By Matt Smith
SouthernPigskin.com

Follow us at Twitter.com/SouthernPigskin.  Become a fan at the SouthernPigskin.com Facebook Page

South Carolina will attempt to bounce back from last week’s disappointing opener when the Gamecocks take on East Carolina.

The Vitals

Saturday

(24) Missouri (-3.5) at Toledo, 12 p.m. ET (ESPN); Bob Wischusen and Matt Millen

Florida Atlantic at (2) Alabama (-40), 12 p.m. ET (SEC Network); Dave Neal and Andre Ware

Arkansas State at Tennessee (-17), 12 p.m. ET (SEC Network); Dave Lamont and Ray Bentley

UAB at Mississippi State (-27.5), 2 p.m. ET (FSN); Bob Rathbun and Tim Couch

Ohio at Kentucky (-13), 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPNU); Clay Matvick and Anthony Becht

Eastern Michigan at Florida (-38), 4 p.m. ET (SEC Network); Tom Hart and Matt Stinchcomb

Nicholls State at Arkansas, 4 p.m. ET (SEC Network); Matt Stewart and Cole Cubelic

(15) Ole Miss (-20) at Vanderbilt, 4:30 p.m. ET (ESPN); Joe Tessitore and Brock Huard

San Jose State at (5) Auburn (-31), 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2); Dave Pasch and Brian Griese

East Carolina at (21) South Carolina (-16.5), 7 p.m. ET (ESPNU); Anish Shroff and Kelly Stouffer

Sam Houston State at (12) LSU, 7:30 p.m. ET (SEC Network); Brent Musburger and Jesse Palmer

Lamar at (9) Texas A&M, 7:30 p.m. ET (SEC Network); Dave Baker and Greg McElroy

Bye Week: (6) Georgia

Matchups to Watch

1. Ole Miss C Ben Still vs. Vanderbilt DT Vince Taylor

The Rebels offensive line struggled in their Week 1 win over Boise State. Ole Miss committed five false start penalties in the first quarter and never looked in sync, enhancing the struggles of quarterback Bo Wallace. Still is the least experienced of Ole Miss five starters in the trenches. Despite losing to Temple by 30, Vanderbilts defense played reasonably well against the Owls. Still will face a tougher test this weekend in the 315-pound Taylor. For the Commodores to have a chance at the upset, theyll have to take advantage of the Rebels glaring, and perhaps only, weakness.

2. East Carolina WR Justin Hardy vs. South Carolina CB Al Harris Jr.

Pirates offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley was groomed by Mike Leach at Texas Tech, and followed fellow Leach staffer Ruffin McNeill to Greenville in 2010. Hardy has blossomed in his pass-happy offense, finishing third in the nation in 2013 with 114 receptions. After two touchdowns in last week seasons opener, hell face a humbled South Carolina secondary that was shredded by Texas A&M a week ago. Harris, a true freshman, draws another tough assignment after struggling against the Aggies.

3. Toledo OT Josh Hendershot vs. Missouri DE Markus Golden

One of the MACs best offensive lineman, Hendershot faces what will likely be his most difficult test of the season against a strong Missouri defensive line. Hendershot could see both Golden and fellow defensive line bookend Shane Ray at various times Saturday, but both are capable of periods of dominance. Golden had one-and-a-half sacks in the opener and South Dakota. As Toledo found out last year, Golden is more than just a pass rusher. He returned an interception for a touchdown in the Tigers 38-23 win in Columbia.

Quotable

cWe don’t have the consistency at the position that you’d like but I needed to see all three guys in order to see where we are. What we’ll do moving forward is not name a starter and at game time you’ll see who’s starting at quarterback and then move forward.d 3 Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason on the Commodores quarterback situation

cIt was electric.d 3 Florida head coach and head comedian Will Muschamp, on the atmosphere in the Florida locker room during last weeks lightning delay.

cI was there 10 years and have a lot of friends there. They have great people and a great community. It’s a big part of my life and career. I’ll always be a Toledo Rocket, but obviously not this weekend. Once game times comes, trust me, you focus and you go. I’ll be able to do that.d 3 Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel on his return to Toledo.

History Lesson

The name Al Bohl probably doesnt register on too many radars, particularly in the South. If you need to hire a coach, however, theres no one with a better track record than Bohl.

Bohl was the athletic director at Toledo in the late 880s and early 890s. There he convinced a little-known position coach from the Houston Oilers named Nick Saban to leave the professional ranks to take over the Rockets. A 9-2 season piqued the interest of new Cleveland Browns head coach Bill Belichick, who hired Saban as his defensive coordinator. Saban has gone on to win four SEC titles and four national titles at LSU and Alabama.

For Sabans replacement, Bohl chose a former college teammate of Saban at Kent State. Gary Pinkel was the offensive coordinator for Pac-10 champion Washington, and Bohl thought a wide-open offense would help draw fans in a city just down the road from superpowers Michigan and Ohio State.

The Rockets blossomed under Pinkel, including an undefeated 11-0-1 season in 1995. That was enough for Missouri to hire him in 2001. Twice, in 2007 and 2013, Pinkel has taken the Tigers within one game of playing for the national title. He returns to the Glass Bowl Saturday for the first time since leaving for Columbia.

