South Carolina football is aiming for bigger things in coach Will Muschamp’s second year in Columbia in 2017.
South Carolina could be on the upswing in the SEC East. They haven’t had a conference record above .500 since 2013, but the Gamecocks look to change that this year. When Steve Spurrier unexpectedly resigned midway through the 2015 season, it shocked most of the Carolina faithful. Spurrier also did not leave the cupboard stocked with talent, so when Will Muschamp took over in 2016, who could fault him for the mediocre performance in his first year.
In 2016, the Gamecocks were pretty atrocious on offense, finishing dead last in the SEC in scoring with 20.8 points per game. However there is optimism surrounding quarterback Jake Bentley. He took over the starting duties midway through the 2016 season and injected some life into a stagnant offense. He’s one of the best young quarterbacks in the nation.
Between Bentley leading an improved offense and Muschamp’s defensive mind, the Gamecocks’ stock is rising. Let’s take a look at their 2017 schedule and dole out some game-by-game predictions.
The season opener against NC State on a neutral field is a toss-up game. The Gamecocks must win to get their season started on the right foot. Interesting fact that South Carolina has lost only one season opening game this century, which was 2015’s opener against Texas A&M.
Last season was a season of ups and downs for the Wolfpack. They finished with a 7-6 record and a bowl win against Vanderbilt in the Independence Bowl. The close losses against Clemson and Florida State haunted them and prevented the year from being even better.
Twenty two seniors return this year and NC State has a very good defense, especially their front seven. Some are even projecting the Wolfpack to make some noise this season in the ACC and a darkhorse to win the Atlantic.
This will be a battle of defenses as the Gamecock defense is looking to be good in their own right. Both teams will be feeling each other out with the first action of the season where they won’t be hitting their own teammates. Not sure either team will top the 300-yard mark of total offense.
The game will be tied late at 17 each when Jake Bentley will lead the Gamecocks on one final drive for a game winning field goal.
Final: NC State 17, South Carolina 20 (1-0)
Tough times have befallen in Columbia where the Tigers only had four wins in 2016. It probably seems like forever to Missouri fans since they won back to back SEC East titles, even though it was only three years ago.
The good news for Missouri is that they have 10 starters on offense returning this year and should be better. The bad news is that there are a ton of questions on a defense that ranked 90th in the country a year ago in points allowed with 31.5 points a game.
The defense was awful last season. Against Middle Tennessee State, the Tigers’ offense scored 45 points, but the defense gave up 51. In the game at Tennessee, they scored 37 but gave up 63. When a team scores over 30 or 40 points in a game, they should be winning. The defense has to improve for the Tigers to have a chance of being bowl eligible for the first time since 2014.
With all the questions on defense the Tigers have, South Carolina must take advantage. Running backs Rico Dowdle and A.J. Turner should have a field day on the Tiger defense, each rushing for a touchdown and posting over 80 yards a piece. Jake Bentley throws for a pair of scores to his favorite receiver in Deebo Samuel and posts over 250 yards threw the air. Gamecocks win this one and notch their first conference win of the season.
Final: Missouri 17, South Carolina 31 (2-0, 1-0 SEC)
Kentucky is coming off a 7-6 season and their first bowl appearance since the 2010 season. They even pulled off a shocking upset of rival Lousiville to end the regular season.
Looking at the roster, they have enough talent to earn themselves another bowl bid. Most of the offense is returning and the defense looks to be serviceable. The SEC East is up for grabs again, but for the Wildcats to compete for the division crown, they will have to snap out of their funk against Florida and Georgia.
The game against the Gamecocks will be a big early season test for both teams. Both coming in at 2-0, the teams will have a lot at stake and with a victory could grab an early lead in the SEC East.
This will be a very close contest between the two evenly matched teams. The Gamecocks’ Jake Bently throws for a pair of touchdowns in the first half, but those will be matched by Wildcat quarterback Stephen Johnson.
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In the second half, the teams will exchange field goals and still be tied heading into the final frame. Kentucky will break the tie with another field goal, but the Gamecocks will get one last drive and make it count for the game winning score. If this game was being played at Kentucky, the edge would have gone to them. However the first home game of the season for South Carolina and a prime time kickoff gives them the slight edge.
Final: Kentucky 20, South Carolina 24 (3-0, 2-0 SEC)
Some may see this game and say guaranteed win, but the Bulldogs are no slouch. Head coach Skip Holtz went 4-8 his first season, but has won nine games each of the last three years. Each of those years also ended in bowl victories. They also made appearances in the Conference USA championship game two out of those three years.
The Bulldogs will be breaking in a new quarterback this year, J’Mar Smith, but 1,000 yard rusher Jarred Craft is returning. The offense has not been the issue for Louisiana Tech the last three seasons. It’s been the lack of defense.
