Live From Williams-Brice Stadium
posted by Scott Hood on Saturday, September 29, 2007
3:30 P.M.: GREAT DEFENSIVE STAND BY USC. MSU is denied on 4th and inches. They tried to run outside. But the ball carrier was swarmed under. Unfortunately, USC went 3-and-out, so they couldn't run some time off the clock.
3:25 P.M.A great slant pass by Smelley to McKinley sets up a short TD run by Davis. It's 31-21 with 14 minutes left. USC needs to play some defense here and stop the Bulldogs if they want to pull out this victory.
3:10 P.M.: Thanks to Eric Norwood, the momentum has changed. Norwood picked up USC's second blocked punt in two weeks. USC took over at the MSU 27 and Spurrier wasted little time going downfield. TD pass to McKinley. USC leads 24-21 late in the 3Q..
2:55 P.M.: Huge play upcoming for USC. 4th and 1 from the MSU 41. Davis gets the first down. That was close. He was hit behind the LOS but squirmed forward for the first down. USC now faces another 4th down. SOS doesn't hesitant. 4th-and-4 from the MSU 33. USC calls T/O with 6:41 left. It looks like Succop will come on for a field goal.
2:50: For the first time today, you get the sense USC misses Jasper Brinkley. MSU just ran through the Gamecock defense, needing just 5 plays to drive 48 yards for the go-ahead TD. MSU leads, 21-17, with 8:56 left in the 3Q.
2:40 P.M.: The second half is underway. MSU is stopped on ther first possession. USC has the ball but the offense is struggling on the first couple of plays. Very poor start by the USC offense. Sorensen barely touched Titus Brown on a third-down sack. USC punts the ball. MSU has the ball at the USC 48 with 10:39 left in the 3Q.
2:20 P.M. HALFTIME STATS
Total Offense: USC 214, MSU 125
Total Rushing: USC 15-32, MSU 21-45
Passing: Smelley 14-25, 182; MSU (2 QB's) 5-8, 80 yards.
Rushing: USC, Smelley, 3-16, Davis 8-13, Boyd 4-3; MSU, Ducre 7-27, Dixon 11-25.
Receiving: USC, Cook 4-66, Davis 3-16, Brown 2-43, McKinley 2-32.
2:10 P.M.: USC capped an ugly drive with a 45-yard FG by Succop with 2 secs left. USC had nine penalties in the first half. Way too many penalties. That's enough for an entire game and more. Lack of discipline in a couple of situations is hurting USC, and keeping MSU in this game. USC must regain its composure and play a lot smarters in the 2H. I'm sure that's what SOS will say after the game.
1:55 P.M.: MSU gets a major break when Munnerlyn is called for holding on a third down play that resulted in a sack. MSU gets new life and scored a TD. It's 14-14 with 2:20 left in the 2Q. MSU held th eball for 7 minutes. SOS must be going crazy on the sideline. Dumb penalties are costing USC in this one.
1:45 P.M.A dumb personal foul penalty on Travian Robertson has helped MSU to a long drive. They have the ball inside the red zone. They're chewing up a lot of time here. Spurrier has to be frustrated.
1:40 P.M.: A questionable holding call on Carlos Thomas has negated a TD punt return by Munnerlyn. The replay showed CT didn't do very much. But the call wa smade. 3-and-out for USC. MSU has the ball at its 38-yard line with 9:20 left in the 2Q.
1:30 P.M.: Great run-after-catch TD reception by McKinley. The key stat of the game: USC is 5-of-7 on third downs. USC leads, 14-7, with 13:28 left in the 2Q. Smelely is doing a nice job moving the team against a good MSU defense. He was 7-of-14 for 82 yards in the 1Q.
1:20 P.M.We're at the end of the 1Q. Cory Boyd returned to action on the final play of the 1Q. The score is tied at 7-7, though USC outgained MSU by a wide margin in the opening frame.
