The nation’s top rusher, Leonard Fournette (864 yards, 11 TDs), will be on display when the No. 7 Louisiana State Tigers play the South Carolina Gamecocks. Things don’t seem likely to get better any time soon for struggling South Carolina (2-3), as it has lost three of its last four. The game starts at 12:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct 10 and will air on ESPN.
South Carolina was defeated by Missouri 24-10 last week. Pharoh Cooper had a big game in the loss, totaling nine receptions for 102 yards. LSU is hoping for another victory like last week’s performance, when it routed Eastern Michigan 44-22. Leonard Fournette had an outstanding performance on the ground for the Tigers, gaining 233 yards and three TDs on 26 carries. Darrel Williams added 89 rushing yards on 11 attempts.
LSU is a 13-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable at the moment.
The Gamecocks enter the game with a record of 2-3 Straight Up (SU) and Against The Spread (ATS) this season. South Carolina is eager in its pass defense, allowing only 10.1 yards per pass. LSU will want to stay focused this week to avoid giving the game away to the Gamecocks. The Tigers are one of the most penalized teams in the nation with 8.8 flags per game.
On the other side, the Tigers were a poor bet so far this season, with a disappointing record of 1-3 ATS. Their SU record, 4-0, hasn’t been quite as bad. If earlier games are any indication, the Tigers will run the ball aggressively. They average 336 rushing yards per game, good enough for fourth in Division I. Switching gears to the LSU defense, it has some favorable matchups that it may be able to take advantage of as well. The Tigers may be able to focus their attention on other areas, because South Carolina’s passing game has not been reliable this year. The Gamecocks rank 111th in the nation with 163.2 passing yards per game. The Gamecocks need to protect their quarterback against the sack-happy Tigers. The LSU defense ranks 24th in the country in sacks with 2.8 per game. There is no feeling-out process to start a game for the Tigers, who average 12.2 points in the first quarter.
Predictions: SU Winner – Louisiana State, ATS Winner – Louisiana State
Notes
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of South Carolina’s last 9 games.
South Carolina is 21-4 SU in its last 25 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of South Carolina’s last 5 games at home.
South Carolina is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing LSU.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LSU’s last 6 games on the road.
LSU is 4-0 SU when leading at halftime this season.
Dating back to last year, South Carolina is only 3-5 SU against SEC opponents, while LSU is 5-4 SU against in-conference foes.
When analyzing just in-conference ranks, South Carolina appears to have the overall advantage in the passing game. Its offensive passing attack (ranked 12th in the SEC) will face the 14th-ranked pass defense of LSU, while its 12th-ranked pass defense will look to limit the 14th-ranked passing game of the Tigers.
LSU also has an advantage in the ground game when comparing just in-conference stats. Its first-ranked rushing attack will face the seventh-ranked rush defense of South Carolina, while its first-ranked run defense will look to contain the seventh-ranked run game of the Gamecocks.