The defense should improve some this year, but that’s probably not going to stop South Carolina from running all over them. The Bulldogs gave up nearly 150 yards per game on the ground last season and probably will yield similar statistics this season. Expect heavy doses of Rico Dowdle and A.J. Turner, each rushing for over 100 yards.
South Carolina should not need to throw much in this one, but when needed, Jake Bentley will answer the call. With the Gamecock offense racking up the points, the defense can be forgiven if they slouch some in this game against the Bulldogs strong offense. It shouldn’t matter in the end.
A third of the way through the season and South Carolina finds themselves undefeated and with a lot of momentum.
Final: Louisiana Tech 24, South Carolina 42 (4-0, 2-0 SEC)
After two straight home games, it’s back on the road for the Gamecocks and this one won’t be easy against Texas A&M. South Carolina will need to bring its ‘A’ game to beat the Aggies on the road and stay undefeated.
The Aggies enter the season looking to improve upon three consecutive eight-win seasons under head coach Kevin Sumlin. The offense will be breaking in a new quarterback, which remains to be seen at this point in fall camp. Sumlin might not name his starter until right before the opening game at UCLA.
Regardless of who is under center for the Aggies, they will have some weapons to help them out. Wide receiver Christian Kirk is a playmaker and should be the quarterback’s number one target. Sophomore Trayveon Williams rushed for over 1,000 yards his freshman year and looks to improve upon those numbers in 2017.
The weakness for the Aggies is their leaky run defense. Their linebackers are susceptible to getting burned and that could be an advantage that South Carolina exploits. However, A&M is going to be too good on offense for the Gamecocks to keep up. They will hang for awhile through the first half, but the Aggies pull away in the second half and hand Muschamp’s team their first loss of the season.
Final: South Carolina 17, Texas A&M 35 (4-1, 2-1 SEC)
The Razorbacks are coming off a 2016 that saw some highs (quality wins against Ole Miss and Florida) and too many lows (blowout losses to Alabama, Auburn and LSU plus an inexplicable loss to Missouri). They finished the season 7-6 with a bowl loss to Virginia Tech. It has not been easy for head coach Bret Bielema, now entering his 5th year at Arkansas.
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Quarterback Austin Allen returns this season after a yo-yo season. His first half was great, but after a knee injury against Auburn, he never returned to that same form.
Devwah Whaley also returns as the team’s feature back, but they’ll be breaking in a slew of inexperienced wide receivers this season. This will be the fifth game of the Razorback’s schedule, so they will have time to get adjusted before taking on South Carolina.
The defense is troubling for Arkansas, which seems to be a trend for South Carolina opponents this year. They ranked dead last in the FBS last season by allowing 39 rushing touchdowns. Now they switched to a base 3-4 defense from the 4-3 last season in hopes to improve.
Arkansas might not find much in their passing game through the first four games and that trend will continue against the Gamecocks, making them one dimensional. South Carolina shuts down Whaley and racks up big yards on the ground. The tandem of Rico Dowdle and A.J. Turner will love it, each scoring a pair of touchdowns against a Razorback defense that will be helpless.
Midway through the season and South Carolina finds itself 5-1 and in the thick of the SEC East race.
Final: Arkansas 17 South Carolina 37 (5-1, 3-1 SEC)
The second half of the season begins with a tough road trip to Knoxville. South Carolina upset the Vols last year in Columbia so Tennessee will be looking for revenge this year.
Tennessee must find a way to replace Joshua Dobbs and that will be tough to do. It’s a two man race in camp between Quinten Dormady and Jared Guarantano. By this point in the season, the Vols should have their man under center and sticking with one guy.
John Kelly will be the featured back, but the depth behind him is thin. The same can be said about the depth in the receiving corps. Jauan Jennings is one of the best receiving threats in the SEC, but behind him are unproven guys with question marks.
The Vols defense is fairly good, but the run defense needs to improve. South Carolina will find ways to score here, but not sure it will be enough for victory. Tennessee will have two weeks to prepare and scheme against the Gamecocks strengths and that will be just enough for the Vols to earn the win.
It will be a tight match-up with a tie ballgame going into the fourth quarter. Jake Bentley plays well except for throwing a costly interception in the fourth quarter, which Tennessee turns into a touchdown and they tack on an a field goal for good measure.
Final: South Carolina 20, Tennessee 30 (5-2, 3-2 SEC)
Since Derek Mason was hired as head coach at Vanderbilt in 2014, they have improved year after year. In 2016 they went 6-6 and made their first bowl appearance since 2013. The Commodores should get back to another bowl in 2017 but it will be tough for them to compete in the SEC East.
