along now.

Youth Movement. We knew we had a lot of experience to replace on defense, and the lack of big game snaps, or snaps at all, really showed yesterday. Our inside linebackers too often allowed themselves to get caught in the wash on run plays to the inside, and our outside backers/spurs/safeties were too aggressive early in some plays which allowed Todd Gurley to bounce the play outside. Then there was the colossal mistake by our own Gurley, T.J., on the 85-yard touchdown to Justin Scott-Wesley. In a two-deep safety alignment, Gurley didn’t play “deeper than the deepest”, instead following inside receiver Michael Bennett, which allowed Scott-Wesley to run free. Ahmad Christian, thinking he had deep help, let him go. These are not talent mistakes, but mental mistakes that can only be corrected through live game reps. Gurley and rest of the guys will get better. I hope. UPDATE: In his Sunday teleconference Spurrier apparently said the long touchdown was not Gurley’s fault. I didn’t hear exactly what he said but it didn’t sound like he identified whose fault it was (Christian, I guess?). Anyway, I guess I misidentified the type of defense we were in, or maybe Spurrier was just protecting his player.

Todd Gurley Man. I will reiterate, given the competition he has faced and how he performed, he is the leading candidate for the Heisman right now. He is the best back in America.

Dropping the Mike. A guy who will be a candidate for best back in America down the road is Mike Davis. He had a second-straight “wow” game, and a second game in a row with a 75-yard run in which he showed a burst of speed we had no idea he had. Davis’ final tallies: 16 carries for 149 yards and four catches for 49 yards. I think it is safe to say after two games his is the centerpiece of our offense, and I can’t wait to see more.

Shaw Me Your Road Victories. I feel bad for Connor Shaw this morning. He has now been saddled with the “can’t win a big game on the road” tag forever, given that we don’t really play a marquis team on the road for the rest of the year. Shaw gave a typical Shaw performance yesterday, with some very good play surrounded by a few questionable decisions. But from this game it will be the fumble that is remembered, as we had just stopped UGA three-and-out on their first possession of the half. Shaw’s run had given us a first down deep, and the way we were moving it looked to be a given we would take the lead and seize early second half momentum. Shaw still accounted for more than 300 yards of offense and two TDs, but it was what he didn’t do that people will remember most.

Little Nicky Jones. Of all the people we talked about “stepping up” at the wide receiver position, nobody ever really mentioned the name Nick Jones. Aside from Davis and Shaw he was the other offensive star yesterday with six catches for 97 yards and two TDs.

Mild Shaq Attack. I have no idea why we waited until the fourth quarter to start throwing balls to Shaq Roland, but he looked awfully good when we did. He finished with three catches for 48 yards, including a spectacular leaping grab near the sidelines. I hope we see him emerge as our big play guy over the next few weeks.

Fourth and Inches. I didn’t agree with the play call on our failed forth and goal late in the game, but I don’t think it was for the same reason as most of you. There was a lot of screaming for a quarterback sneak after we didn’t score, but here’s the deal – we didn’t run a play all day yesterday with Shaw under center, and I don’t know for sure but I bet we didn’t last week either. That most likely means we practice it very little, if at all. Throw in the fact we were breaking in a new center, and the staff just didn’t want to risk losing the game on QB-center exchange. We ran something we knew. Unfortunately, it was a play UGA had seen and they were ready for it.

The Other Stadnik. Kudos to Clayton Stadnik for his performance yesterday. That is a tough position and a tough environment to get your first playing time. Aside from more high snaps than we would like to see, he seemed to play a pretty good game.

FIGHT! I have no real opinion on the kerfuffle between Deke Adams and Kirk Botkin from yesterday as it appears to just be a heat of the moment thing. Spurrier’s classic response? “At least they care.”

Overrated. My full stance on the “OVER-RATED” chant is here. I respect your opinion, but lighten up Francis, it’s just a chant.

