The Game
- Sellers looked like a redshirt freshman QB without experience. Being at the game, he had a number of open RBs and tight-ends open in the flat. He didn't didn't throw the ball or was off-target when he did. He did have nice touch on the deep ball in the 1st half that was dropped. But overall, he was way high most of the game, and the most troubling thing was he was so late (like really late) on most every pass, even ones he completed. He never looked comfortable at all.
- The offensive line-well- just looked bad. It never looked good. It looked overwhelmed, especially on the edges. I tried to watch the unit as a whole as much as I could. My impression was that they quite honestly seemed slow. Some were having a hard time getting up off their knees before the 1st quarter was over. Just not impressed.
- I really hate to say it, but the wide receivers were the worst looking group on the field. I also tried to watch them way down the field and I could understand why Selles didn't want to throw the ball to them. Maybe that is why he looks so late so much- he likely has no confidence in them. I saw nothing from the unit that looked promising. They simply can't get separation. It's like they were running with a short rope tied on to the defensive back, like a boat pulling kids on a tube. Almost as bad, they don't look that athletic running-as if they are giving it 100% effort but it's just not enough. I don't think this can be solved this season.
- I thought the defense played hard. I saw some good stuff from them, and we have some really good speed on the edges. Linebackers, as a group, look like they have a lot of talent. I'm not sure what to think of the secondary. I saw some very poor decisions, but I also saw some nice plays.
Game Experience
For fans, it was hot. Saw a man taken away by an ambulance pre-game outside the stadium after laying on the ground for a while being tended to by responders. I suspect a number of folks were in the same position. It was a nice crowd but wasn't full.
After not having attended a game in person in a number of years (after having season tickets for about a decade), the atmosphere outside the stadium is much improved. The Gamecock Village area (or whatever it's called) is very nice and there are a lot of things going on over there that are fun for the fans. I enjoyed hanging out in the area near the band as they played a number of songs at a pep rally sort of thing. That was fun to see.
We have a lot of fat fans. Letting people in and out of their seats was tough. There are some folks that are way too big trying to sit in those seats.
USC, the police, the city could really, really use an over the road cross over from the fairgrounds over George Rogers to the stadium. That sure would be nice for everyone involved and make the job of police a lot easier. Probably could do the same thing over Bluff Rd but there didn't seem to be as much traffic there when I walked across.
Final words: I am not sure who the people are that are driving down Bluff Rd. right outside the stadium an hour or two before the game who are clearly not going to the game. I imagine it's the same people who don't know what day of the week it is or aren't sure if they are in Columbia or Charleston. But you deserve to have to sit, stopped by police, while the band and hundreds of people cross the road in front of you.
and NO THANKS to the SCDOT efforts to block traffic on Bluff Rd at the I-77 interchange to prevent people from driving toward Charlotte on I-77- forcing everyone to head toward Cayce on I-77. That made ZERO sense and was an absolute mess- and was totally unnecessary. It turned what would have been slow but still moving traffic into a parking lot.
