Pop quiz! Who knows “their Columbia” better??

First off... Forgive me, dear readers, for my lame (awesome?) attempt at using a movie quote in my headline (FYI to you youngins out there- the movie is Speed, a wildly entertaining 90s action movie involving a bomb on a bus which stars a fantastically terrible Keanu Reeves).

Now on to the good stuff. Some fine writers at The Athletic — Peter Baugh (MIZ) and Josh Kendall (SC), specifically — got together to hash out the Mizzou-South Carolina rivalry, and it wrapped up in dramatic fashion. They pitted Tiger cornerback Christian Holmes against Gamecock safety J.T. Ibe to see who knew their Columbia best; that is, who could identify local businesses present in their respective cities.

An excerpt:

Independent grocery store: “Does your Columbia have Lucky’s or IGA?”

Holmes: “Lucky’s.” Correct! (2-for-2)

Ibe: “Lucky’s.” Incorrect! (0-for-2)

Sit-down restaurant: “Does your Columbia have 44 Canteen or Motor Supply Bistro?”

Holmes: “44 Canteen.” Correct! (3-for-3)

Ibe: “44 Canteen?” Incorrect! (0-for-3)

“I’ve heard of Motor Supply,” Ibe said. “Is that in Missouri? No? It’s here? I’ve never eaten there.”

“You’ve got to know the enemy,” Holmes said after getting the question correct.

Holmes delivered a beatdown. Does that bode well for the game this weekend? Obviously.

You can read the whole article here. ($$)

Seriously though, if you’re not subscribing to The Athletic, you’re missing out, and if you’d like to take advantage of a free 7-day trial, you can go to this link, http://theathletic.com/freetrial.

On to the links!

Yesterday at Rock M

• In this week’s (bizarre) episode of the Before the Box Score pod, Nate (somehow) kept his cool while chatting with DC from the SB Nation site, Garnet & Black Attack. The snark-filled recap can also be found here.
• The Garnet & Black Attack folks were quite popular with the Rock M Nation staffers this week! Sammy had an extensive Q&A with Site Manager, Kody Timmers.
• BK discussed Barry Odom and his quest to have fan buy-in.
• Terry brought us a new In the Huddle, discussing the state of the program heading into rivalry week.
• Ryan, the self-proclaimed “King of Pregamin”, had an excellent piece about the (not so fond) memories of the Mayor’s Cup, complete with quotes from players and the coaching staff.
• Nate previewed Will “Smashy-Smash” Muschamp’s Gamecock defense for us.

More Links:

• St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Matter held his weekly chat yesterday on STL Today, and teamed up with BenFred for the Eye on the Tigers pod to chat about getting over the South Carolina “hump.”
• PowerMizzou: Mitchell Forde examined whether Mizzou’s pass defense, which currently sits at #2 nationally, is fraudulent or for real. (Free)
• KC Star: Schiff asked, is this finally the game where we see KB’s running ability?
• Columbia Missourian: Bennett Durando looked at why Missouri has struggled so much in SEC openers.
• Also in the Missourian: Anderson Kimball dug into the longtime friendship between two Missouri cross-country runners hoping to fill the final two scoring spots this season. They’re off to a good start.
• The Maneater: Madalynn Owens wrote about the increased playing time of freshman soccer forward, Janna Singleton.
• Hey! It’s more awesomeness from the volleyball team!

• If you’re looking to sign up for ESPN+, Rock M Nation now has an affiliate link: click Here for ESPN+ Now!