Tall Bridge Alert. I was not surprised at the disappointment of Carolina fans yesterday after losing to our hated rival, but I was very surprised by how some folks took this loss to mean our season is doomed to mediocrity. Look, a little perspective here. When we looked at our 2013 schedule, there was little question playing the defending SEC East champion Bulldogs at their place would be our toughest challenge. Our chances were 50/50 at best. We didn’t play our best football, and we lost. In case you haven’t noticed, that’s what happens in the SEC. Yes, it’s terribly disappointing, but should not have come as a shock to anyone.

So where does this leave us? Well, our shot at the BCS National Championship is gone, that is almost certain (and maybe that never should’ve been a consideration anyway). Our shot at the SEC East title is greatly damaged, given UGA will now have to lose two conference games, which is unlikely.

But looking down our schedule we should be favored in every game the rest of the season, with the possible exception of Clemson. If we can run the table, we will likely finish top five and still have an excellent shot at an at-large BCS bid. I don’t think that’s a terribly crazy thing to think.

In past years our problem has been a lack of talent, or a lack of talented depth. That is no longer true. This is a talented team that was foiled yesterday by execution issues. Those can be corrected.

I choose to believe they will be. And if not, I’ll join you on that bridge.

Go Cocks.

How we see things on the eve of the big game:

Buck:

The one thing of which we can be certain on Saturday? That there are no certainties. Oh sure, the pundits, bloggers, and tweeters have crafted the narratives based on deep statistical analysis and hours of film study. As a result safe, predictable scores are being tossed around.

But if you look at the last four years against UGA, how many of THOSE pre-game prognostications came to fruition? Very few, if any. Just look:

2009 – In our opener we beat N.C. State 7-3, and Georgia had lost to Oklahoma State 24-10. Most people thought the first team to double digits in the USC-UGA game would be the winner. The final? A wild 41-37 win for the Dogs. Nobody called that.

2010 – A freshman running back named Marcus Lattimore, who had one college game and 54 rushing yards to his credit, carried the ball 37 times (!) for 182 yards (!!). Gamecocks win 17-6. Nobody called that.

2011 – Two very talented defensive squads took the field in what looked like it would be a low-scoring affair. When the dust settled, the Gamecocks had scored three non-offensive touchdowns – two by Melvin Ingram – to win 45-42. Nobody called that.

2012 – For the first time ever both teams were ranked in the Top 10 and were the game of the week on the college slate. Close game, right? Wrong, Gamecocks destroy a Georgia team that would lose only one other game all year, 35-7. Nobody called that.

So what does all this tell us about Saturday’s game? Nothing more than to expect the unexpected.

Unexpected plays, unexpected calls, unexpected heroes and unexpected goats.

For the first time in memory I actually feel like we have the better team going into this game, which is frightening. I, like the pundits, feel like the success Clemson had rushing Aaron Murray bodes well for our D-line and Gasman Clowney. I love our running backs, and the way Connor Shaw controls a game.

At the same time I think if the Georgia coaches look back at the tape against Clemson and realize how well they ran the toss sweep that maybe they’ll run it more than twice against us. I’ve kept my mouth shut about Aaron Murray because he’s too good a quarterback to have such bad numbers against good competition. He’s due.

Oh, and the game is in Athens.

Everything points to a 31-28-ish final score. So for no reason at all I say:

Cocks win 16-13. I called that.

Tbone:

Let’s not kid ourselves.  We all know exactly what is going to happen Between the Hedges ™ tomorrow.  Have known, in fact, since the Georgia deep snapper inexplicably tried to roll the football back to his holder on the Bulldogs’ last field goal attempt.

Wait, you’re not following me here?  Well, let me explain:

Time, gentle reader, is only an illusion.  It does not exist.  The big game tomorrow has already happened, and is happening even now.  Its only our meager capacity for thought that organizes the unknowable chaos around us into rational packets of so-called time.

The frustrating nature of time has troubled philosophers for millennia.  Augustine understood that he didn’t understand time:

How can the past and future be when the past no longer is and the future is not yet?  As for the present, if it were always present and never moved on to become past, it would not be time but eternity.

The Roman poet Lucretius went further:

And likewise time cannot itself exist,  but from the flight of things we get a sense of time.  No man, we must confess, feels time itself, but only knows of time from flight or rest of things.

