Arkansas predictions..........

[FeatheredCock]

So this week Arkansas comes to town, having won 3 of their last 4. Granted, those wins were over Auburn, KY, and Tulsa, with them barely squeaking out against Tulsa with a late fumble recovery to end the game.

They are primarily a passing team, although not as good as UT and they likely don’t have the line that UT does. They are at the bottom of the league in rushing, so I can see our 4-man front, with Quarles back in the lineup, constantly pressuring Wilson. Hopefully this will help our secondary contain Cobi Hamilton, who averages around 15 yards per catch.

With MLB Williams suspended on D, true freshman Otha Peters will take his place and I can see that helping both our rushing and passing game.

A home game with players that are rested and healed up will make a huge impact. I think Miles and Davis will have a good day and Shaw will make some great plays with his arm and feet.

Prediction USC 31-17.

 

[BigSpur]

FWIW, Arkie’s run D is decent, at #24 in the country (121.44 ypg). However, that may be because teams don’t bother to run against them, with their pass defense resembling Swiss cheeze at #116 (292.4 ypg). Scoring D ranks #78 (29.1 ppg). Moving the ball and scoring against them should not be a problem.

I agree that the Tennessee game was close because their OL was able to largely neutralize our DL, which as everyone knows is the engine of our defense. Arkie’s OL has been decent—12 sacks allowed, #27 nationally—but not close to as good as UT’s. We should be able to pressure Wilson, while stuffing their running game.

South Carolina 28

Arkansas 17

 

[GCF Staff Support]

The key here, I think, is not so much pressuring Wilson into mistakes—I agree he’s too good for that—as forcing him to throw quickly, and minimizing the time our DBs have to cover their receivers. That should enable us to play tight coverage, giving him a really small needle to thread.

Their recent turn-around, winning three of their last four, is not impressive on closer inspection. They won @Auburn 24-7; big deal, A&M won @Auburn 63-21. They beat Kentucky 49-7; so what, Vandy just beat Kentucky 40-0. They lost to Ole Miss, and nearly lost to Tulsa. The fact that they managed to stop the bleeding against the soft underbelly of their schedule doesn’t mean they’re suddenly playing up to pre-season expectations. We should beat these guys, and it should not be close.

Hogs 13

Gamecocks 40

 

[Stewie]

Hogs 25and gamecocks 27, let's be realist.