1:13 P.M.: MSU is hurting themselves with dumb personal foul penalties on USC's 3rd possession of the game. USC is driving but there's a fumble. Davis recovers. Davi smight be getting tired. He's played alot since Boyd was hurt. Anotehr 3rd down. There's a poor pass by Smelley. Intercepted. Scoring chance goes by the wayside. That hurt for USC.
1:05 P.M. - MSU is set up nicely at the USC 30 after a bad punt by Ryan Succop. Dion Lecorn caught his first career pass for USC on third down for USC. Nice TD pass by MSU. It's 7-7 with 5:17 left in the 1Q. The MSU receiver (Aubrey Bell) broke three tackles getting into the end zone. First career TD reception for Bell. Late hit on MSU on the kickoff return.
1:00 P.M.: After MSU hit a long pass, the USC defense got aggressive, blitzing on nearly every play. MSU had a tough time dealing with it. MSU got down to the USC 39 but that wa sfar as they would go. USC has th eball back at its 3-yard line following a nice punt.
12:50 P.M.: Impressive opening drive for USC. Smelley hit most of his passes and Davis replaced C. Boyd nicely. He capped the drive with a spinning TD run that looked similar to his TD run against Clemson last November. 12 plays, 69 yards. USC converted all 3 third downs in that drive. Good start for the offense.
12:45 P.M. - Cory Boyd has a right knee injury. Status is unknown. USC just converted a 3rd-and-15 on a pass to Brown. Brown is a very reliable wide receiver. Boyd has a right knee sprain. Smelley is 3-of-5 for 62 yards on the opening drive. USC just called T/O. They're down to the 4-yard line.
12:36 P.M.: Not a good start for USC. Cory Boyd loses 3 yards. He's hurt. But Davis gets a first down. There's a long pass to Cook. Joseph Hills is now into the game. They waste no time goingto him. But the pass is incomplete. I know Spurrier likes Hill. Thinks he can be another Rice.
12:30 P.M. MSU wins the coin toss and defers to 2H. We're almost underway. Josh Riddell is starting at QB for MSU.
12:25 P.M.: The players have departed the field and the band is on the field. The national anthem and alma mater has been played. It's almost time for kickoff. We're about 8 minutes away. By the way, for thise of you that care about such stuff, MSU did send a pep band to today's game. MSU fans occupy about 1 or 2 sections in the SE corner. About 1,000 to 2,000 Bulldog fans, maybe.
12:10 P.M.: Below is a list of the players who are on the dress list.
CB Captain Munnerlyn
RB Cory Boyd
WR Jason Barnes
CB Carlos Thomas
QB Stephen Garcia
QB Tommy Beecher
LB Melvin Ingram
CB Addison Williams
QB Chris Smelley
WR Larry Freeman
WR Moe Brown
RB Brian Maddox
WR Kenny McKinley
QB Blake Mitchell
WR Mark Barnes
K Ryan Succop
WR Chris Culliver
WR Dion Lecorn
TE Nick Prochak
RB Taylor Rank
S Emanuel Cook
CB Mike West
LB Cody Wells
RB Mike Davis
S Brandon Isaac
S Ty Erving
CB Chris Hail
LB Yvan Banag
LB Gerrod Sinclair
S Darian Stewart
S Chris Hampton
S Douglas Peterson
LB Greg Wright
FB Jim Hutton
S Stoney Woodson
FB Lanard Stafford
CB Ranzino Valentine
DE Eric Norwood
DE Travian Robertson
CB Mike Newton
DE Ryan Brown
LB Rodney Paulk
FB Bryan Kingrey
FB Patrick DiMarco
LB Damien Wright
DE Casper Brinkley
LB Marvin Sapp
OG Lemuel Jeanpierre
LB John Guerry
LS Charles Turner
OG Terrence Campbell
OG Pierre Andrews
OG Seaver Brown
OG Kevin Young
OT Hutch Eckerson
OG James Thompson
OG Garrett Anderson
C William Brown
OT Heath Batchelor
C Jeremy Burgess
OT Jamon Meredith
OT Justin Sorensen
DT Marque Hall
TE Andy Boyd
WR Paul Haile
WR Freddie Brown
LB Cliff Matthews
WR Scott Spurrier
TE Jared Cook
WR Joe Hills
P Spencer Lanning
TE Alex McGrath
TE Weslye Saunders
DT Ladi Ajiboye
TE Robert Pavlovic
K Thomas Hooper
DE Clifton Geathers
DT Kenrick Ellis
P Nate Spurrier