So let’s all dispense with these frivolous, illusory thoughts of “predictions” of the “future.”  The Clemson* win last Saturday is inexorable coupled with a Gamecock defeat in Athens, and deep down, we all know it.  Have known it.  Are knowing it even now.

The Bulldogs, similarly trapped in the illusion of time, will come into the game believing that their backs are against the wall.  And the myriad Georgia fans, decked out in their finest Walmart regalia, will agree:  Georgia must win this game or else.

That intensity, albeit misplaced, will be the difference.

And the Clemson faithful, buoyed by a false sense of superiority, will continue their epic delusional march toward a classic Clemsoning upset loss somewhere in the midseason.  To, I don’t know, Maryland or Wake or something.

In fact, it’s already happened.

Georgia 31 Carolina 20

Gman:

You young people with your facepages and twitttalking.  Get off my lawn.

Gamecocks survive late rally, win 27-24.

TRC returns with a late-night edition of Unleashed, where we make factual errors and talk about:

• An odd-feeling opener against UNC but that’s ok we weren’t terrible
• Offensive and defensive performances from the game
• What it’s like to have a camera on a defensive lineman an entire game
• What happened across the rest of SEC, including with the 15th SEC team
• We get all curmudgeony about Johnny Manziel and HUNH offenses
• This Week in Dabo
• How awful it’s going to be to live alongside Clemson fans this season
• How many days it’s been since we lost to Clemson in football

Join us for these topics and oh so many more…hey, look at that we got through the whole thing and didn’t type the word “Clowney” once…

AH DANGIT.

Click here or click the graphic to listen, and enjoy!

Some quick, barely researched, not fully formed thoughts from Carolina’s 27-10 victory over the University of North Carolina last night:

Quick Strike – As we waited anxiously yesterday for the start of the season’s first game, my texting with Tbone and the Gman devolved into the most banal of all conversations: what would be our first play call. I stated we would run one nondescript running play and then HBC would take a shot deep on the second play. I was way off, it was the third play. Long live the HBC.

#Clowneygassed – Patting myself on the back for a second time already, here is what I said in our TRC Unleashed podcast earlier this week. And here is the moment it happened.

We all agree the Worldwide Leader is completely out of control in their coverage of Jadeveon Clowney. A defensive lineman has never been watched and scrutinized this much in the history of the college game, so we shouldn’t be at all surprised at the overkill last night. Perhaps Chris B. Brown of Smart Football put it best:

The ESPN crew was probably over-critical, the Twitter defense of Clowney swung too far to the other side. The truth is somewhere in between. I think there is a little reason to be concerned, especially considering a 4:30 kick next weekend at Athens. But at the same time I believe by game four of five we will have forgotten the topic altogether.

Tremendous credit to Clowney in the presser by the way, basically saying “I know you want to talk about my conditioning, let’s go.” He has become so comfortable with the media, and will take them head on when necessary.

I Repeat, Long Live the HBC – On USC’s first possession after the Mike Davis 75-yard touchdown, up 27-10, it appeared the Gamecocks were going to ground the Tar Heels into a fine powder. USC ran eight plays for 49 yards, including 34 on five carries for Brandon Wilds to move into Tar Heel territory. Then, on the last play of the third quarter, Spurrier decided to go for the throat. Connor Shaw was sacked for a 10-yard loss, essentially killing the drive. Why look long ball when you’re asserting your dominance at the LOS? Because you’re Steve Spurrier, and methodical, soul-killing ground and pound drives don’t hold a candle to a quick, soul-killing fly pattern for a TD. Just another reason to ❤ him.

Player and Play of the Game – Mike Davis went 12-115 and this touchdown. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a breakaway run like that from someone in a Gamecock uniform, and Davis’ speed was unexpected and impressive. Honorable mention to Connor Shaw, whose numbers won’t jump off the page, but had a typical Connor Shaw game. Just do us a favor and slide, son. Second honorable mention to Brandon Wilds, who looked super.

