Game Day kickoff - South Carolina vs. Southern Mississippi

As I mentioned before, we live about a mile from the USC Brice Stadium where the Gamecocks play football:

(view from our driveway)

The student paper, the Daily Gamecock, highlighted 5 traditions of USC football--my favorite being "Moshing to Sandstorm". The other night, we heard "Sandstorm" blasting from the stadium and the lights flashing in, I'm assuming, a practice run for tonight.

As tonight was the first game, I was curious to see what it'd be like, living so close to the stadium. I already heard that traffic on the main drag that we live off of is completely blocked for hours. Even the local paper had warned about the heavy traffic and reverse patterns that would start around 3:15. In fact, I'd already prepared myself and the girl that we'd walk home from school again this afternoon as I didn't want to be stuck in that main drag traffic on the way back.

Today in school in planned coordination with, I'm assuming, the game tonight was "Wear your Favorite College Shirt" day. One of the girl's teachers is giving a point for all kids who participate and wear a college shirt. And two points if the shirt is a USC Gamecock shirt. In an early lesson of "playing the game", the girl went with a USC shirt:

All the teachers kindly didn't give the kids homework tonight as well. Which was good, as the girl was annoyed that there really wasn't much traffic at that time (around 4pm) and I could have driven. Though I pointed out the other folks walking down the main drag who probably had the same idea as me (including the guy selling parking spaces next to the gas station for $5):

The girl was amused by the cars driving by with their Gamecock flags as well as this van that furnished clothes and tailgating supplies so you could "party like a Cockstar".

We indulged in Game Day food: 2 (frozen) pizzas, an entire jar of salsa con queso with tortilla chips, root beer and grape soda floats, and Sour Patch Kids. But it looks like all the Game Day and Gamecock fever paid off--the Gamecocks crushed Southern Miss 41-13, with two very strong QBs that can both pass and run as well as a top RB and WR. This could be a very exciting season here in Columbia.

Cue "Sandstorm".