DT Joel Reaves
DT Jonathan Williams
DID NOT DRESS
LB Alonzo Winfield
CB Jamire Williams
WR Matt Clements
RB Bobby Wallace
FB Clark Gaston
LB Dustin Lindsey
LB Vandaral Shackleford
LB Jasper Brinkley
DT Donte'e Nicholls
C Ryan Broadhead
OT Kyle Nunn
OT Quintin Richardson
OT Gurminder Thind
DE Byron McKnight
DT Nathan Pepper
12:00 Noon: We're about 35 minutes from kickoff. USC is starting its stretching exercises right now. The Starting O-Line is, as expected, RT Sorensen, RG Thompson, C Brown, LG Brown, LT Meredith. The First D-Line is DE Norwood, DT Hall, DT Ajiboye, DE Brinkley. The LB's are Sapp, Paulk and Matthews. The DB's are Thomas, Stewart, Cook and Munnerlyn. That's 3 So. and 1 Jr. in the secondary. In fact, there's just one Sr. in the defensive starting lineup.
11:30 P.M.: If you were wondering what color jersey USC would wear today, here's the answer - Garnet. Miss. State is wearing all-white. USC's special team players went back to the locker room and came out wearing the uniforms. Succop has boomed a few through from beyond 40 yards. There aren't many surprises on the dress roster. USC can dress 80 players for SEC home games. The QB's are on the field. Three QB's are throwing - Smelley, Mitchell and Garcia. Beecher was out there earlier holding. But he just joined the QB group.
11:15 P.M.: The USC special team players are out on the field going through their pre-game rutine. Here's one difference between USC and some of the so-called "big boys" in the SEC - the student section at Tiger Stadium at LSU was absolutely packed 90 minutes before last week's game. Here were are, about 90 minutes before today's game and I don't see more five people in the USC student section. If you want to be big-time, you have to act big-time. The students need to step up and show more pride in the football program. Please, don't tell me it's 11 a.m. Get out of bed and get to the stadium. It's not that hard. It's more "want-to" than anything else. No excuses.
10:50 A.M.: The players have arrived at W-B Stadium are are milling around on the field right now. The Fairgrounds parking lot is starting to fill up, as well. I haven't seen any sign of Miss. State yet. Wait, here they come. They've opened up the gates and fans are starting to file in. This is a big game for the Bulldogs, too. They're off to a good start. The Auburn win on the road was impressive. But they've been winning mostly with defense. The Gamecocks will provide them with their biggest challenge offensively since opening night against LSU. Sylvester Croom is a classy guy. he's one of the most approachable coaches in the league. When we're at SEC Media Days in Birmingham, he'll talk with you even if he doesn't know you at all. Some SEC coaches aren't like that. He's also not gripped with paranoia like some coaches. Spurrier is the same way. Unfortunately, the huge salaries now that coaches are receiving have produced a bunker mentality with some coaches.
10:25 A.M.: Today is Chris Smelley's 21st birthday, so if you're a USC fan you hope he'll have an opportunity to celebrate tonight. I just have one piece of advice for Chris: Stay out of Five Points! I don't think he'll do anything stupid. I'm sure his family is here from Tuscaloosa, so he'll spend a quiet evening with them. I look for Smelley to have a big game today. I think Spurrier likes Smelley better because he follows the game plan and has a quicker release. Spurrier's offense is totally timing based and the QB's must get rid the ball within a certain amount of time. Smelley does a good job of that, better than Mitchell. ESPN "Gameday" is talking about the Miss. State-USC game right now. It sounds like both Corso and Herbstreit are picking USC to win a close game.