Fry Daddy – Elliott Fry was an unknown heading into fall camp, but his consistent placekicking won him the job over veteran Landon (Linkin?) Ard and scholarship kicker Nick St. Germain. We closed our eyes, crossed our fingers and clutched our rosary beads as he lined up for a 39-yard field goal in the first quarter. Not only did he make it, it was dead center and a high kick. (Ask 2006 Ryan Succop about the value of high kicks.) Fry went on to make all his attempts, and if his start is any indication maybe placekicking won’t be the sore spot we thought it would be. [presses anti-jinx button multiple times]

The Legend of Kane Whitehurst – Much was made of Kane Whitehurst the first two days of fall practice, then he fell off the radar as other guys took center stage. But on one of his few plays Saturday night he got behind his defender and shakily hauled in the first touchdown catch of his career. Now, before you get too excited, he was the third option at best on the play, and there was an obvious breakdown in the UNC secondary. Still, it was a lot of fun, and hopefully he’ll continue to get opportunities to show what he can do.

Fast-paced and Low-impact – As was pointed out in the post-game last night, UNC was held to ten points even though they ran 79 plays. They were also held to 293 yards of total offense after gaining more than 400 yards in every game in 2012. Personally, I was especially happy we didn’t give up a garbage touchdown late. Those always seem to put a little damper on things.

The Dirty North (Carolina) – I will give Larry Fedora the benefit of the doubt and choose to believe he doesn’t teach these things to his players, but the Tar Heels had two egregious “dirty” plays last night. First, there was this hit on Victor Hampton which was inexplicably not flagged. And then, late in the fourth this clip by offensive lineman Kiaro Holts on Clowney, which was not just dirty, but DIRTY.

I’m all for protecting players and flagging obvious head shots, but targeting of the lower body needs to enter the conversation at some point. What if one of Clowney’s feet had been planted when Holts intentionally rolled into him? We could have lost him for next week, or God forbid, much longer. D.J. Swearinger had a point when defending himself from criticism of his hit on Dustin Keller: if you tell players they have to go low to avoid penalties and suspensions, then you better be prepared to deal with more broken legs and knee surgeries.

It will be interesting to see if the ACC or Larry Fedora do anything to either of the offending UNC players this week.

Where’d I Put That Gameday Roster? – One very pleasing outcome from last night was all of the jersey numbers I didn’t recognize on defense. We needed to be deep because of the heat and humidity, and not only did a lot of guys play, but the vast majority played well when they were in the game. We have some work do do on securing tackles and pursuit angles, but the play of the new guys was encouraging. Freshman Skai Moore with six tackles, BTW.

Gamesmanship – With less than a minute to go the HBC threw a deep ball towards Pharoh Cooper that Fedora didn’t appreciate so much. (Spurrier’s excuse was a little lame, if he wanted to get Cooper the ball because he was from North Carolina there are a myriad of short patterns he could’ve run. He obviously wanted to twist the knife. Again, <3.) In turn Fedora called a timeout with five seconds left. Spurrier then called his own timeout with five seconds left. I was hoping Spurrier would go long again, but he decided to punt it away. It is doubtful this will be forgotten come 2015.

Injury Report – J.J. Marcus appears to be done for a while after he dislocated a shoulder, and J.T. Surratt has a foot contusion and is questionable for next week’s tilt against Georgia. Victor Hampton narrowly escaped being murdered on multiple occasions last night.

Enjoy your weekend folks, big game next week.

So, it’s the Tar Heels to start the season?

OK, sounds good.

Don’t know anything about North Carolina’s football squad, you say?

Well, we don’t either.

To be fair, we don’t really play UNC that often.  Time was we lobbied hard for an annual matchup with our northern neighbors:  they had the stronger national brand, even in football, so it made sense for us.  But they demurred, and we got stuck with a yearly regional pseudo-rivalry with the Pirates of East Carolina.

Now, with our brand seemingly on the rise, and theirs mired in multiple NCAA violations, it appears they want an annual game with us.  A chance to bask in our reflected light, perhaps?

