Game Plan: USC Gamecocks v Georgia Bulldogs

S ' BY !

E R I R A K G HTM NI

octo

ber 5

V | USC , 2016

S. ge

orgia

2

free app

with the purchase of two tacos at regular price dine-in only

white duck taco shop 612 C whaley st columbia, sc 29201 803-814-0374 sun-thurs 11:30-9:00

fri-sat 11:30-10:00

whiteducktacoshop.com

monday-friday 11:30-2pmtwo tacos & a drink for $7

Extraordinary food, great service, tons of free parking

free-times.com

twitter.com/freetimessc

facebook.com/freetimes

USC VS. georgia | october 5, 2016

THE BASICS 2016 RECORD: 3-2 (1-2, SEC)

OPPO RESEARCH

KICKOFF NOTABLE (COMEBACK) WINS: UNC

(Heels led heading into fourth quarter); Nicholls State ("Water Boy" country school with a creepy colonel as a mascot led in the third quarter); Missouri (Tigers tried to give the game away with three second-half interceptions and still led in the final 90 seconds).

SERIES RECORD: UGA leads 48-18-2 (Bulldogs dominated the pre-Barack Obama era).

BARACK OBAMA ERA: Gamecocks lead 4-3 and have not lost at Williams-Brice since George W. Bush left office. (Not a political opinion, just a statement of fact. Be sure to vote on Nov. 8.)

TRADITIONS: Copying other people's stuff — School fight song is a rip-off of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” and the team’s “G” helmet logo was hijacked from the Green Bay Packers. Plus, South Carolina is the real “peach state.” (Tons produced in 2015 – S.C. 69,000, Georgia 41,000.)

New Georgia head coach Kirby Smart is not exactly wowing reporters or fans with his personality.

GEORGIA BULLDOGS HEAD COACH

Our mother always said to hush if have nothing nice to say. With UGA, we’re not listening to mama.

DAWGS TO WATCH

NAME: Kirby Smart CLAIMS TO FAME: The new guy who will

disappoint fans by winning only nine games.

Got a coach who won 74 percent of his games fired. Part of an Alabama staff that won 12 national titles in, like, 5 years. Coached with Will Muschamp at LSU in 2004 under Nick Saban.

Makes more money than USC’s head coach ($3.8 million vs. $3 million).

EARLY REVIEWS OF HIS NEWS CONFERENCES: “Smart wasn’t hired to

entertain us media types … but a touch of humanity now and then never hurts.” (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

NICK CHUBB, RB NO. 27: The junior remains

ACCOMPLISHMENTS HE NEEDS TO PLEASE FANS: He’ll never please Georgia

WHOMEVER IS KICKING FIELD GOALS:

fans.

among the nation's leaders in rushing yards despite being made from the finest porcelain.

READER SERVICE: A list from People magazine of celebrities who own bulldogs so you can stop patronizing their movies/ shows/music/brands: Brad Pitt, Robert Downey Jr., Michael Phelps, Jada Pinkett Smith, David Beckham, Hugh Jackman, John Legend, Adam Sandler, Shaun White, Howard Stern and Ice-T.

Things are so bad (William Ham went 3-for-7 before losing his job to Rodrigo Blankenship, who is 1-for-2) that a fan started a GoFundMe page to pay for a new kicker.

ANGIE BLEDSOE: Free Times ad rep and

embarrassingly proud UGA grad who came up with the name for “Game Plan.” And this just in: She’s been named the Bulldogs’ starting kicker.

october 5, 2016 | USC VS. georgia

free-times.com

twitter.com/freetimessc

facebook.com/freetimes

KICKOFF | OPPO RESEARCH

3

4 LIVIN' GARNET | schedule

USC 2016 SCHEDULE Record: 2-3, (1-3 SEC)

THE BEER ISSUE Oct. 19

free-times.com

SEC Game = ★

9/1

at

USC, 13-10

Remember that feeling you had after Fry's field goal?