9:35 A.M. - There's a little more buzz around the stadium. A lot more fans have arrived in the Fairgrounds parking lot. The cheerleaders are going through their pre-game routine.
Based on the comments made by Steve Spurrier on Thursday, both following practice and on his weekly radio show, there should be a little cause for concern. But I think USC will come out and play well today. Chris Smelley is excited about starting this game at QB. Marvin Sapp finally gets the opportunity he's been waiting two years for.
Here are the top storylines for this game:
1. Can USC handle MSU's running game? Some people think the absence of Jasper Brinkley will hurt the Gamecocks. I think it will initially, but I expect Marvin Sapp to step up and play well. Is he as good as Jasper? Maybe not. But he's still a very good player. I also expect Emanuel Cook to have a huge game as he provides run support. So, the answer to the question is yes.
2. Is this Chris Smelley's time? It could be. Smelley, like Sapp, has also been waiting for an opportunity to start. To his credit, he took advantage og his chance when he was inserted into the game after halftime last week at LSU. Smelley knows the job could be his if he plays well today. I think he's going to have a big game.
3. How will the new guys do? There's four new starters onoffense this week for USC. Smelley, of course, WR Dion Lecorn, OL Seaver Brown and OL James Thomspon. Brown and Thompson are both starting at guard. I know Spurrier has been very disappointed in the play of the guards this season. Hopefully, Brown and Thompson can provide a boost. Lecorn is getting his first significant action of the season. He's a true freshman. Someof the other, more publicized receivers haven't stepped up and made plays, so we'll see how he does.
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GamecockCentral.com's Scott Hood and Brian Shoemaker will provide updates prior to and during the game from Williams-Brice Stadium. Refresh this page to see the latest updates.
3:30 P.M.: GREAT DEFENSIVE STAND BY USC. MSU is denied on 4th and inches. They tried to run outside. But the ball carrier was swarmed under. Unfortunately, USC went 3-and-out, so they couldn't run some time off the clock.
3:25 P.M.A great slant pass by Smelley to McKinley sets up a short TD run by Davis. It's 31-21 with 14 minutes left. USC needs to play some defense here and stop the Bulldogs if they want to pull out this victory.
3:10 P.M.: Thanks to Eric Norwood, the momentum has changed. Norwood picked up USC's second blocked punt in two weeks. USC took over at the MSU 27 and Spurrier wasted little time going downfield. TD pass to McKinley. USC leads 24-21 late in the 3Q..
2:55 P.M.: Huge play upcoming for USC. 4th and 1 from the MSU 41. Davis gets the first down. That was close. He was hit behind the LOS but squirmed forward for the first down. USC now faces another 4th down. SOS doesn't hesitant. 4th-and-4 from the MSU 33. USC calls T/O with 6:41 left. It looks like Succop will come on for a field goal.
2:50: For the first time today, you get the sense USC misses Jasper Brinkley. MSU just ran through the Gamecock defense, needing just 5 plays to drive 48 yards for the go-ahead TD. MSU leads, 21-17, with 8:56 left in the 3Q.
2:40 P.M.: The second half is underway. MSU is stopped on ther first possession. USC has the ball but the offense is struggling on the first couple of plays. Very poor start by the USC offense. Sorensen barely touched Titus Brown on a third-down sack. USC punts the ball. MSU has the ball at the USC 48 with 10:39 left in the 3Q.
2:20 P.M. HALFTIME STATS
Total Offense: USC 214, MSU 125
Total Rushing: USC 15-32, MSU 21-45
Passing: Smelley 14-25, 182; MSU (2 QB's) 5-8, 80 yards.
