Arkansas - South Carolina Preview

Arkansas 5-3 (1-3) vs. South Carolina 6-3 (3-3)
7:06 kickoff on ESPN2



Mark Jones and Bob Davie will be wrestling with the play-by-play and color commentary much like Hogan vs. Giant, via Wrestlemania III.
















Everyone's favorite former OU Lady Sooner, Stacy Dales, will be handling the all-important, couldn't live without it, sideline reporting while naked. There isn't a high demand out there for this game, so ESPN2 is trying to pump up it's ratings with the new "Naked sideline reporter" segment which figures to be a ratings booster as long as it's not Armen Keteyian.



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It's a crucial game this Saturday for both teams. Arkansas is just trying to get bowl eligible while the Gamecocks continue fighting for supremacy in the SEC East where it's still anyone's guess as to who comes out of there.





I checked in over at "The Cool Chicken" (A South Carolina football blog) this week, and you can read his prediction for the game here.

You will see one of the best names in the SEC on Saturday night when USC's Captain Munnerlyn takes the field at corner for the Gamecocks and returns punts and kickoffs. Yes, his name is Captain, and let's hope they don't mention his name too much unless it's "Captain Munnerlyn lost coverage on that play and that's what allowed the Arkansas touchdown pass from Casey Dick to Marcus Monk," or "Captain Munnerlyn just got crushed again trying to return a punt," or "Captain Munnerlyn was caught pleasuring himself and smoking weed in the bathroom at halftime with teammate Chris Smelley. Neither will return tonight."




Captain, my captain.





Personally, D-Mac has run over the Gamecocks the last two years (including his only 200 yard performance last season). The Gamecocks are 10th in the SEC in run defense this season, so don't be surprised if McFadden and/or Jones have big games Saturday night. The Gamecocks are on a two game losing streak, and D-Mac also needs a big game on national television to turn around his sagging Heisman ratings:





(click on to enlarge... that's what she said)








As D-Mac's Heisman popularity has dwindled the last 2-3 weeks, oil prices have shot up from around $80 to over $94 per barrel during that same time. Coincidence? You decide. Personally, I think there is a direct correlation in there somewhere, so I'm pulling even harder for D-Mac to run the ball down the Gamecocks throats Saturday night so that I can get back to paying $2.50 a gallon.

Sidney Rice is no longer there to grab everything thrown his direction and kill us like he did in the past (a loss two years ago in Fayetteville and then a win last year in Columbia). I think the Hogs contain QB Blake Mitchell or Smelley or whomever Spurrier puts in there, and the offense looks good once again. D-Mac racks up big yardage.

I'm going with either Hogs 79 Gamecocks 3, or Hogs 31 Gamecocks 21.
I'll decide later.