Gamecocks 38- Flo-Rida Atlantic 16

As predicted by yours truly, the South Carolina Gamecocks ran the ball, then they ran the ball, and then when that finally seemed like enough running they ran the ball some more. Although the game was a way-to-tight 17-16 at halftime, the defense picked up the intensity in the second half and pulled away for a comfortable win. Final Score, 38-16 barely covering the spread thanks to a botched extra point attempt by the Owls.



For the home team there were 4 ball carriers with double digit yards per carry, although one of them was a wide receiver who ran one reverse for 50 yards to open the game. Starting tailback, Brian Maddox, found the endzone three times, while youngsters Jarvis Giles and Kenny "I would run 500" Miles had breakout games during their first game in front of the home crowd.

As for my other prediction that Stephen Garcia would air it out to Tori Gurley a time or two, I was right and wrong. The two did connect on a 44 yard bomb in the second half. However, Garcia got tapped by a defender as he threw the ball and the result was the ugliest pass of the night by either team (can't be counted as airing it out). Gurley made a nice play, coming back several yards and passing the defender for the second time on one route to make the catch without a prayer for YAC yards. Had the ball flown any other way than end-over-end, it would have gone for about 60 yards and a touchdown.

Now for the important part, the tailgating report. We got out there a respectable, but still slightly late for our crowd, five hours before gametime. We had a nice spread that included boiled peanuts, several dips, pigs in a blanket, grilled chicken sandwiches, and some nice chocolate desert that everyone else seemed to be familiar with except for yours truly. Anywho, one guy not affiliated with our group brought a very young puppy with hopes that the little furball would net him a young nussie with strong mothering instincts. All indications are that he failed. We also noticed the girl who decided it would be appropriate to wear a one piece bathing suit with her jean shorts. Keep in mind these were not your typical jorts (they were classier than that), but nonetheless it was a suspect outfit selection. The highlight came early in the afternoon though, as a young man with bad intentions scaled the building adjacent to our lot and hung a 25' x 8' banner proclaiming the young lady pictured thereon to be extremely available and non-discerning. The banner listed her phone number and emphasized that potential suitors should call immediately. It's going to be another interesting year in our tailgating lot where everyone but my crew seem to be staying the same age and pulling the same shenanigans.
--Chuck