Monday's Meatloaf - Stepping off the Soapbox

Before we begin, let us give thanks to DeAngelo Tyson once more. Without his block of the PAT Saturday night...well, we might still be sitting in Sanford.

Now...if I don't climb down off the directional kicking soapbox soon, I'll be forced to rename the blawg. But before I step down, one more thought.

While the kickoffs were overall much deeper and better covered Saturday night, there's still evidence that Fabris is an ol' codger. Despite its success Saturday night, CMR seems overly cautious about the deep boom.

Perhaps, that's because it's a new shoe that needs for him to break it in.

Reminds me of a gentleman in our church who has suffered a stroke that has dramtically affected his speech...yet he stills sings every hymn, loud and proud. At first it is a little distracting, but over time his personalized melody and lyrics have become a comforting part of the service (and certainly inspirational).

So give it some time coach. It could grow on ya. From the 30 yard line, a full seven iron is always favorable to this Dawg...as opposed to the 60 degree lob wedge.

Grab a bowl and mix these up. Heat at 400 then dig in.

• Samuel ran mad. Real mad.
• Branden Smith runs fast. Real fast. I think it's fair to say the only thing we've seen so far that can slow this kid down is running it out of the endzone.
• It's also safe to say that Rennie Curran really likes chicken.
• While #35 was the hero, Brandon Boykin was clearly the star. About the only thing more impressive than the record setting kick return was that INT.
• If we were to venture over to a USC (the fake one) message board right now, we would surely read about how impressive Garcia was. Lamecocks like to deny themselves the opportunity at truth. Did he complete a pass over 8 yards?
• Along the same lines, Martinez clearly forced the game underneath and relinquished any yards that Spurrier wanted to take. I'm aware that this week Martinez is set up to be the whipping boy again. But when you look at how many more plays SC had and how much longer his defense was forced to be on the field...I find it hard point that finger...this time.
• Oh what the hell...Bend don't break...it will break us Willie. We have the kind of talent that shoulda slammed the door on those chickens when they got the ball back with six minutes left. Seeing Rennie's heroics is ALWAYS nice, but given the choice I prefer he 3 and out, the punt, the drained clock and the victory kneel. Easier on the heart and the voice.
• That feels better. Now for some other perspectives... BUI grades the game out. While Exhile adds his own thoughts. And the Senator gives us the stat of the game.
• After the victory, Rex reminisced about another era when victories followed a difficult script.
• Before heading to Athens Saturday morning, I gladly welcomed home Coach Hodgson from a place called Mahwah.
• And lo and behold...Battle is out for the season. In other words, rewind, press play and relive the all too familiar story.

Time to play a little game called What We Know About Logan Gray.

1. pretty sure he wears #6
2. he's a man
3. he may be a myth
4. if not, he could be a future legend

The guy went from being a possible starter to an after thought Saturday night. The one play he did get in on, I bet he wishes he had made a better read on the option and kept it in lieu of handing off to Thomas.

I'll go into some more depth about this later I think. But could Bobo be waiting for the next road test to give PWDs Grayhound more time to sync up? Along those lines, are Wooten the ball carrier and Marlon Brown still too unpolished for game action...or are they a weapon with designs on making the pigs squeal?

Doubtful, sure. But I do hope we see more (or just any) of these guys soon. At any rate, here's your napkin Reader. Now go and have a Monday.

Bernie