Obviously we should turn them down, but for this season, heck THIS WEEK, we have a game to play.  And since we could all use an education on the particular brand of hurry up ACC football the other Carolina plays, we decided to do a little film study.

We broke out our trusty google box and typed in “tarheel football 2012”, and the following popped up on top:

Tarheel football highlights 2012

So let’s review the film, and feel free to press play and pause to learn along with us:

First, what is this song?  It’s so, so, very ‘North Carolina,’ isn’t it?

0:01  Man they really love these cartoon cute chrome helmets, don’t they?

0:10  Still with the chrome love, or maybe the time stamp is wrong, and this is a Miley VMA Reaction Video.

0:17  Dear half-empty stadium, please cheer for us. Sincerely, Random Tarheel Player.

0:20  American Flag. OK, we will give you that one, UNC. Love us some stars and stripes.

0:24  More American Flag. Are there actual football highlights coming at some point?

0:40  Totally random sideline sprint. Guy looks fast, though.

0:46  This appears to be from an actual football game, but is mostly just crowd (albeit sparse) hugging.

0:56  A full minute in and we are finally to something that can legitimately be called a football play. But alas, it’s just a pitch sweep to the field against FCS Elon of the Southern (we think) conference. Limited analytical value.

1:09  UNC DT falls flat on his face, but still has time to stand back up and sack VTech’s Logan Thomas. This tells us a ton about Mr. Thomas, but very little about the Heels.

1:13  Back to the Elon tilt, bet this punt is gonna go for 6.

1:24  Wait, illegal block in the back, play is coming back. Did they really just try to use a nonplay as a highlight?

1:31  Miami game. Swing pass. Demonstration of the new targeting rule apparently. This would absolutely be a 15 yard penalty and an ejection this year. We will accept this in the spirit of a PSA, and move on.

1:40  Slowmo replay of the unsportsmanlike targeting of a defenseless player. Noted.

1:42  The old flea flicker against, I don’t know Wake Forest probably.

1:50  Another deep pass, down the sideline this time against Wake. Note the stands for this home conference game, which are empty.

1:53  Miami game, zone read to the boundary. Appears to be a well executed and blocked play, although that guard manages to–can we call that ‘running?’– stay in the play for a surprising amount of time.

2:02  Another punt return. I’ve only seen effort this poor in punt coverage once before.

2:17  Another zone read to the boundary side against Wake, I guess.  Wake level of derpness ensues.  #6 has some impressive hair.

2:24   American Flag at midfield.  Geeze guys isn’t this getting to be a bit much?  Wait, this might not be Wake, after all.  It might be a team that is even WORSE.

2:29   A highlight.  While trailing.  29-0 in the second quarter.  Really, guys?

2:39  Wait, they have to play East Carolina, too?  I take back all the snark, now I just feel sorry for them.

TRC Unleashed returns from our summer sabbatical just in time to preview the University of North Carolina with the help of Kevin McCrarey from SportsTalk. KMac helps break down the Tar Heels, plus the crazy offseason, whether or not Jadeveon Clowney can live up to the hype, and how tensions have never been higher in the South Carolina-Clemson rivalry. (Interview begins at 17:15.)

On either side of the interview the TRC gang is a bit more punch drunk than usual, trying to figure out why we are so stinking worried about this game on Thursday. We also answer some Twitter questions from our pals Nate, Jon-Michael, Adam, and our own bitter rivals over at the @HalfCockedShow.

Join us for a rip-roaring hour of Gamecock sports, because you know you missed us.

Click here or click the graphic to listen. And enjoy!

Bust yo azz and get on home early, cause we’ve got an early kick to start the 2013 season on:

Thursday

At 6:00 pm tune to ESPN for South Carolina and North Carolina. 5 minutes of excitement, followed by a three-hour root canal.

If the Gamecocks prevailed, then keep your seat for

9:15ish pm on ESPN, Vandy versus Ole Miss. Jacket required, Tie is optional. And pull for Ole Miss. The last thing we need is for Vandy to be stout again this year.