Rushing: USC, Smelley, 3-16, Davis 8-13, Boyd 4-3; MSU, Ducre 7-27, Dixon 11-25.
Receiving: USC, Cook 4-66, Davis 3-16, Brown 2-43, McKinley 2-32.
2:10 P.M.: USC capped an ugly drive with a 45-yard FG by Succop with 2 secs left. USC had nine penalties in the first half. Way too many penalties. That's enough for an entire game and more. Lack of discipline in a couple of situations is hurting USC, and keeping MSU in this game. USC must regain its composure and play a lot smarters in the 2H. I'm sure that's what SOS will say after the game.
1:55 P.M.: MSU gets a major break when Munnerlyn is called for holding on a third down play that resulted in a sack. MSU gets new life and scored a TD. It's 14-14 with 2:20 left in the 2Q. MSU held th eball for 7 minutes. SOS must be going crazy on the sideline. Dumb penalties are costing USC in this one.
1:45 P.M.A dumb personal foul penalty on Travian Robertson has helped MSU to a long drive. They have the ball inside the red zone. They're chewing up a lot of time here. Spurrier has to be frustrated.
1:40 P.M.: A questionable holding call on Carlos Thomas has negated a TD punt return by Munnerlyn. The replay showed CT didn't do very much. But the call wa smade. 3-and-out for USC. MSU has the ball at its 38-yard line with 9:20 left in the 2Q.
1:30 P.M.: Great run-after-catch TD reception by McKinley. The key stat of the game: USC is 5-of-7 on third downs. USC leads, 14-7, with 13:28 left in the 2Q. Smelely is doing a nice job moving the team against a good MSU defense. He was 7-of-14 for 82 yards in the 1Q.
1:20 P.M.We're at the end of the 1Q. Cory Boyd returned to action on the final play of the 1Q. The score is tied at 7-7, though USC outgained MSU by a wide margin in the opening frame.
1:13 P.M.: MSU is hurting themselves with dumb personal foul penalties on USC's 3rd possession of the game. USC is driving but there's a fumble. Davis recovers. Davi smight be getting tired. He's played alot since Boyd was hurt. Anotehr 3rd down. There's a poor pass by Smelley. Intercepted. Scoring chance goes by the wayside. That hurt for USC.
1:05 P.M. - MSU is set up nicely at the USC 30 after a bad punt by Ryan Succop. Dion Lecorn caught his first career pass for USC on third down for USC. Nice TD pass by MSU. It's 7-7 with 5:17 left in the 1Q. The MSU receiver (Aubrey Bell) broke three tackles getting into the end zone. First career TD reception for Bell. Late hit on MSU on the kickoff return.
1:00 P.M.: After MSU hit a long pass, the USC defense got aggressive, blitzing on nearly every play. MSU had a tough time dealing with it. MSU got down to the USC 39 but that wa sfar as they would go. USC has th eball back at its 3-yard line following a nice punt.
12:50 P.M.: Impressive opening drive for USC. Smelley hit most of his passes and Davis replaced C. Boyd nicely. He capped the drive with a spinning TD run that looked similar to his TD run against Clemson last November. 12 plays, 69 yards. USC converted all 3 third downs in that drive. Good start for the offense.
12:45 P.M. - Cory Boyd has a right knee injury. Status is unknown. USC just converted a 3rd-and-15 on a pass to Brown. Brown is a very reliable wide receiver. Boyd has a right knee sprain. Smelley is 3-of-5 for 62 yards on the opening drive. USC just called T/O. They're down to the 4-yard line.
12:36 P.M.: Not a good start for USC. Cory Boyd loses 3 yards. He's hurt. But Davis gets a first down. There's a long pass to Cook. Joseph Hills is now into the game. They waste no time goingto him. But the pass is incomplete. I know Spurrier likes Hill. Thinks he can be another Rice.
12:30 P.M. MSU wins the coin toss and defers to 2H. We're almost underway. Josh Riddell is starting at QB for MSU.