9/10

at

MSU, 27-14

Speed bump, just a speed bump.

9/17

vs.

USC, 20-15

Back on track, becoming bowl-eligible seemed so possible.

9/24

at

UK, 17-10

You probably regretted what you tweeted after this one.

10/1

vs.

A&M, 24-13

Look, it could have been worse.

10/8

vs.

7:30 p.m.

It's not nice to laugh, but...

10/15

vanderbilt

mississippi ST.

nashville, tenn.

STARKVILLE, miss.

★

★

east carolina columbia, s.c.

kentucky

texas a&m

georgia

lexington, ky

★

Columbia, s.c.

★

Columbia, S.C.

★

bye

Take a trip, see the fall colors, forget about football for a

weekend.

10/22

vs.

TBA

Hasn't exactly been blown out in two SEC games vs. Florida

and Mississippi State.

10/29

vs.

TBA

Vols are a rather scary team to arrive at Halloween.

11/5

vs.

TBA

Beats up on the weaklings, but loses to the Power Five.

11/12

at

TBA

Baffling why this is a Top 25 team; wins vs. UMass, Kentucky,

North Texas and Vandy.

11/19

VS.

TBA

Again, not spending too much time researching these Cats.

11/26

AT

TBA

Dabo can't count! "You can't win 12 until you win five!"

twitter.com/freetimessc

umass

Tennessee

missouri

florida

W. CAROLINA

clemson

facebook.com/freetimes

columbia, s.c.

columbia, s.c.

Columbia, S.C.

gainesville, fL

★

★

★

COLUMBIA, S.C.

clemson, s.c.

USC VS. georgia | october 5, 2016

The Basics: A 6-foot, 205-pound true freshman quarterback from Newtown, Pennsylvania, who enrolled in school in the spring to learn the offense, like wide receiver Bryan Edwards. And like Edwards, it worked. He won his first game as starting quarterback versus East Carolina.

what he said before arriving on campus: “I love South Carolina. It’s a place that feels like home to me,” he told The State. “I’m excited for my future there, so I want to do everything I can to help South Carolina become the best that we can be.”

double duty: The dual-threat QB is a dual-sport athlete as well: He’s an outfielder on the USC baseball team.

why does pa. kid ♥ s.c. so much?

His mother, Chalena, grew up in Charleston. His father, Roddy, is a USC grad. His grandparents still live in the state. Let momma explain: “Brandon never lived in South Carolina. But a lot of summers and all the holidays, we would come back home. Every summer we’d rent a beach house on the Isle of Palms.

And he spent a lot of time in Columbia because of my motherin-law being there,” she told The Post and Courier.

“After all those years of beach trips and family visits, the allure of South Carolina was hard to escape.”

The last time a freshman qb from pa. started for usc Wasn't too bad. Steve Taneyhill became the school leader in passing touchdowns and completions. Will McIlwain sign his name on the Tiger paw at Clemson, too?

How's he doing so far?

Thrown for 567 yards with a 53 percent completion rate. He's thrown two touchdown passes and just one interception. He's also run for two scores.

BALLERS BRANDON MCILWAIN, THE QUARTERBACK october 5, 2016 | USC VS. georgia

free-times.com

twitter.com/freetimessc

The four-star recruit who has earned respect from his teammates

facebook.com/freetimes

KICKOFF | BALLERS

5

G

GAME SNAPS Photos by Allen Sharpe

6 KICKOFF | game snaps

free-times.com

twitter.com/freetimessc

facebook.com/freetimes

USC VS. georgia | october 5, 2016

GAME DAY GRUB

’ n i v i L et n r a G

A Kernel of Truth for Your Tailgate

By April Blake

S

ometimes it’s hard to decide what snacks to bring to a tailgate. Either it’s going to require a lot of effort to prepare a dish, or it might be a dense snack that would be very heavy to carry all over the fields surrounding Williams-Brice.

Why not bring popcorn?

