Gamecock beat reporter whines that SC could not beat Missouri at Missouri

Kendall said he'd
certainly pick
Mizzou if SC
had them on the road.  

Too bad for him, the game is in Columbia, SC.

It's no secret Josh Kendall, of The State nnewspaper has a tendency to disrespect the Gamecocks.

Kendall currently ranks the Gamecocks No. 15, in his AP ballot, while the rest of the country's sports reporters have the Gamecocks ranked at No. 13.

Kendall dropped the Gamecocks a spot after an SEC road win at Vandy, while the other voters moved USC up one. 

Kendall consistently ranks the Gamecocks lower than the rest of the country ranks the team. 

And many Gamecock fans complain that Kendall regularly ranks Clemson higher than the rest of the county. This week, Kendall ranked Clemson at No. 25, even though the rest of the AP voters in the country did not include the two-loss Tigers in the Top 25.

This week, on a video-cast on The State's Website, Kendall said he picked Missouri to beat South Carolina in the pre-season. Now, after the Tigers lost to Indiana last week, Kendall is suddenly backing off of his prediction in favor of Missouri.

He did say if the game were in Columbia, Mo, he'd certainly pick the Tigers to defeat the Gamecocks.

Kendall also indicated it's unlikely the South Carolina defense will hold the Tigers under 30 points. Kendall's pick-em mate from The State, David Cloninger, said SC will have to defend Mizzou QB Maty Mauck, as it would Johnny Manziel, keeping him contained.

Kendall lamented the lack of sacks SC has recorded in 2014 and said the D-line is not even getting close.

Kendall was complimentary of the play of QB Dylan Thompson, but said that after the Missouri game in 2013, he wondered if Thompson was done for, or “the magic gone.”

Kendall also ragged Steve Spurrier, mocking the head ball coach for repeatedly saying he was embarrassed by the way the D played at Vandy. Kendall said in his old age, Spurrier would still be complaining about the Vanderbilt game, as if Kendall were demanding Spurrier let it go.

Both Kendall and Cloninger predicted a mad Missourri team, with revenge on its mind. Their thinking is that the Tigers will be in town to take out its anger on the Gamecocks. But both stopped short of picking an upset.

Cloninger picked SC to win 38-34. And Kendall said anything can happen, but he expects the Gamecocks to pull it out, only because they are at home. His score is: 45-40.

Kendall did say he is not sure if the Gamecocks can win, but he is sure to bet the over.