Like Saban and Pinkel, Bohls success allowed him to move up the food chain as well. Bohl would leave Toledo for Fresno State, where he hired Pat Hill. In 15 seasons, Hill would win 112 games at Fresno State, including taking the Bulldogs as high as No. 8 in the polls in their magical 2001 season.

Another promotion landed Bohl at Kansas. The fledgling Jayhawks had been struggling since Glen Mason left for Minnesota, and Bohl axed Terry Allen with three games remaining in the 2001 season. Oklahoma offensive coordinator Mark Mangino was Bohls choice to succeed Allen. It was a slow rebuilding process, but eventually Mangino guided Kansas to a 12-1 season and an Orange Bowl victory in 2007.

A salty relationship with then-Kansas basketball coach Roy Williams led to Bohls firing in April 2003 (ironically, Williams would leave for North Carolina later that month), but his legacy as one of the best coach hirers in college sports remains.

Need a coach? Call Al Bohl.

Trivia Time (answers below)

1. What is Ole Miss and Vanderbilts combined record in Music City Bowls at LP Field?

2. What two Big Ten teams did Gary Pinkel defeat while head coach at Toledo?

3. Who is the last non-Power 5 team to defeat South Carolina?

Two-Tweet (280 characters or less) Predictions:

Missouri 38, Toledo 24

Gary Pinkels homecoming to Toledo will be a battle, as the feisty Rockets, led by former Alabama quarterback Phillip Ely, will be jacked up to host an SEC opponent. Talent will win out, however, as a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns from Maty Mauk will help the Tigers escape.

Alabama 52, Florida Atlantic 7

The Owls lost quarterback Jacquez Johnson early in last weeks 55-7 drubbing at Nebraska. Johnson hopes to play against the mighty Crimson Tide, but the quarterback focus will be squarely on the home team. Well see Jacob Coker for at least a quarter in a blowout.

Tennessee 34, Arkansas State 24

A classic trap game for the Vols, who are on a short week following the Sunday night opener and looking ahead to Oklahoma next week. The Red Wolves are just talented enough to make the Vols sweat for 60 minutes, but will fall short in their upset bid.

Mississippi State 41, UAB 10

We wont get a true read on the Bulldogs until their Sept. 20 trip to LSU, but the visiting Blazers look like at least a somewhat competent foe after routing Troy in their opener, 48-10. UAB will keep it close for 30 minutes, but Mississippi State will run away in the second half.

Kentucky 27, Ohio 17

The Bobcats have beaten some Power 5 teams in the Frank Solich era, including Penn State and Pittsburgh. They wont pull off the mild upset in Lexington, however, as an improved Wildcats defense will clamp down on first-year starting quarterback Derrius Vick.

Florida 38, Eastern Michigan 3

The Gators finally begin the season after weather cost them their now-cancelled opener against Idaho. The hapless Eagles, who barely escaped Morgan State last weekend, wont put up much of a fight in the Sunshine State heat. Florida rolls.

Arkansas 35, Nicholls State 7

The Razorbacks were impressive in defeat at Auburn last Saturday, going blow-for-blow with the Tigers for 30 minutes before a pick-six shifted the game in Auburns favor. After 10 straight losses, Arkansas will finally find a win in easy fashion against the Colonels.

Ole Miss 27, Vanderbilt 9

The SECs lone conference game features perhaps the leagues best defense against its worst offense. Couple that with LP Field likely to be mostly red and blue despite being two miles from Vanderbilts campus, and the Rebels should be sitting pretty for a third straight 2-0 start.

Auburn 52, San Jose State 10

The Tigers will tune up for their big trip to Kansas State in two weeks with a rebuilding Spartans team. Quarterback Blake Jurich missed on only three of his 25 passes last week in San Jose States rout of North Dakota, but he wont be so fortunate in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

South Carolina 38, East Carolina 28

Its a good thing for the Gamecocks defense that they will face another potent offense after getting embarrassed by Texas A&M. With Georgia looming, theyll thrive and outlast a Pirates team that could contend for the Group of Five spot in a College Football Playoff bowl.

LSU 44, Sam Houston State 17

The Tigers have a history of playing down to their competition, and could let the Bearkats (I dont know why its spelled this way) hang around for longer than expected. Leonard Fournette will score his first collegiate touchdown as LSU pulls away after a slow first quarter.

Texas A&M 56, Lamar 14

Semi-renovated Kyle Field, which wont be completely ready until next season, will open with what should be a comfortable win for the host Aggies against the Cardinals. The only drama will be when true freshman quarterback Kyle Allen enters the game to spell Kenny Hill.

Three Non-SEC Predictions:

1. You want to play Oregon late rather than early. The Ducks will easily cover a double-digit spread against Michigan State in the seasons biggest non-conference game on a steamy afternoon in Autzen Stadium.

2. The most overhyped team nationally after Week 1 might be USC. Stanford will exact revenge for last years defeat in Los Angeles with a two-touchdown win over the Trojans, its sixth win in eight years against USC.

3. After coming oh-so-close to upsetting Michigan last year, Akron will be left heartbroken again against Penn State. The Nittany Lions will be bailed out by a game-winning Sam Ficken field goal for the second straight week.

Trivia Answers:

1. 3-1. Vanderbilt won the 2008 and 2012 games, while Ole Miss lost in 2000 and won in 2013.

2. Penn State (2000) and Purdue (1992, 1997)

3. East Carolina (1999)