Game 1 - Nashville ............(warning TL, DR / offseason)

this is gonna be 2004 all over again, except Vanderbilt isn't returning a JR qb named Cutler who had thrown for 3800 yds, 28 td in his first 2 seasons. they returned 2 capable RB including a rising JR in Kwane Doster, the commodores first-ever SEC "freshman of the year". (Doster, sadly, was shot & killed at the end of the 2004 season in his hometown Tampa)

VU also had 3 big WR returning including Erik Davis, considered as all-SEC candidate in preseason. 10 offensive & 11 defensive starters returned for Johnson's club. their returning secondary was considered one of the top units in the league by preseason publications to go along with Jovan Haye/DL & Moses Osemgewe/OLB and his 10.5 sacks from 2003. Vanderbilt was projected to go bowling and win multiple SEC games in 2004. VU was about to announce its arrival to the world.

Carolina was being chastised by preseason media outlets after dropping its final 4 games of 2003 (yeah - the nightmare game included) and 7 total on the season. Pinkins was considered a FB playing QB with no accuracy. Williamson, a track guy, the only WR (Matthew Thomas a converted DB). Summers, in the initial stages of his 'departure' from USC football, playing RB. Turman and Gonzie Gray were the upperclassmen at the position. the OL was a definite strength, but USC had no real "playmakers", according to the experts.

here are some quotes about the 2004 returning defense...

DL - "Moe Thompson and George Gause give the Gamecocks a pair of strong pass-rushing ends. They tied for second on the team in sacks and are both good at coming off the edge and pressuring quarterbacks. Starting tackles Darrell Shropshire and Freddy Saint-Preux both occupy blockers, sometimes two each. Neither one makes very many plays, however, putting a heavy burden on the linebackers to make tackles. South Carolina's defensive line looks soft against the run and gets very little push up the middle.

LB - "Marcus Lawrence is the closest thing to a big play man on the Gamecock defense. He is the leading returning tackler. Neither he nor Lance Laury, the other returning starter, is particularly strong in pass coverage. With the lack of plays from the front line, South Carolina linebackers have to commit to stopping the run, making them vulnerable to the pass. Lawrence and Laury keep plays in front of them, but don't make many big plays, either."

DBS - "Jermaine Harris and Taqiy Muhammad give the Gamecocks seniors at both starting safety positions. Harris, the nephew of former Pittsburgh Steeler Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris, is both big and a heavy hitter. Third safety/nickel-back Jamacia Jackson has good speed and can cover a lot of ground. Neither Harris nor Jackson, though, has shown the ability to make big plays. South Carolina will have an open competition for both cornerback spots. The Gamecock secondary was mediocre at best in 2003, and could be a big liability with question marks at both corners. As answers come, we will let you know about this area."

....sound familiar?

the trendy buzz was that Vanderbilt was ready to step up past USC in the SECE under Johnson with his 21 returning starters, along with the uncertainty and lack of playmakers at USC. Cutler was gonna shred Carolina to pieces and Holtz would be crucified for losing an opener to "Vandy"- of all teams - after the blasphemous final loss in 2003.

all USC did was thump Cutler/VU in Nashville 31-6, controlling the ball for 38 minutes and forcing 5 turnovers - including this one by beloved Gamecock Jamacia Jackson.

2016 game - Perry Orth's passing stats are far better than the QB VU will start. +1400 yds, +7 td, +99 completions. the offense will finally experience actual game-planning and organized play calling without 4 people yelling over each other into headsets as the play clock winds under 10 seconds. no more just showing up the ballpark to see which ball plays might could work that particular game. the Carolina defense will actually be coached for the first time since Lawing was exiled to UF in 2013. Conditioning, organization and relentless effort will be the constant in 2016, a trifecta Gamecock fans haven't seen occur together in the program the past 2 seasons.

so before Will Muschamp takes the podium at the Winfrey tomorrow just after 9am local time, I'm here now to laugh at the media/rival fans in advance about hyped up wishes and doomsday predictions for USC to flame out in the opener against Vanderbilt. regardless of the overall 2016 season, the Muschamp era at Carolina starts with a Gamecock win in Nashville.


Jamacia left us way too young...RIP