Game Preview and Analysis

Three Key Match-Ups

USC DB Rashad Fenton vs. A&M WR Christian Kirk

As before mentioned, Christian Kirk is possibly the most explosive player in all of college football and the number one target for the Aggies. A&M loves to throw the short pass, as 90% of their throws come within ten yards or less. Rashad Fenton has been excellent in pass defense this season but faces his biggest test by far against a play-maker like Kirk. Look for these two to battle all night long.

USC C Alan Knott vs. A&M LB Tyrel Dodson

Earlier this week, Will Muschamp announced that SR RG Cory Helms and SR RT Zack Bailey will both be out due to ankle injuries. RS FR Sadarius Hutcherson is expected to fill the role at RG and looked very good against Louisiana Tech. Bad news is, this isn’t LA Tech. Alan Knott is the undoubted senior leader on the offensive line and will need to shout out blocking schemes and have everyone on the same page Saturday night. A&M LB Tyrel Dodson leads the Aggies in sacks with three on the year. In a hostile environment like this, it’s imperative that the offensive line know where Dodson is at all times and adjust their blocking scheme accordingly.

USC QB Jake Bentley vs. Himself

The Gamecocks enter into one of the most intimidating environments in the SEC on Saturday night when South Carolina plays in Kyle Field. Seating around 110,000, it is the second biggest stadium in college football behind only Michigan. Safe to say, the Gamecocks struggled on the road last fall. QB Jake Bentley’s only two starts on the road came against Florida and Clemson, where the Gamecocks looked underwhelming on offense. Bentley has shown a tendency this year to be somewhat erratic early in games as well. Bentley will need to play with composure and be calm early in order to establish an early lead and take this raucous crowd out of the game as much as possible.

Prediction

Who are these teams?

That’s my biggest question coming into Saturday night’s contest. The only consistency these two teams have shown are that they’re extremely inconsistent. A&M had a heartbreaking loss at UCLA before struggling against Nichols State and Louisiana-Lafayette. The Aggies did pick up a win against an Arkansas team that they’ve now beaten six years straight.

Meanwhile, the Gamecocks looked as good as any team in the SEC in their first two wins. Since then, South Carolina has struggled. They laid an egg against Kentucky at home and beat LA Tech on a last second field goal.

South Carolina has to get their offense going if they want to win this game. A&M has shown the ability to score points and I fully expect them to have some success against an extremely thin secondary. Meanwhile, the Gamecocks defense has been successful with their bend but don’t break mentality. DB Jamarcus King came up with a game changing interception against LA Tech in the 4th quarter and South Carolina will continue to rely on timely turnovers on defense.

Look for a steady dose of RB Ty’son Williams throughout. I fully expect South Carolina to try to keep a talented Aggies offense off of the field. The Aggies give up just over 300 yards per game through the air. Look for QB Jake Bentley to have a field day distributing the ball to a very talented wide-receiver group. However, I think Texas A&M is able to make one more play than the Gamecocks and pull out a close win in College Station.

Final Score: Texas A&M 31, South Carolina 28