Conference play is here. LSU’s SEC slate kicks off on Saturday when the Tigers travel to Colombia to face the South Carolina Gamecocks.
ESPN’s College GameDay will be in town. That was a surprise, but the week three slate is dry across the board. In ESPN’s first year as the SEC’s sole broadcaster, the choice to highlight the conference showdown makes sense.
LSU is getting its first test since its Week 1 loss to USC. The Tigers faced FCS Nicholls in Week 2 and a ho-hum 44-22 win didn’t soothe the concerns from Week 1.
LSU’s offense struggled to create explosive plays and didn’t get it going on the ground, either. On the other side of the ball, the defense struggled to contain Nicholls’ run game in the first half.
The attention turns to a Gamecocks team that’s already 1-0 in the SEC. Playing an SEC road game is never easy, but LSU’s fared well in these situations under [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag].
LSU and South Carolina last faced in 2020 — LSU coming away with a 52-24 victory. Here are five things to know about the South Carolina Gamecocks before Saturday’s 11 a.m. CT kickoff.
How they got to this point
It’s November 2022. South Carolina just hung 63 points on No. 5 Tennessee and beat No. 7 Clemson to close out an eight-win regular season. Shane Beamer has the program on the rise.
Fast forward a year, and it’s a different story. The Gamecocks failed to carry that momentum into 2023 and a four-game losing streak in conference play headlined a 5-7 record.
South Carolina fans are hoping Beamer can get the Gamecocks back to a bowl game this fall. So far, he’s 2-0. Old Dominion provided a scare in Week 1 but South Carolina responded with an emphatic win over Kentucky, despite entering the game as nearly a double-digit underdog.
Suddenly, there’s hope around the Gamecocks with Gameday’s trip boosting the mood.
LaNorris Sellers is still getting comfortable
South Carolina’s offense is different this year with LaNorris Sellers replacing Spencer Rattler at QB. Rattler crossed the 3,000 in each of his two seasons with the Gamecocks, leaving Sellers big shoes to fill.
Sellers isn’t off to a great start. He completed nine passes as the offense struggled vs. Old Dominion. Progress was made against Kentucky, but not much was asked of Sellers thanks to a dominant Gamecock defense.
A four-star recruit in 2023, Sellers has all the tools and there’s optimism in South Carolina, but he isn’t quite there yet.
If LSU can make Sellers uncomfortable, the defense should have a day.
The defensive line is serious
The strength of this South Carolina team is the defensive front. Whether it’s interior or on the edge, this group creates havoc.
True freshman Dylan Stewart wasted no time announcing his presence. A five-star and the No. 3 overall EDGE in his class, Stewart notched six pressures and three sacks in his first collegiate game. Last week, he added three more pressures to his name.
Stewart isn’t the only threat off the edge — Georgia Tech transfer Kyle Kennard leads the SEC in sacks with four.
Up the middle, the Gamecocks are led by TJ Sanders and Tonka Hemingway, who have combined for 11 pressures and two sacks on the year.
LSU’s offensive line hasn’t been perfect this year and the South Carolina front seven is good enough to give LSU’s offense some trouble.
Run game isn’t there yet
LSU isn’t the only SEC team struggling to get it going on the ground. South Carolina is having its own struggles.
Against Old Dominion, Arkansas transfer RB Rocket Sanders averaged 3.7 yards per carry and 21 of his 88 yards came on one attempt.
It wasn’t much better against Kentucky with the Gamecocks averaging -0.36 EPA/rush. That mark put South Carolina in the 6th percentile.
LSU’s defense fared well against the run in week one but Nicholls State was able to move the ball. If LSU’s week one defense shows up, the Tigers can handle South Carolina’s run game.
Players to know/Other notes
We’ve talked about some guys already, but here’s who else you should keep an eye on when LSU meets South Carolina.
- LB Debo Williams: Was preseason All-SEC and has five stops and three pressures on the year.
- DB Nick Emmanwori: Joined Williams on the preseason All-SEC squad. Through two games, he’s one of the top-graded defenders in the SEC, per PFF.
- WR Mazeo Bennett: It’s been a quiet start for the South Carolina passing game, but Bennett is the leading receiver with four catches for 73 yards. 63 of those yards came last week against Kentucky, where he also scored.
Here are some other notes to know:
- LSU has not played in South Carolina since 2008. LSU won that on 24-17.
- LSU has its way in this series. The Tigers have won seven straight and are 19-2-1 overall vs the Gamecocks.
- South Carolina last beat LSU in 1994, grabbing an 18-17 victory in Tiger Stadium.
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