And why not surprise your tailgate with some of 75 flavors?

Carolina Kernels on north Main Street has popcorn flavors that sound perfect for a traditional tailgate, like buffalo wings and blue cheese, dill pickle and applewood smoked bacon. Or go with a nod to our city with their Famously Hot flavor, a cheesy and spicy blend.

They’ve also got a large selection of sweeter popcorn styles to bring to mind some favorite desserts: key lime pie, lemon pound cake and strawberry shortcake are among dozens of others, some totally off-the-wall.

Carolina Kernels pops its corn fresh daily, and none of the flavors are just lab created chemical powders. How they use actual liquids like dill pickle juice to flavor the popcorn without getting it wet is a trade secret, we’re told.

But sure enough, these small-batch popcorns taste exactly like the description promises.

Your flavor journey begins by sampling as many flavors as you’d like, then the hard part is narrowing down which ones to take home.

And just think of how much lighter a gallon of popcorn is to carry than a gallon of buffalo chicken wings.

Now, you get where we’re coming from on this one.

Photo by Jessica Atwood

WHAT: Carolina Kernels WHERE: 2720 Main Street COST: Small portions (two/three cups) start at $3.75. Gallon containers start at $14. MORE: www.carolinakernels.com; 803-851-6195

THE ORIGINAL DESIGNATED DRIVER.

IF YOU DRINK, LET US DRIVE.

THE BEST CHOICE FOR QUICK AND RELIABLE TAXI TRANSPORTATION SERVICES IN THE MIDLANDS

WWW.CHECKERYELLOWCAB.COM • 803-799-3311 october 5, 2016 | USC VS. georgia

free-times.com

twitter.com/freetimessc

facebook.com/freetimes

LIVIN' GARNET | game day grub

7

BEER ME

8 LIVIN' GARNET | BEER ME

park yourself at a brewery on game day

By Tug Baker

S

o it’s the week of the game, and you’re scrambling for a tailgating spot. Well, luckily for you, three of the best spots to hang out before the game are Columbia’s three production breweries, all located within walking distance of Williams-Brice Stadium.

First up, there’s Conquest Brewing Co. where they actually have tailgate packages available week-by-week consisting of a tailgating spot for the game plus two growler fills (bring your own growler or you can buy them from Conquest).

Spots are $55 each except for the Georgia and Tennessee games, which are $65. If it’s a noon game, Conquest opens up by 9 a.m. If the game is later, they open around 10:30 a.m.

Swamp Cabbage Brewing Company also has tailgate packages available on a week-by-week basis. Parking spots are $45 each and include one of Swamp Cabbage's growlers filled with their delicious beer. They open at 8 a.m. on game days unless it’s a noon game and then they get there even earlier.

Spots for both Conquest and Swamp Cabbage are limited so make reservations early.

Finally, River Rat Brewery on the other side of the stadium doesn’t sell tailgate packages anymore, but with their newly expanded facilities and grassy outdoor space with lots of shade, picnic tables and cornhole boards, you could think of it as one giant tailgating spot, just with more people you don’t know. But let’s face it, there can be a lot of those at tailgates no matter where you are.

River Rat also has the bonus of having a kitchen so you don’t have to bring the food with you.

They do special food themes on game days with classic football-watching fair like smoked wings, brats, tacos or barbeque. They open at 9 a.m. for noon games and open at noon for all other games.

So next time you tailgate, don’t bother packing the beer. Go directly to the source for some terrific local brews and show your out-of-town friends what Columbia has to offer.

BREWERIES

NEAR THE STADIUM Conquest Brewing 947 S. Stadium Road (Reservations: mtay391@gmail.com)

River Rat Brewery 1231 Shop Road, 803-724-5712

Swamp cabbage brewing 921 Brookwood Dr., 803-252-0250 free-times.com

twitter.com/freetimessc

facebook.com/freetimes

USC VS. georgia | october 5, 2016

2001 Indie Jock Vol. 1 — Five Offbeat Songs to Power Your Game Day

By Jordan Lawrence

L

ooking for some jams to really get you raring for this week’s game? Seeking a few wildcards to add to your tailgate playlist? Here are five suggestions for songs off the beaten path when it comes to pigskin preparation, but they might inject some new life into your pre-game ritual.