12:25 P.M.: The players have departed the field and the band is on the field. The national anthem and alma mater has been played. It's almost time for kickoff. We're about 8 minutes away. By the way, for thise of you that care about such stuff, MSU did send a pep band to today's game. MSU fans occupy about 1 or 2 sections in the SE corner. About 1,000 to 2,000 Bulldog fans, maybe.
12:10 P.M.: Below is a list of the players who are on the dress list.
CB Captain Munnerlyn
RB Cory Boyd
WR Jason Barnes
CB Carlos Thomas
QB Stephen Garcia
QB Tommy Beecher
LB Melvin Ingram
CB Addison Williams
QB Chris Smelley
WR Larry Freeman
WR Moe Brown
RB Brian Maddox
WR Kenny McKinley
QB Blake Mitchell
WR Mark Barnes
K Ryan Succop
WR Chris Culliver
WR Dion Lecorn
TE Nick Prochak
RB Taylor Rank
S Emanuel Cook
CB Mike West
LB Cody Wells
RB Mike Davis
S Brandon Isaac
S Ty Erving
CB Chris Hail
LB Yvan Banag
LB Gerrod Sinclair
S Darian Stewart
S Chris Hampton
S Douglas Peterson
LB Greg Wright
FB Jim Hutton
S Stoney Woodson
FB Lanard Stafford
CB Ranzino Valentine
DE Eric Norwood
DE Travian Robertson
CB Mike Newton
DE Ryan Brown
LB Rodney Paulk
FB Bryan Kingrey
FB Patrick DiMarco
LB Damien Wright
DE Casper Brinkley
LB Marvin Sapp
OG Lemuel Jeanpierre
LB John Guerry
LS Charles Turner
OG Terrence Campbell
OG Pierre Andrews
OG Seaver Brown
OG Kevin Young
OT Hutch Eckerson
OG James Thompson
OG Garrett Anderson
C William Brown
OT Heath Batchelor
C Jeremy Burgess
OT Jamon Meredith
OT Justin Sorensen
DT Marque Hall
TE Andy Boyd
WR Paul Haile
WR Freddie Brown
LB Cliff Matthews
WR Scott Spurrier
TE Jared Cook
WR Joe Hills
P Spencer Lanning
TE Alex McGrath
TE Weslye Saunders
DT Ladi Ajiboye
TE Robert Pavlovic
K Thomas Hooper
DE Clifton Geathers
DT Kenrick Ellis
P Nate Spurrier
DT Joel Reaves
DT Jonathan Williams
DID NOT DRESS
LB Alonzo Winfield
CB Jamire Williams
WR Matt Clements
RB Bobby Wallace
FB Clark Gaston
LB Dustin Lindsey
LB Vandaral Shackleford
LB Jasper Brinkley
DT Donte'e Nicholls
C Ryan Broadhead
OT Kyle Nunn
OT Quintin Richardson
OT Gurminder Thind
DE Byron McKnight
DT Nathan Pepper
12:00 Noon: We're about 35 minutes from kickoff. USC is starting its stretching exercises right now. The Starting O-Line is, as expected, RT Sorensen, RG Thompson, C Brown, LG Brown, LT Meredith. The First D-Line is DE Norwood, DT Hall, DT Ajiboye, DE Brinkley. The LB's are Sapp, Paulk and Matthews. The DB's are Thomas, Stewart, Cook and Munnerlyn. That's 3 So. and 1 Jr. in the secondary. In fact, there's just one Sr. in the defensive starting lineup.
11:30 P.M.: If you were wondering what color jersey USC would wear today, here's the answer - Garnet. Miss. State is wearing all-white. USC's special team players went back to the locker room and came out wearing the uniforms. Succop has boomed a few through from beyond 40 yards. There aren't many surprises on the dress roster. USC can dress 80 players for SEC home games. The QB's are on the field. Three QB's are throwing - Smelley, Mitchell and Garcia. Beecher was out there earlier holding. But he just joined the QB group.
