Super Bowl LV is over us and you know what that means: nosy politicians will place food bets pitting Kansas City barbecue against Tampa’s Cuban cuisine and the CBS team will mention that Tom Brady turned 43 at least 1,178 times during Sunday night’s broadcast.
Viewers will have more fun comparing the commercials for Frito-Lay (Marshawn Lynch), Uber Eats (Wayne’s World), Squarespace (Dolly Parton) and General Motors (Will Ferrell) than Brady vs. Patrick Mahomes.
In addition, this test of 20 questions, which requires knowledge of football in the state of Palmetto (table of scores and answers below):
1. Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback coach, Clyde Christensen, was an assistant coach in South Carolina and Clemson, under the command of the head coaches:
an. Brad Scott and Tommy West
B. Brad Scott and Tommy Bowden
ç. Sparky Woods and Tommy West
d. Shane Beamer and Ken Hatfield
2. Art Shell from the North Charleston Professional Football Hall of Fame, perhaps the greatest athlete born in South Carolina, as an Oakland Raiders tackle that didn’t allow sacks or tackles in a Super Bowl XI win against which team?
an. Vikings
B. Cowboys
ç. Eagles
Art Shell played at Bonds-Wilson High School in North Charleston and for the Oakland Raiders. After his playing career in the Hall of Fame, which included two Super Bowl victories, Shell in 1989 became the first black NFL coach. AP / File.
3. Brady, notoriously forgotten in the 2000 NFL Draft, was chosen by the Patriots in the 6th round. Name the two South Carolina Gamecocks chosen before Brady that year:
an. John Abraham (1st round jets) and Arturo Freeman (5th round dolphins)
B. Duce Staley (3rd round Eagles) and Marcus Robinson (4th round Bears)
ç. Kalimba Edwards (Lions 2nd round) and Sheldon Brown (Eagles 2nd round)
4. Name the four Clemson quarterbacks that were picked in the 6th round or higher since the first NFL-AFL merger season of 1970.
5. Brady as a 6th round player in 2000 was the No. 199 overall choice. Did the Chiefs with their 6th round pick in 2019 choose which player in 2019 overall?
an. Rashad Fenton, cornerback, South Carolina
B. Dorian O’Daniel, linebacker, Clemson
ç. Anthony Hamilton, cornerback SC State
6. Who is the South Carolina native who kicked off the Super Bowl for a touchdown? (Hint: I didn’t play for Clemson or South Carolina)
Former Duke, Florida and South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier was on the cover of Sports Illustrated as the first quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
7. Steve Spurrier, who later became the head coach in Florida and South Carolina, was popular as the winner of the Gators’ Heisman Trophy in 1966 when he became Tampa Bay’s first full-back defender in 1976. Who replaced a wounded Spurrier in the Bucs squad that season?
an. Doug Williams
B. Mike Boryla
ç. Parnell Dickinson
d. Steve DeBerg
Tony Romo and Jim Nantz
8. Tony Romo, the CBS analyst for the Super Bowl LV, is a veteran participant in the Azalea Invitational golf tournament at the Charleston Country Club and played in which college program on the South Carolina 2021 football calendar?
Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who will be the CBS coverage analyst for the Super Bowl LV, played in several Azalea Invitational tournaments at the Charleston Country Club. Archive / Brad Nettles / Staff
9. Jim Nantz, when calling the Super Bowl LV for CBS, is the grandson of former College of Charleston basketball captain Jim Nantz Sr., who in 1925 led with 11 points in a 30-10 victory over which opponent:
an. Clemson
B. Erskine
ç. South Carolina
d. North Caroline
10. Two former Clemson teammates led the Chiefs in yards by reception and tackles, respectively, in a Super Bowl LIV victory over the 49ers last year. Who are they?
11. Former South Carolina kicker Ryan Succop of the Bucs, with 182 NFL experience games, is by far the most successful “Mr. Irrelevant ”(the final choice in an NFL draft). Who is the other ex-Gamecock to receive “Mr. Irrelevant honors ”?
an. Running back Thomas Dendy in 1986
B. Wide receiver Eddie Miller in 1992
ç. Defensive disposal Travian Robertson in 2012
d. Cunningham tight final justice in 2013
12. Speaking of Tampa Bay kickers, name the former Tampa Bay Citadel kicker in the 9th round in 1987, who scored 962 points in 12 NFL seasons?