Shovels & Rope, “O’ Be Joyful” (from 2012’s O’ Be Joyful) It’s a bright Saturday morning. A buzz is in the air. Victory seems all but assured. Throw on this electrified back-porch stomper by Charleston’s rapidly rising husbandand-wife folk-rock duo, and revel in the optimism. Get swept up in the ragged momentum and yell in elation as Cary Ann Hearst hollers, “Ain’t it nice to be fighting on the winning’ side?” Damn straight.

Diarrhea Planet, "Ain't a Sin to Win" (from 2016’s Turn to Gold) You’re damn right it ain’t. And you know what says victory better than just about anything?

Riding motorcycles in heaven. This juiced-up cock-rock blitz from one of Nashville’s most exhilarating rock bands milks that premise for

every bit of its fist-pumping potential.

Baroness, “A Horse Called Golgotha” (from 2009’s Blue Record) But the day will not be won easily. Soaring along with riffs that are massively uplifting, this anthem by one of the Southeast’s best metal bands will get the fire rumbling in your belly. Every throaty shout goading you to sing along, painting cowboys in conflict with an epically broad brush — “The stained horizon! / Ablaze, revolvers! / Stampedes and bridles!” Take the fight from this Georgia band and hurl it back in the Bulldogs’ faces.

F#!ked Up, “Toronto FC” (from 2010’s Couple Tracks) Fun fact: The Toronto punk dynamo F#!ked Up

is actually poking hilarious fun at its hometown soccer franchise in this propulsively clobbering tune, graced with just enough classic rock swagger to make it palatable to at least some averse to such hardcore tantrums. And if you think of the words as mocking fans of the opposing team, it’s really pretty great.

Chance the Rapper, “No Problem” (from 2016’s Coloring Book) Not only does the elastic, soulful beat have the irresistible bounce to get you up and dancing before entering the stadium (or sitting down on the couch), but the charming petulance of Chance (and 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne) as they rail against restrictive record labels should put you in exactly the defiant mindset to really give the refs a piece of your mind.

15,000 SQUARE FEET OF

WINE, BEER & SPIRITS J U S T 1 0 M I N U T E S F R O M T H E S TA D I U M

BEVERAGE SUPERSTORE

LET’S GO

Cocks!

Stock up at Bottles for low prices on all your pre-game beverages.

SHOPBOT TLES .COM |

(8 03 ) 728 - 0737

@ S H O P B OT T L E S

4 41 0 FO RT JAC KSO N B LV D. I N TH E ROS E WO O D S H O PPI N G C ENTER

october 5, 2016 | USC VS. georgia

free-times.com

twitter.com/freetimessc

facebook.com/freetimes

LIVIN' GARNET | 2001

9

THE COCKY LIFE turn your tailgate spot into an outdoor kitchen

By Anne Wolfe Postic

W

hat if you could boil peanuts right there at your tailgate spot? Or steam oysters. How about frying chicken? Have you always wanted Frogmore Stew before the game, but you just couldn’t figure out how to get it there? Or crab legs. Steamed crab legs would be awesome.

Anybody can grill anywhere, but boiling, steaming and frying take more planning and the right equipment. As the weather gets cooler, all the best tailgates have hot food.

Hay Hill Garden Market had me all in a tizzy the other day. Their propanefueled tabletop cooker is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.

If you can fit a cooler in your car, you have room for this marvel. It’s made of aluminum, the propane tank is 32 quarts and the self-draining basket is 24 quarts. That’s a lot of steamed, boiled, or fried food.