11:15 P.M.: The USC special team players are out on the field going through their pre-game rutine. Here's one difference between USC and some of the so-called "big boys" in the SEC - the student section at Tiger Stadium at LSU was absolutely packed 90 minutes before last week's game. Here were are, about 90 minutes before today's game and I don't see more five people in the USC student section. If you want to be big-time, you have to act big-time. The students need to step up and show more pride in the football program. Please, don't tell me it's 11 a.m. Get out of bed and get to the stadium. It's not that hard. It's more "want-to" than anything else. No excuses.
10:50 A.M.: The players have arrived at W-B Stadium are are milling around on the field right now. The Fairgrounds parking lot is starting to fill up, as well. I haven't seen any sign of Miss. State yet. Wait, here they come. They've opened up the gates and fans are starting to file in. This is a big game for the Bulldogs, too. They're off to a good start. The Auburn win on the road was impressive. But they've been winning mostly with defense. The Gamecocks will provide them with their biggest challenge offensively since opening night against LSU. Sylvester Croom is a classy guy. he's one of the most approachable coaches in the league. When we're at SEC Media Days in Birmingham, he'll talk with you even if he doesn't know you at all. Some SEC coaches aren't like that. He's also not gripped with paranoia like some coaches. Spurrier is the same way. Unfortunately, the huge salaries now that coaches are receiving have produced a bunker mentality with some coaches.
10:25 A.M.: Today is Chris Smelley's 21st birthday, so if you're a USC fan you hope he'll have an opportunity to celebrate tonight. I just have one piece of advice for Chris: Stay out of Five Points! I don't think he'll do anything stupid. I'm sure his family is here from Tuscaloosa, so he'll spend a quiet evening with them. I look for Smelley to have a big game today. I think Spurrier likes Smelley better because he follows the game plan and has a quicker release. Spurrier's offense is totally timing based and the QB's must get rid the ball within a certain amount of time. Smelley does a good job of that, better than Mitchell. ESPN "Gameday" is talking about the Miss. State-USC game right now. It sounds like both Corso and Herbstreit are picking USC to win a close game.
9:35 A.M. - There's a little more buzz around the stadium. A lot more fans have arrived in the Fairgrounds parking lot. The cheerleaders are going through their pre-game routine.
Based on the comments made by Steve Spurrier on Thursday, both following practice and on his weekly radio show, there should be a little cause for concern. But I think USC will come out and play well today. Chris Smelley is excited about starting this game at QB. Marvin Sapp finally gets the opportunity he's been waiting two years for.
Here are the top storylines for this game:
1. Can USC handle MSU's running game? Some people think the absence of Jasper Brinkley will hurt the Gamecocks. I think it will initially, but I expect Marvin Sapp to step up and play well. Is he as good as Jasper? Maybe not. But he's still a very good player. I also expect Emanuel Cook to have a huge game as he provides run support. So, the answer to the question is yes.
2. Is this Chris Smelley's time? It could be. Smelley, like Sapp, has also been waiting for an opportunity to start. To his credit, he took advantage og his chance when he was inserted into the game after halftime last week at LSU. Smelley knows the job could be his if he plays well today. I think he's going to have a big game.
3. How will the new guys do? There's four new starters onoffense this week for USC. Smelley, of course, WR Dion Lecorn, OL Seaver Brown and OL James Thomspon. Brown and Thompson are both starting at guard. I know Spurrier has been very disappointed in the play of the guards this season. Hopefully, Brown and Thompson can provide a boost. Lecorn is getting his first significant action of the season. He's a true freshman. Someof the other, more publicized receivers haven't stepped up and made plays, so we'll see how he does.
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Scott Hood. Since February of 2005, Scott has covered the South Carolina football, men's basketball and baseball programs for GamecockCentral. He may be reached by email at scottblog(at)gamecockcentral.com. Replace (at) with @.