 Tigers Roll in the Rain The Gamecocks went up 7 – 0 in the 1st quarter after a little bit of help from the powerful LSU defense. An offsides and face mask penalty added an unearned 20 yard to the South Carolina drive, placing them in the red zone and offering some unfamiliarity to LSU. The Gamecocks punched the ball in, added the PAT and prepared for the retaliation. Ultimately, it took less than two minutes for the Tigers to streak down the field in the form of Trindon Holliday, and knot the score at 7. Then, right on cue, the LSU defense took over. Glenn Dorsey and company were relentless in the pursuit of South Carolina QB, Blake Mitchell, while only offering inches on the ground. Matt Flynn looked like he was still capable of managing the Tiger offense, even suffering from a high ankle sprain. The backs, including backup QB Ryan Perrilloux, had no issues in pounding the ball between the tackles. Flynn hit some of the young receiving corp on timely routes to move the ball efficiently, and scored another touchdown on a quick drive – Matt Flynn to tight end Richard Dickson. The Tigers added one more score before half in what could quite possibly be the greatest fake field goal ever. Matt Flynn took the snap, put the ball down and then flipped the ball over his right shoulder, no look, to a sprinting Colt David. If fans were ever curious about their kicker's athletic ability, he answered some questions as he scampered into the end zone. South Carolina was able to put a couple more scores on the board late in the game, yet the 28 – 16 final was a bit misleading as to how dominant the Tigers were. How I see it It was great to see what the old Ball Coach could do against the Bayou Bengals. He seemed to exploit a few weaknesses, yet couldn't string anything together that resulted in a threat to the home team. Had LSU not offered some assistance in the form of penalties, there's a good chance the score would have been completely lop-sided. A very good chance. It was obvious that Spurrier has the Gamecocks on the verge of a major breakthrough, however, he needs to fall in love with a quarterback that offers consistency and solid character on and off the field. Pulling Blake Mitchell in the second half for Chris Smelley proved to be an effective move, but perhaps it was too little too late. The LSU offense also spat and sputtered at times. The on-field presence of LSU's Early Doucet was cleary missed as the Tigers struggled at times to move the ball through the air. Fortunately, they didn't need to. LSU dominated the line of scrimmage and at times looked as if they were experimenting with a few offensive sets. God forbid they Florida see anything they meet on October 6.
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