GCF Troy vs. South Carolina Game Preview, Prediction & Discussion Thread
South Carolina vs. Troy How to Watch
Date: Saturday, October 2
Game Time: 3:30 ET
Venue: Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC
How To Watch: SEC Network
Record: South Carolina (2-2), Troy (2-2)
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Gamecock Stats: 2021 Stats
Troy Power on this team is it's defense
No. 1 defense in G5 & No. 4 in FBS. The pass rush is a killer here. The offensive side might be hit-or-miss, but the Trojan defense has been suffocating. It’s allowing fewer than 100 rousing yards per game and 244 overall yards per outing helped by 18 sacks in the four games. South Carolina is having problems putting points on the board. It rolled through Eastern Illinois but scored a total of just 43 over the last three games. The pass protection has been a problem, and the Trojans will take advantage of it. However, defensively, Troy will be one of South Carolina’s more formidable opponents.
Troy offense sound similar to the Gamecocks offense here: The Trojans are coming off a 29-16 loss to conference foe Louisiana-Monroe, a game where they had been favored by bettors to win by 24 points. Troy’s offense struggled to move the ball on the ground, rushing for 67 yards on 23 attempts, and quarterback Taylor Powell threw a late interception returned for a 96-yard touchdown.
The strength of South Carolina is it's defense, has been a plus, mostly against the pass
Gamecock's defense can create Turnovers: Safety Jaylan Foster entered Saturday as the SEC leader with three interceptions through three games, and he added another pick to his 2021 resume against Kentucky. Foster’s interception was just one of three Gamecock turnovers against Kentucky. Two forced fumbles in the second half set up an ailing South Carolina offense with decent field position and a shot to regain momentum against the Wildcats. But those three turnovers didn’t show any results on the scoreboard. Foster’s interception was good for six plays and 37 yards before the Gamecocks punted it away. And again, those two fumble recoveries resulted in two failed attempts to convert on fourth down.
Yeah, the Troy offense can’t get moving well enough. The running game hasn’t done much of anything over the last three games, and that’s against Liberty, who just got punched by Syracuse’s ground attack, Southern Miss, and against ULM. If Troy can’t crank up the run, it’s not doing anything offensively.
Gamecock Offense: Four games into the Shane Beamer Era, one thing has become abundantly and unfortunately: South Carolina is loitering near the bottom of the SEC in most major statistical categories yards per game, rushing/passing yards per game, points per game, you name it and to make matters worse, lowly Vanderbilt is the only team below the Gamecocks'in many of those areas. Thought here, the Gamecocks could have one of the best running back rooms in the country, but the four-man tandem’s production has steadily declined throughout South Carolina’s first four games.
Offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield has been clear that he wants to establish one primary running back from the Gamecock group of four and identify another tailback to add in the mix. It would appear that Kevin Harris, who started against Kentucky, is the main rusher who receives the most carries. Freshman Juju McDowell saw the second-most touches against the Wildcats.
Regardless of who’s carrying the ball, the Gamecocks’ overall rushing numbers are falling. See: 47 carries for 254 yards against Eastern Illinois, 39 carries for 100 yards against East Carolina, 34 carries for 96 yards against Georgia and 26 carries for 58 yards against Kentucky.
Trouble on third and fourth down isn’t the only woe for the South Carolina offense. The Gamecocks rarely find themselves in the red zone and arrived there only once in the entire Kentucky game. Taking a glance at the drive chart tells all. The Gamecocks' first half: Punt (three-and-out), punt after seven plays, punt (three-and-out), turnover on downs, punt after six plays. It resulted in 80 total yards and four first downs through 30 minutes of competition.
Gamecock special teams are special
It’s a good thing to have a good punter if you’re going to be punting after 50% of your offensive drives, like South Carolina did against Kentucky. The Gamecocks can be grateful for Kai Kroeger in this regard. Kroeger’s five punts averaged 42.8 yards per punt. His longest sailed 56 yards and set the Wildcats up all the way on their own 3-yard line. Four of his five punts pinned Kentucky back inside the 20-yard line, and two of his punts went for 50 yards or further.
The tail of two defenses will tell the story on this games outcome
The two defenses will take over. Troy’s D will keep the game from getting out of hand, but the South Carolina running game will be steady enough to get a few points on the board. The Trojan offense will have its chances to take over, but it’ll stall time and again. It’s not going to be pretty, but South Carolina will take a 3-2 start.
