 "Photo:")
Can Chris Smelley continue to play like he did against Ole Miss?
Once Smelley got his usual interception out of the way he was nearly flawless. For some reason he insists on hitting a linebacker in the chest with the ball once a game, but as long as he keeps playing the way he did after that, I'm cool with it.
He didn't do anything amazing, but when I got back to my car I heard that he had 327 yards and three touchdowns. He won't blow your doors off, but he is sneaky good.
2. Will Bobby Wallace get the ball more?
Bobby Wallace was totally forgotten for more than a year, but at times Saturday he looked like he was channeling Barry Sanders. I had almost forgotten it was legal to make a defender miss, but apparently you can do that and get away with it. Who knew?
I hope Wallace continues to get the ball from now on. At 5-foot-7 he just disappears behind the line and pops out on the other side.
3. Will Duce Staley give USC another pre-game pep talk?
Last week former Gamecock running back Staley gave the team a little talk. I don't know what was said, but I know that if Staley told me to jump off a building or face his wrath, I'd seriously consider the building to be the less painful of the two choices. I'd let Staley talk to the team every week, if only to see the coaches earmuff their kids as the f-bombs start flying.
4. Who is Kentucky's quarterback?
I am completely obsessed with college football, but even now I realized I can't even name UK's starting quarterback. I looked it up. Apparently it is some guy named Mike Hartline who is 6-foot-6, 204 pounds and has not one, but two earrings. He looks like a cross between Paul Wall and Ichabod Crane. I don't know if he's going to wear a mouthpiece or a grill.
Anyway, the guy can throw, but he isn't the most mobile quarterback I've ever seen. And by that, I mean he plants his feet and stands in the pocket like he's wearing cement shoes. At one point during the Alabama game, a pigeon landed on his shoulder. He stands still so long that he is starting to rust. People have planted shrubbery at his base and homeless people nap under him for shade. OK, I got a little carried away there.
Look for the Carolina pass rush to be in Hartline's face all afternoon.
5. Why are Kentucky fans always so confident?
Every year Kentucky fans come to popular USC message boards and act like they've owned the Gamecocks for years. I just don't get it. The last time Kentucky beat USC, the freshmen on their team were in third or fourth grade. The Wildcats have played absolutely nobody this year (except Alabama, a loss for Kentucky), but Kentucky fans are still confident that they will have no problem with the Gamecocks. They boast of their pass defense, but Alabama didn't even try to pass - they ran the ball 49 times. Any time a team runs the ball 49 times against you, it doesn't mean your pass defense is good, it means they know you can't stop them from running.
Be the first to comment on this article!