PREGAMIN’ SOUTH CAROLINA

Nov 15, 2024 | Uncategorized

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WE HAVEN’T LOST THE MAYORS CUP IN 5 YEARS, DAMN SURE WE AREN’T GIVING IT UP NOW

♫ You know I stay fresh to death ♫

One week we get a fully produced video, complete with horses and costumes. The next we get nothing. The next week we get a post that simply says, “ALL BLACK.” Now we’re back to nothing?!

Trivia
  • The historic horseshoe of South Carolina’s campus — involving many of the campuses central buildings — was constructed largely by enslaved workers. The university has since taken steps to acknowledge this, including honoring workers who laid the foundations for some of the school’s most treasured visual markers.
  • The University of South Carolina wasn’t desegregated until the year 1963, after which the university saw a large boom in enrollment due to baby boomers entering college years.
  • Did you know that it’s illegal to fire a missile in South Carolina without a written permit? Sounds like Communist gub’ment regulations to me! Shouldn’t be too hard these days to get that law off the books!
  • This week in “Notable Alumni from…” I’d like to warn off anyone from visiting the Wikipedia page that lists notable South Carolina alumni. There are a lot of especially evil ghouls — and that’s saying something for an SEC institution! — that populate that list, so much so that I actually dislike the university quite a bit more having read it. So as a palette cleanser, I’m going to celebrate the fact that Chazwick Bundick a.k.a Toro Y Moi got his bachelor’s degree in graphic design from the University. Congrats, guys, at least you sent one good person out into the world!

Rock M-ixology


I’ll be honest — I don’t really think the South Carolina “rivalry” has a whole lot of juice. Sure, there’s a trophy involved and the schools have played some memorable games over the past decade plus. But neither program is a real powerhouse in the SEC and the two schools haven’t really played much high stakes football outside of the 2013 classic. I suppose that could change this year, but it’s always felt like a second-order match up in my eyes.

I also think that makes the South Carolina game a bit more nerve-wracking. As a “Mizzou is an up-and-coming blue blood” truther, I view South Carolina as a team the Tigers should beat on a regular basis, even while acknowledging Gamecock fans probably feel largely the same way. They’re a peer program, and if Mizzou is to get over the middling hump, they’ll have to permanently usurp USC at some point. So while beating the Gamecocks feels fine, losing to them is always a huge bummer.

So I’m going to mix up a drink that sums up how I feel about the tension of playing a school that my heart thinks we should be beating while my head knows it’s a much more even playing ground. Let’s make a Bad Word.

Equal parts blanco tequila, green chartreuse, maraschino liqueur, lime juice

Add ingredients to cocktail shaker. Shake over ice until chilled. Strain into chilled rocks glass or coupe. Garnish with cherry if desired.


I mean… two of my favorite spirits, my favorite freshly-squeezed citrus and a bit of Maraschino to back it all up? This is an obvious winner.

It’s a spin on the famous Last Word cocktail, of which I’ve tried a lot of variations over the years. This is by far my favorite, bringing all of my favorite elements of a margarita (the agave sweetness and lime tartness) up against the herbal complexity of Chartreuse and the punch of bright cherry flavor. I could drink 10 of these. I didn’t. But I could.


Here we are: Brady Cook-less, two blowouts down… and still with a shot at the College Football Playoff. If you could sum up the whole of Mizzou’s season thus far in two sentences, they’d be:

Josh Matejka, Deputy Site Manager: This is a cop-out answer, so I’m burning my first sentence to let you know it. We won’t be able to properly evaluate this year’s team until the end of the regular season.

Chad Moller, staffer: It’s strange, because coming into the year I thought being 7-2 at this point would give the Tigers a decent shot at the CFP field. Yet, it doesn’t feel like it, due to the perception of the team after the two blowout losses.