South Carolina vs. Troy Prediction & line
South Carolina 21, Troy 13
Line: South Carolina -7, o/u: 42.5
South Carolina vs. Troy How to Watch
Date: Saturday, October 2
Game Time: 3:30 ET
Venue: Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC
How To Watch: SEC Network
Record: South Carolina (2-2), Troy (2-2)
– Sign up and live stream college football on ESPN+
Gamecock Stats: 2021 Stats
Troy Power on this team is it's defense
No. 1 defense in G5 & No. 4 in FBS. The pass rush is a killer here. The offensive side might be hit-or-miss, but the Trojan defense has been suffocating. It’s allowing fewer than 100 rousing yards per game and 244 overall yards per outing helped by 18 sacks in the four games. South Carolina is having problems putting points on the board. It rolled through Eastern Illinois but scored a total of just 43 over the last three games. The pass protection has been a problem, and the Trojans will take advantage of it. However, defensively, Troy will be one of South Carolina’s more formidable opponents.
Troy offense sound similar to the Gamecocks offense here: The Trojans are coming off a 29-16 loss to conference foe Louisiana-Monroe, a game where they had been favored by bettors to win by 24 points. Troy’s offense struggled to move the ball on the ground, rushing for 67 yards on 23 attempts, and quarterback Taylor Powell threw a late interception returned for a 96-yard touchdown.
The strength of South Carolina is it's defense, has been a plus, mostly against the pass
Gamecock's defense can create Turnovers: Safety Jaylan Foster entered Saturday as the SEC leader with three interceptions through three games, and he added another pick to his 2021 resume against Kentucky. Foster’s interception was just one of three Gamecock turnovers against Kentucky. Two forced fumbles in the second half set up an ailing South Carolina offense with decent field position and a shot to regain momentum against the Wildcats. But those three turnovers didn’t show any results on the scoreboard. Foster’s interception was good for six plays and 37 yards before the Gamecocks punted it away. And again, those two fumble recoveries resulted in two failed attempts to convert on fourth down.
Yeah, the Troy offense can’t get moving well enough. The running game hasn’t done much of anything over the last three games, and that’s against Liberty, who just got punched by Syracuse’s ground attack, Southern Miss, and against ULM. If Troy can’t crank up the run, it’s not doing anything offensively.
Gamecock Offense: Four games into the Shane Beamer Era, one thing has become abundantly and unfortunately: South Carolina is loitering near the bottom of the SEC in most major statistical categories yards per game, rushing/passing yards per game, points per game, you name it and to make matters worse, lowly Vanderbilt is the only team below the Gamecocks'in many of those areas. Thought here, the Gamecocks could have one of the best running back rooms in the country, but the four-man tandem’s production has steadily declined throughout South Carolina’s first four games.
Offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield has been clear that he wants to establish one primary running back from the Gamecock group of four and identify another tailback to add in the mix. It would appear that Kevin Harris, who started against Kentucky, is the main rusher who receives the most carries. Freshman Juju McDowell saw the second-most touches against the Wildcats.
Regardless of who’s carrying the ball, the Gamecocks’ overall rushing numbers are falling. See: 47 carries for 254 yards against Eastern Illinois, 39 carries for 100 yards against East Carolina, 34 carries for 96 yards against Georgia and 26 carries for 58 yards against Kentucky.
Trouble on third and fourth down isn’t the only woe for the South Carolina offense. The Gamecocks rarely find themselves in the red zone and arrived there only once in the entire Kentucky game. Taking a glance at the drive chart tells all. The Gamecocks' first half: Punt (three-and-out), punt after seven plays, punt (three-and-out), turnover on downs, punt after six plays. It resulted in 80 total yards and four first downs through 30 minutes of competition.
Gamecock special teams are special
It’s a good thing to have a good punter if you’re going to be punting after 50% of your offensive drives, like South Carolina did against Kentucky. The Gamecocks can be grateful for Kai Kroeger in this regard. Kroeger’s five punts averaged 42.8 yards per punt. His longest sailed 56 yards and set the Wildcats up all the way on their own 3-yard line. Four of his five punts pinned Kentucky back inside the 20-yard line, and two of his punts went for 50 yards or further.
The tail of two defenses will tell the story on this games outcome
The two defenses will take over. Troy’s D will keep the game from getting out of hand, but the South Carolina running game will be steady enough to get a few points on the board. The Trojan offense will have its chances to take over, but it’ll stall time and again. It’s not going to be pretty, but South Carolina will take a 3-2 start.
South Carolina vs. Troy Prediction & line
South Carolina 21, Troy 13
Line: South Carolina -7, o/u: 42.5
South Carolina vs. Troy depth chart
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