Five Questions for Ron Morris

In preparation of our battle with the Cocks Saturday, we spoke with Ron Morris, columnist for Columbia's The State newspaper.

1. Was last week's average performance against Louisiana-Lafayette a surprise to you given the hype surrounding Carolina in the off season? South Carolina's performance was not surprising in the least. Let's break it down. First, the offensive line is very young and played better than expected. But USC used its two backup quarterbacks, Chris Smelley and Tommy Beecher, both of whom were reasonably effective. On defense, it is no surprise that Louisiana-Lafayette ran wild on USC. Lafayette uses the kind of option offense that drives USC's defense crazy. USC never could contain Lafayette's quarterback, and thus never could shut down the running game. No surprise.

2. How do you see Saturday's game going and what are your keys to the game? I really believe South Carolina is going to take it to Georgia. There are two keys, both of which will favor USC. First, USC's inexperienced offensive line is not bad and should be able to create holes for running backs Cory Boyd and Mike Davis as well as time to throw for Blake Mitchell, who should have a big, big game against Georgia's secondary. Second, if you think USC's offensive line is green, take a look at Georgia's. USC has a very good defense that did not show its true colors against Lafayette. Look for Jasper Brinkley to have a huge game against Georgia. I'll be surprised if Matthew Stafford has time to throw, and if Georgia scores more than 14 points.

3. Given Spurrier's frustrations over Carolina in the past few months, can you foresee him leaving Carolina before he appears in an SEC championship game? Steve Spurrier will not leave South Carolina, no matter the circumstances. This is his final job. He likes it here. This is where he wants to conclude his coaching career. I don't think there is any room for discussion on that point.

4. If you had to name your twin boys rhyming names, can you do better than Jasper and Casper? Just spent some time in the Brinkleys home town of Thomson, Ga., and those two guys are highly regarded there. I don't know that I could top the names.

5. What would Gamecock fans rather do: punch Blake Mitchell in the face or run their fingers through Steve Taneyhill's mullet? Right now, punch Blake Mitchell in the face for his continued stupidity. By Saturday night, after USC defeats Georgia, they will want a statue of him erected outside Williams-Brice Stadium.

No way Ron is right on number 5. Look at that thing.

Quinton

Tweet