Pigskin Prophet: Beamer looks ahead to end of season, forgets his sunglasses

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Someone forgot to tell Shane Beamer he has a game this weekend.

In fact, there are a lot of good games this weekend. Sure, we are still in the early-season phase of the top teams playing Sister Sadie Jenkins’ Sunday Morning Bible School Class, but there are some games worthy of watching.

But Beamer? I arrived back in Columbia late Friday night, tried to sleep in but was called to Williams-Sonoma Stadium because the water lines and sewer lines were once again crossed. (How does this keep happening? I’ll tell ya. There is a big pipe with a connector into the stadium labeled “Waste” and another labeled “Potable.” The South Carolina grad they have working on that section of the stadium keeps reading it as “Water” and not “Waste” and thinks “Potable” means potty. That’s how).

I stuck around to watch the dismantling of Old Dominion Freight Lines, but a funny thing happened and the truckers stuck around for longer than the home poultry would have liked. In fact, if it wasn’t for a three-yard drive and a five-yard drive, the Pullets would have unceremoniously gone Potable in the henhouse.

Beamer, following the game, tried to remind everyone that the Clemson game is in 81 days and he needs more time to prepare the young pullets for battle. Someone better tell him he has Kentucky this week.

SATURDAY

TEXAS AT MICHIGAN

This looks like fun and gets the day started at noon. Michigan was just ok in a win over Fresno St. last week while Texas walloped Colorado St. Texas leaned on quarterback Quinn Ewers and the running game was good enough, while Michigan, learning to live without the benefit of knowing other team’s signals, was good enough to win at home. Michigan’s defense is good, but Texas has more playmakers and will leave the Big House a Big Wreck. TEXAS 27, MICHIGAN 17

SOUTH CAROLINA AT KENTUCKY

Ah, the Sunglasses Rivalry. (If you missed it, Beamer and Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops got into a tiff about sunglasses and who said what about sunglasses not building culture, and after South Carolina beat Kentucky in Lexington two years ago, Beamer donned sunglasses and danced). The Pullets ran the ball a lot last week, and had trouble defending the run. The Wildcats allowed just five yards rushing to Southern Miss. Expect a heavy dose of the run game on both sides, especially with South Carolina trying to figure out what they have in their young quarterback. But Kentucky is just better, and it will be the Wildcat wearing shades while Cocky is getting the stains off his dress. KENTUCKY 24, SOUTH CAROLINA 13.

COLORADO AT NEBRASKA

Prime takes his high-flying aerial show into the cornfields of Nebraska. Let’s face it, Colorado was out-coached last week in barely getting by a pesky North Dakota St. team, and won because they have future NFL guys like Travis Hunter making plays, while North Dakota St. has a bunch of guys who will be in the business world this time next year. Nebraska ran the football on the way to defeating UTEP last week, while Prime’s squad looked vulnerable on the ground. This one has the makings of a high-scoring affair, and I’ll take the team with the better coach. NEBRASKA 34, COLORADO 30

TENNESSEE VS. NC STATE IN CHARLOTTE

Let’s see, old Cigar Dave Doeren and his Wolfpack unleashed new quarterback Grayson McCall on Western Carolina last week, and probably should have left him on the leash for at the first three quarters. Meanwhile, Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava was throwing for over 300 yards – in the first half – against Chattanooga as the Vols rolled to an easy win. I gotta admit, Miss Doreen’s squad looks off, and they lack speed at key spots. Tennessee doesn’t. Miss Doreen can grab all the cigars and red solo cups she wants, and they throw as many laptops as they want, it won’t help. TENNESSEE 41, NC STATE 23

APPALACHIAN ST. AT CLEMSON

The Mountaineers are going to grab the wagon, hitch the team and ride down the mountain to Clemson for a weekend feud against Dabo’s Swinney’s bruised Tigers. This group of hillbillies is no pushover, and they have a quarterback who has proven he can make plays while Clemson is still searching for some kind – any kind – of offensive identity. The Tigers are more talented, but these mountain folks will hang around long enough to make it more interesting than Clemson fans want. In the end, superior talent wins out. But it won’t be easy. CLEMSON 30, APP ST. 20

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