Tailgating isn’t the only time you’ll use your cooker. It’s perfect for people with smaller kitchens who want to cook big things, and it makes a spur of the moment oyster roast a breeze.

If you love fried chicken, but don’t love the lingering smell in your kitchen, cook it outside. Keep your versatile cooker on the patio, and you may start using it more than you use your grill.

But let's get back to your tailgate. Cooking onsite is not for the casual fan who wants to show up right before the game. It takes commitment. But that's the fun part. If you appoint yourself the tailgate chef, you get to show up a couple hours early, and I give you permission to go ahead and crack open your cooler.

By the time everyone else arrives, your culinary masterpiece will be ready and you'll be the MVP, without ever touching the ball.

Go Cocks!

10 LIVIN' GARNET | the cocky life

free-times.com

Photo by Anne Wolfe Postic

WHAT: Tabletop cookerWHERE: Hay Hill Garden Market, 1625 Bluff Road COST: $335 MORE: 803-834-6652

twitter.com/freetimessc

facebook.com/freetimes

USC VS. georgia | october 5, 2016

fact that we didn’t get our first conference win until mid-October last year. Look at all the years the women’s basketball team kept trying, and now they are an elite team!

We need to look for the improvements the team is making and build on that. Most of all, you gotta believe!

If you could talk with Coach Muschamp, what would you say to him? I think he needs your towel. — Jared

ASK GAMECOCK JESUS Dear Gamecock Jesus, Heaven help us this season. I know I shouldn’t expect a lot, but we’re not very good. How can we all get through this season? — Peggy

Dear Peggy, I know how tough it is to lose.

But we need to remember that these kids playing are talented but young. And they need us to get behind them every play, every game.

It helps to look for the positive aspects of the game — like the

USC lost to Kentucky.

The Chicken Curse lives on.

If I were to talk to the coach I would tell him that I am behind him 100 percent as long as he and the team give us their best game every Saturday.

He doesn’t need my towel, he needs our support.

Believe! Gamecock Jesus

This is to the South Carolina and Georgia fans: Texas A&M and Arkansas are what SEC football teams are supposed to look like. Hang in there guys.

Got a question for USC’s top super fan? Send it to editor@free-times.com.

Get me a beer.

Hey, Gamecock Jesus fans!

Free Times is planning a meet and greet with me before the Georgia game on Oct. 8.

Take a picture with Gamecock Jesus for a $1 donation to Sistercare of Columbia. I’ll be in the ETV lot across Key Road from the Cockabooses at spot No. 345. I’ll be there starting at 5 p.m. I am really looking forward to seeing all of you there! Believe!

Tired of all you Clemson fans: Play somebody real, and we'll talk. SEC! Why do so many things taste like chicken?

Girls got to stop wearing those ugly sneakers and get back in those boots.

Thank you.

My grandson goes to USC. He takes underwater basket weaving.

Got a Gamecock or football-related beef or boast?

Call (803) 765-0707 x126 or email RantandRave@free-times.com

THE FANS SPEAK

THE SHOT october 5, 2016 | USC VS. georgia

TAILGATE SPECIALS!

USC head coach Will Muschamp (black shirt on sideline) looks like he's about to push Gamecock running back A.J. Turner into the end zone at Kentucky his fist of fury.

Photo by Allen Sharpe

free-times.com

twitter.com/freetimessc

Check out our Facebook page for our 2016 Tailgate Packages!

11am-9pm • Closed Wednesday & Sunday 340 E. Columbia Ave. (Hwy 1) • Leesville, SC

803.532.8135 • www.shealysbbq.com facebook.com/freetimes

sqwuak

11

G EO

RGI

A

go GAMECOCKS!!

Handling a legal matter on your own may lead to an undesirable outcome.

Before handling a DUI, criminal charge, personal injury or civil matter on your own, let attorney Marion M. Moses consult with you to explain your options.

Former state Prosecutor, over 15 years experience practicing law.

MENTION THIS AD FOR A FREE CONSULTATION