13. Bill Mathis, the first ex-Clemson player to win a Super Bowl, died at the age of 81 in October. Mathis won his Super Bowl ring by playing running back for which team:
an. Packers at the Super Bowl I
B. Jets at Super Bowl III
ç. Chefs at Super Bowl IV
14. Chiefs defender Alex Brown (SC State) won a Super Bowl ring last year, but is out this season due to a knee injury. Brown’s teammate at Lake Marion High School was which former Clemson player was chosen in the first round of the NFL?
an. Defensive end Shaq Lawson
B. Wide receiver Mike Williams
ç. Defensive end Clelin Ferrell
15. That part of Bruce Arians ‘connection to Clemson is not true: the Bucs’ main coach as an assistant coach or graduate assistant was on training teams with …
an. Former Clemson Athletic Director Terry Don Phillips of Virginia Tech
B. Former Clemson coach Danny Ford of Virginia Tech
ç. Former head coach of Clemson, Tommy Bowden in Tulane
d. Dabo Swinney, Clemson coach, Alabama
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians has connections with Clemson through team jobs on his college stops. Archive / AP
Cover Two: USC, Clemson
16. The Chiefs made Clemson’s quarterback Steve Fuller one of his choices in the first round of the draft in 1979; Fuller didn’t do much in Kansas City, but then saw the action as a Super Bowl reserve for which winning team?
an. Los Angeles Raiders at Super Bowl XVIII
B. San Francisco 49ers at Super Bowl XIX
ç. Chicago Bears at Super Bowl XX
17. Tampa Bay is playing a Super Bowl in Tampa. Going back in the Tampa / Super Bowl story, former University of Tampa quarterback Freddie Solomon as a wide receiver helped the 49ers win their first two Super Bowls. The late Solomon was a star at which high school in South Carolina?
an. West florence
B. Sumter
ç. James Island
d. Latta
18. Clemson and South Carolina are a 6-1 combination – all postseason games – at the Tampa Bay Bucs stadium (the current version or the installation of the original “Big Sombrero” replaced in almost the same location). What was the only loss?
Jadeveon Clowney’s bursting helmet blow against Vincent Smith of Michigan in the 2013 Outback Bowl is part of South Carolina’s 4-1 record at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stadium, host of the Super Bowl LV. Archive / Keryn Senn / Aiken Standard
19. Which Clemson quarterback did Bucs quarterback coach Clyde Christensen recruit for Tigers?
an. Woodrow Dantzler
B. Brandon Streeter
ç. Charlie Whitehurst
d. Patrick Sapp
20. The Chiefs chose two tight ends in the first round of the NFL Draft. One is Tony Gonzalez (1997, California), perhaps the biggest tight end in the history of professional football. Name the other, a former South Carolina Gamecock (for bonus points, name the year of the draft).
Replies
1. c .; 2. a.; 3. a.; 4. Steve Fuller, Charlie Whitehurst, Tajh Boyd and Deshaun Watson; 5. a.; 6. Stanford Jennings (Summerville High School / Furman) for Bengals at Super Bowl XXIII; 7. c .; 8. Eastern Illinois; 9. to .. 10. Sammy Watkins and Bashaud Breeland; 11. d .; 12. Greg Davis; 13. b .; 14. b .; 15. c .; 16. c .; 17. b .; 18. Clemson is 2-0 at the Bucs stadium (won the 1990 Hall of Fame Bowl and the 2016 national championship game) and South Carolina is 4-1 (won the Outback Bowls in 2001, 2002, 2013 and 2018 and lost the Outback Bowl to Iowa on January 1, 2009); 19. b .; 20. Willie Scott in 1981.
Punctuation
18-20 correct: Lombardi Trophy; 14-17: playoff worthy; 9-13: Average; 5-8: I probably just moved to South Carolina from some NFL market with worse weather; 0-4: Off-season conditioning exercises start on Monday.
Follow Gene Sapakoff on Twitter @sapakoff