South Carolina v. Arkansas: FAQ

All your Arkansas-related questions, answered!

By Jorge De Los Gallos Oct 12, 2013, 9:42am EDT

Mike Davis should face a challenge in Arkansas' stout defensive line.

VITALS

Location: Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, Arky
Day: Uh, today.
Time: 12:21 PM
TV: SEC-TV
Line: South Carolina -6, O/U 51
Woo: Who?
Unis:

Should I be worried about this game?

Probably, since the Cocks have yet to prove that they can string together four quality quarters of football. But we match up with the Razorbacks fairly well, especially when we have the ball. Of course, this means that special teams have to successfully transition possession, which hasn't been a sure thing this season. The good news is that Arkansas, after starting 3-0, has yet to prove anything against BCS teams, falling to Rutgers, Texas A&M and Florida in the past three weeks. Salt grains: the road loss to Rutgers was without their starting quarterback, the loss to Texas A&M was a shootout against a high powered offense, and the loss to Florida came against a world class defense. How does South Carolina fit in? We have a better defense than A&M and a better offense than Florida, but our strengths probably don't equal theirs. But if we can keep our offense humming against Arkansas' average defense and create/take advantage of passing downs against a team who relies on the run, we'll be in good position to leave Fayetteville with a FAT DUB.

Are we healthy?

Look no further than the inaugural Auguste Report for your answers. Nothing should surprise you: no Brandon Wilds, likely no Cody Waldrop. Jadeveon should play, as should MLB Kaiwan Lewis, who was briefly hospitalized this week with a leg infection. Shaq Roland will miss his third and final game via mysterious suspension.

Hey, speaking of Jadeveon, what's the deal—

We're not gonna talk about all that nonsense. If you want to get caught up on the circus, go here. Just know that he's got a strained rib muscle and is likely to play this week.

How does the Arkansas contingent feel about this game?

BVC from Arkansas Fight predicts a Hogs upset, but who could blame him? I'm sure we'd all do the same if we were six point dogs at home. He touts the Hogs' quality defensive line and says South Carolina will have to go to the air to exploit the Arkansas D. Hopefully that's not the case—Arkansas has yet to face a back that's produced as well as Mike Davis'—but a pass-first approach would be admissible, as well as Connor Shaw's playing.

I want to claw my eyes out before the game. Whatcha got?

Why not check out this week's Our Digital Season? It's like every nightmare scenario from the past three weeks, fully realized!

Yeesh. Get that sour taste out of my mouth: I want some good news relating to South Carolina football.

Look no further than our newest commitment, 4-star OL Donell Stanley. A silent commit for some time, Stanley chose the Gamecocks over an impressive slate of suitors including Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, and Florida State. Stanley is also a baseball player and expressed an interest in walking on to Chad Holbrook's team. As badass as it would be to see a 300+ pounder at first base, I get the feeling he'll be convinced to stick with football. By the way, here's his twitter avi:

Welcome aboard, par'dner.

We're playing early, so I'll have plenty of time for more football. Is there anything else worth watching this weekend?

Absolutely. Florida and LSU will engage in a juicy SEC dustup in Baton Rouge. Oregon and Washington were worth a Gameday visit. The primetime ESPN game features a Deep South-off between Texas AM & Ole Miss.

Last question: I want to get riled up for this game. Give me an inaccessible blues shout that references slapping hogs.

Look no further than Tom Waits' "Filipino Box Spring Hog".

"Gotta slap that hog / roll him over twice!"

We'll do our best, Tom. Happy gameday!