Sammy Stava, Staff Writer: A disappointing but successful season if that makes any sense? The expectations were so high heading into this year, and they more than likely will not meet those expectations if they do indeed fall short of the CFP. However, it can still be a good year for this program. 10 wins is still on the table and that means something. [Editor’s Note: Sammy has been subsequently fired for not holding to the two-sentence requirement]

We’ve thrown out a lot of negativity around this team this year. Let’s be nice for a second. The most impressive thing about this year’s Mizzou team, in your opinion, is…

Josh Matejka: It has to be the defense. What was supposed to be the thing that held the Tigers back (or at least had to be carried along) is now the thing that’s keeping them in the hunt for the biggest prize in the sport. In my opinion, this may go down as the most under appreciated defense in Mizzou history. That is, depending on how the rest of the season goes.

Chad Moller: I’d say the team’s resiliency. Just when most people start counting the Tigers as dead in the water, they find a way to grind out wins. None of it has been pretty, and that’s what makes this season strangely unimpressive to outside observers. But if they can pull off a shocker this Saturday in the lesser Columbia, they’ll have a chance to stay in the playoff conversation. No matter whether things look pretty or clunky, that’s all we can ask as fans.

Sammy Stava: Aside from their two blowout losses on the road to A&M and Bama, they just find ways to win. Chad said it, this team is resilient, and their team chemistry is strong.

This team has also made Faurot Field a legitimate tough place to play. If they beat Arkansas in the regular season finale, they will finish undefeated at home. That’s not nothing.

Despite the presence of a trophy, the Mizzou vs. South Carolina rivalry hasn’t always had a lot of juice nationally. Do you think this weekend could change that?

Josh Matejka: Certainly! I think there have been plenty of good contests in the 12 year history of the Battle of the Columbias, but it makes sense why no one outside of the two schools would realize it. It’ll be nice to see it raised to the Top 25 level, as whomever wins will likely be vaulted higher in the rankings.

Chad Moller: I actually think the series has been a pretty good one. Since joining the SEC, Mizzou leads overall, 7-5, and five of those have been one score games, with several of them being pretty memorable (2013, 2014, 2018). This weekend only adds to it if the Tigers can put a scare into the Gamecocks.

Sammy Stava: Absolutely. Saturday becomes a nationally relevant game against two ranked teams in the College Football Playoff and it’s one of the top games in the SEC. There’s plenty on the line.

PICK ‘EM! The Tigers are a heavy underdog this weekend, likely due to the continued doubt of Brady Cook’s health. What shot do the Tigers have of continuing their underdog run to the CFP by toppling the Cocks?

Josh Matejka: I’m a little stunned that Carolina is favored as much as they are. I certainly think they’re the favorites and maybe would even have them at 7 at 8 points. But two scores? Even if Brady Cook doesn’t play, Mizzou’s defense has shown enough that they can stop the Gamecocks offense from pulling away like A&M and Alabama did. I think it’ll be within a 10-point game either way, though I don’t think I can pick the Tigers until I’m sure Brady Cook is playing. Give me the Gamecocks at home 24-17.

Chad Moller: Carolina opening as a 13.5-point favorite was crazy – even if Brady Cook was considered out from the start. SC has been the upstart underdog all year – and they’ve played impressively in that seat. But now that they’ve moved over to the driver’s seat being the favorite, let’s see just how they handle the added pressure coming from externally. Remember, they’ve got a freshman QB. So far this season, when Carolina wins, they blow opponents out, but when the game has been close, they’ve found ways to lose. Mizzou is the opposite, when they lose, they get blown out, but when it’s a tight game, the Tigers find a way to win. I’m going with that narrative for Saturday, and say Mizzou somehow, somewhere, someway, pulls it out and comes away 21-20 victors.

Sammy Stava: Missouri has won five in a row in this series which should give them some sort of edge. However, it’s on the road against a depleted Mizzou team. Drinkwitz also needs to prove that he can win a big game on the road — which he hasn’t.

The Gamecocks’ offense doesn’t scare me, but their defense certainly does. In the end, it’s simply a tough matchup. Shane Beamer finally gets it done against the Tigers. Here’s hoping I’m wrong.

31-23 South Carolina.

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