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1 - Troy? What is Troy?
Troy University is located in Troy, Ala. I have no idea where that is. It used to be known as Troy State University, but in April 2004 they dropped "State." I have no idea why. Other than that, I've got nothing.
2 - Will USC's running game show up?
It seems like I write this every single week, and it's getting old. Last week, Missouri, not exactly a national power, ran for 303 yards against Troy. They averaged 6.2 yards per carry. On the season, Carolina is only averaging 2.1 yards per carry. I could take the ball at the line of scrimmage and fall over forward and average almost 2.1 yards per carry.
If USC doesn't break 100 yards rushing against Troy, then they aren't going to do it the rest of the year. As much as it kills me to watch Carolina rush for 48 yards a game, I bet Cory Boyd is somewhere foaming at the mouth and rocking back and forth in the fetal position on the living room floor.
3 - If Carolina blows out Troy, does it really mean anything?
In a word: No. This game is another no-win situation, just like the UCF game was.
If Carolina loses, it will be devastatingly bad. If Carolina wins, then they just beat Troy - who cares? It might be an opportunity to build the confidence of a young team, but I just want this week to be over with. It's like when somebody has the great idea to go to Waffle House at 4 a.m. - it sounds like a good idea at the time, but absolutely nothing good can come from it.
4 - What happened to Blake Mitchell's visor?
During the UCF game, Blake Mitchell left the field, and as he was standing next to coach Spurrier, he was wearing a matching visor. With the visor USC is 1-0. Without the visor - 0-2. How come nobody else has mentioned this? Seeing Mitchell being coached by Spurrier while wearing matching visors was the coolest moment in Gamecock football since Steve Taneyhill debuted The Mullet.
5 - Did ANYTHING positive come from the Alabama game?
Twice during last week's game I had to make myself stand up, walk outside of the press box and stare out of one of the giant windows to keep from losing it.
I can't remember a game where afterwards I said, "We only lost by 23?" That's right, ONLY lost by 23. It could have been so much worse.
Anyway, there were two things that stood out. First, USC finally has a kicker that can put the ball in the end zone on a consistent basis.
Putting the other team on their own 20-yard line consistently can be a big help throughout the season. The only problem is apparently you only get to kick off after you score, so unless the offense starts to score more it won't really matter.
The other thing that stood out was the play of Sidney Rice. He caught everything. I say throw it to him as much as possible. First-and-10 - throw it to Sidney. Second-and-3 - throw it to Sidney.
Third-and-1 - throw a lateral to Syvelle, who, you guessed it, throws it to Sidney.
I vote that Spurrier starts to employ something like what the Vikings did with Randy Moss, the "Randy Ratio."
Under my plan, the "Rice Ratio," if the ball isn't thrown his way at least once every 3.33 plays, Spurrier gets electro-shocked on the sidelines. (Also, if I can get the term "Rice Ratio" to catch on, remember that I'm the guy that came up with it.) Don't look at me funny, I'm just floating that out there.
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