South Carolina’s stock if falling fast as the Gamecocks are 0-3 in SEC play following last week’s 24-10 loss at Missouri. LSU is up to No. 7 in the AP Poll and laying 13-points on the road as the Tigers have established themselves as a SEC West contender on top at 2-0.
WHEN LSU HAS THE BALL
Running back Leonard Fournette is the Heisman Trophy favorite after another exceptional performance last week rushing for 233 yards and three touchdowns over Eastern Michigan.
Fournette set a SEC record rushing for his third straight 200-yard game and now has 11 touchdowns this season. He’s averaging a remarkable 8.7 yards per carry and 175 rushing yards per game.
Unfortunately, LSU’s pass offense is the worst in the SEC with just 382 total yards passing in four games with 53 percent completions after quarterback Brandon Harris had another awful game going 4-of-15 for 80 yards in the Tigers sloppy 44-22 win over Eastern Michigan.
It appears Fournette will have another strong game and the Tigers can continue to pound-the-ground as South Carolina allows 170 rushing yards per game and nearly 5.0 yards per rush to rank in the lower-tier of the SEC. That includes a league-worst 26 points per game.
Against the league’s No. 2 rushing team Georgia, the ‘Cocks defense went limp allowing 246 rushing yards at 6.5 yards per rush. There’s no stopping Fournette in this one!
WHEN SOUTH CAROLINA HAS THE BALL
South Carolina’s passing game is also poor at 52 percent completions and 816 yards in five games. Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier is more than frustrated with his teams performances as well as the offenses lack of execution.
He’s indicated there will be personnel changes on offense this week. Against a similar stat defense of Georgia, the Gamecocks played two quarterbacks and passed for 82 yards while totaling 258 yards at 4.2 yards per play. In their home game against an average Kentucky defense the ‘Cocks had their best conference showing on offense with 417 yards, but were back to less than 300 yards offense last week at Missouri.
Freshman quarterback Lorenzo Nunez is playing now and led the team in rushing the last two games with 183 yards. Coach Spurrier wants less running from his quarterback, but he’s had to scramble more as well with pressure and the inability to read defenses effectively. Nunez left the Missouri games with ankle and shoulder injuries and did not return in the fourth quarter. He’ll be fine, but not against an LSU defense that allows less than 300 yards per game.
Running back Brandon Wilds should return after missing the last two games, so expect him to be the ball carrier more against LSU. But with the Tigers strong defense and South Carolina averaging a league-low 20 points per game with a poor-passing and decision-making freshman quarterback, it’s likely going to be another tough game for the host Gamecocks.
LIVE BETTING AND MATCHUPS
The two worst rushing teams in the SEC are Kentucky and Missouri, and South Carolina lost SU/ATS to both those teams while allowing 207 and 163 rushing yards. The South Carolina defense has been as bad as projected, and the offense can’t be counted on with a freshman quarterback lacking good decisions and passing ability.
LSU is an inflated favorite, but I can’t make a good case for the big home ‘Dog.
The projected low 50s total is risky in live betting too as betting on South Carolina to reach 20 points is difficult while LSU could go off for 40 points if they play hard the entire way even with a big late lead.
Live betting early on LSU may be best as the Tigers were not focused or sharp last week and they will come out better against a SEC foe they can dominate at the point of attack.
BookMaker sent out the college football spread for this game at LSU -12.5. Live wagering during commercials offers an adjusted moneyline, total and spread. Log in and start gambling during the game now!
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