Blakey Locks

#GeorgiaHateWeek is in full swing in Columbia, SC. There is a palpable energy in the city that I haven’t felt since 2014. Obviously 2015 and 2016 were tough years for the Gamecocks, however 2017 gave us hope for the core we were building around. Jake Bentley, Rico Dowdle, Brian Edwards, and Deebo Samuel make South Carolina one of the most electric offenses in college football. They came out and dominated Coastal Carolina in Week One, covering the 29.5 point spread that I didn’t think they would. My biggest gripe with Carolina teams of past is that they always played to their competition. For example, in 2015 (the worst South Carolina team of the past decade) they lost to the Citadel. The fucking Citadel. Then, the last week of the season, played #1 Clemson to the wire and only lost by 5 points. So, seeing Carolina come out right away and smack Coastal in the mouth right away was awesome, despite their skill level.

Now, let’s focus on Georgia. Last year South Carolina played Georgia pretty tight in Athens, but Georgia honestly just had a much better team. I know what you’re thinking, and yes Georgia still does have a better team, but I think Jake Fromm is really missing a lot of his seniors that are gone. Meanwhile, South Carolina’s offense has moved up an entire tier since last year. This team also has a swagger and a quiet confidence that just makes me believe. This is defensive star Javon Kinlaw earlier this week.

Love to see it. This team isn’t afraid of any spotlight or any opponent. They’re going to come out and play their game no matter who their opponent is. The defense may not have the talent of Georgia’s defense, but they always seem to make big plays in big spots. I call that the Boom Effect. Will Muschamp’s culture gets these guys mentally tough, so when the lights are at their brightest, other teams flounder and the Gamecocks step up.

The biggest factor of all is going to be the crowd. There are Gamecocks from across the country pouring in to watch South Carolina pull off this upset. The fans know that this team is capable of doing something special, but it will taking beating Georgia to do so. Kirby Smart has already made it clear that he knows what the crowd is going to be like.

I guess this stat might mean something?

South Carolina fans know when a game means everything, and when it’s this important they create the best atmosphere in college football. Don’t believe me? Ask Todd Gurley.

Image result for todd gurley williams brice

I know it sounds a little naive, but I think the crowd will make the difference against the Dawgs. I think the quarterbacks are both fantastic, both coaches have been preparing all summer for this game, both backfields are awesome, the Gamecocks have an edge in the receiving corps, and the Dawgs have an edge overall on defense. That leaves it up to the intangibles to decide this one, and if the crowd is anything like it was in 2012, I’m taking the Gamecocks.