If the Gamecocks lost earlier, then skip the above and scream into your pillow until you collapse into fitful sleep. Oh, and you will be skipping work tomorrow, so have your excuse handy.

Friday:

Get the damn grass cut already

Saturday:

12:30 pm SEC Network, Florida takes on the mighty Zips or whatever from Toledo. Don’t watch this game under any circumstance, as it’s really going to redefine the word ‘lame.’ We suggest you make a grand show of taking the missus to brunch or something as in “see honey, I love you, not college football.” But be back home by:

1:00 pm ESPN Texas A&M vs. Rice. You will see everything you need to see when TAMU takes the field for its first offensive series. If Johnny Football jogs out, then the NCAA just caved like an abandoned mine. If he doesn’t, well you get to see how good the Aggies are without him, and you will feel a renewed optimism in the Rule of Law and the Principle of Fairness (yeah, you need to forget the whole Cam Newton thing sooner or later anyway).

1:15 turn the TV off and go eat something. And drink several somethings, cause you’re gonna need it to survive:

3:30 ESPN2 Mississippi State vs. Oklahoma State, in Houston, TX for some reason. The BizarroDawgs are gonna get torched, so swallow your conference pride and be thankful we play these guys this year instead of Bama or LSU. Good news is you can switch over at:

5:30 pm on ESPN for Alabama’s complete soul ravaging of Virginia Tech. Seriously, when was the last time the Hokies were legit? I don’t remember either. When it gets too lopsided to bear, switch to

7:00 pm ESPNU Washington State at Auburn. Mike Leach and Gus Malzahn. Oh, and Ellis Johnson. Expect 100 points. Or, as an alternative:

7:00 pm ESPNews Kentucky versus Western Kentucky. They ‘sposta be SEC. But be ready at:

8:00 pm ABC Georgia at Clemson*. The challenge here is that you will be absolutely delighted to see one of these teams stumble, but mortified to see the other succeed, so be ready with the remote for:

9:00 pm LSU versus TCU in Arlington, TX because that venue is awesome, y’all. The colors compliment each other, and they both play a brand of hard-hitting football that’s fun to watch. Drinking game suggestion: Targeting Fouls.

Not listed: Arkansas & Lala (FSN), Mizzou & Murray State (PPV), and UT and some team called Austin Peay (PPV). Because really, what would be the point?

By popular demand, below is a list of all the bumper music used during our Gamecock Flashback series. Each of these songs appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 list during the Flashback year. Some songs mean something re: Gamecock football – “Faith”, “Scar Tissue”, “Save a Horse” – and some have no relevance whatsoever besides a connection to that year and maybe I was in a hurry – “Wannabe”, “Tik Tok”.

Enjoy!

• 1987 – “Walk Like an Egyptian”, The Bangles
• 1988 – “Faith”, George Michael
• 1989 – “Fight the Power”, Public Enemy
• 1990 – “Love Shack”, B-52’s
• 1991 – “Good Vibrations”, Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch
• 1992 – “Jump Around”, House of Pain
• 1993 – “Mr. Wendal”, Arrested Development
• 1994 – “Loser”, Beck
• 1995 – “Waterfalls”, TLC
• 1996 – “I Got Shit”, Pearl Jam
• 1997 – “Wannabe”, Spice Girls
• 1998 – “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It”, Will Smith
• 1999 – “Scar Tissue”, Red Hot Chili Peppers
• 2000 – “Breakout”, Foo Fighters
• 2001 – “Izzo (H.O.V.A)”, Jay-Z
• 2002 – 2003 – “Hot in Herre”, Nelly and “In Da Club”, 50 Cent
• 2004 – “Drop it Like It’s Hot”, Snoop Dogg
• 2005 – “Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy”, Big & Rich
• 2006 – “SexyBack”, Justin Timberlake
• 2007 – “Rehab”, Amy Winehouse
• 2008 – “Let It Rock”, Kevin Rudolf
• 2009 – “Heartless”, Kanye West
• 2010 – “Tik Tok”, Ke$ha
• 2011 – “Rolling in the Deep”, Adele
• 2012 – “Glad You Came”, The Wanted