The offense should be improved after a late season surge in 2016. Quarterback Kyle Shurmur is back and has some nice weapons on offense. Caleb Scott and C.J. Duncan will lead the receivers and there is some depth at running back. The workhorse in the backfield is senior Ralph Webb, who ran for a school record 1,283 yards last season and is looking to finish his collegiate career on a high note.
On defense, seven starters return from a very good unit last season. They ranked sixth in the nation in red zone defense and will look to be just as stingy this year. If the offense is improved as expected, the Commordores could surprise some teams.
Last season South Carolina visited Nashville to open the season in a 13-10 snooze fest victory for the Gamecocks. This year it’s a late October contest with both teams having two weeks to prepare.
The edge goes to South Carolina since they are at home and are riding a lot of momentum. Muschamp will make sure his team is not caught looking ahead to the Georgia game the following week. It will be a hard fought battle with Webb getting a lot of yards, but the Gamecock defense not breaking. The guys wearing garnet and black will need a couple late scores to make for a comfortable win. The Gamecocks achieve bowl eligibility and are riding high.
Final: Vanderbilt 17 South Carolina 31 (6-2, 4-2 SEC)
The last third of the season will feature some of the toughest games for South Carolina. Up first will be a trip to Athens to take on Georgia.
The Bulldogs strength is certainly their defense, being that head coach Kirby Smart is a defensive mind. Last year they were a top 20 defense and this year could be the best in the SEC. The front seven could be absolutely dominant.
Over on the offense, it’s tougher sledding but not sure the Bulldogs can be much worse than they were the last couple seasons. Nowhere to go but up. The running back tandem of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel return, but they’ll need better blocking from the big guys up front. Sophomore Jacob Eason returns under center this year after a decent true freshman year.
South Carolina is looking for their first win in this border rivalry since 2014 and their first in Athens since 2011. It’s been a lopsided rivalry with Georgia holding a 49-18-2 series lead.
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The Gamecocks will find it tough to move the ball against Georgia’s stout defense. The Carolina rushing attack will be shut down and Jake Bentley won’t be able to do much through the air. While South Carolina’s defense will also be able to stop Georgia’s offense as well, the Bulldogs will get enough production out of Chubb and Michel to lead them to victory.
Final: South Carolina 13, Georgia 24 (6-3, 4-3 SEC)
For the second consecutive week, South Carolina will play an SEC contender. Fortunately for them this contest will be at home instead and starts a three game home stand to conclude the regular season.
For the Gators to be a contender, the offense must improve from their 116th in the country ranking for total offense from last year. It could be led this fall by Notre Dame transfer Malik Zaire. He’ll have competition from freshman Feleipe Franks in fall camp. By the time this game rolls around, whoever the quarterback is will be fully entrenched. There will be plenty of weapons for the quarterback, including star receiver Antonio Callaway.
The defense was the total opposite of the offense a year ago, a top 10 defense. However the Gators lose several key players, especially in the secondary, so it will be tough for them to be as good as they were a year ago.
This is the toughest game to call on the list. On one hand, Florida’s offense has not shown enough in the past two years to have much faith in it. On the other, will South Carolina be good enough to pull off a signature win in 2017? I will not be surprised with the victor in this one since it’s a complete toss-up.
In a low scoring defensive battle in Columbia, the Gamecocks pull off the upset on a late field goal, giving them their best win of the season and a winning conference record. Not bad for Muschamp’s second season.
Final: Florida 14, South Carolina 17 (7-3, 5-3 SEC)
The game versus Wofford should be nothing more than a tune-up game before Carolina welcomes Clemson the following week. I’m not biggest proponent of Power Five schools playing FCS schools when there are plenty of FBS schools to schedule games against, but that argument is for a different post. The SEC has chosen to stay at eight conference games per season so most schools play at least one FCS school to fill in the schedule.
Wofford finished last season 10-4 and lost in the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs to Youngstown State in double overtime. They are not a bad FCS team, but South Carolina should take care of business.
In this century, the Gamecocks have beat the Terriers four times in four meetings. Surprisingly, not all the games were blowouts. Perhaps Carolina might be caught looking ahead here, but they should hope to escape with no injuries and a comfortable victory. Getting some of the second and third stringers some extended game time would be a bonus.
Final: Wofford 14, South Carolina 35 (8-3, 5-3 SEC)
In the finale, Carolina will take on rival Clemson in their annual season ending match-up. The Tigers have gotten the best of the Gamecocks the last three seasons, but before that Carolina had a five game winning streak in the series. This is one of college football’s more underrated rivalries, but it’s the second longest uninterrupted FBS series in the country, behind Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Don’t need too many reminders of what Clemson did last year. The defending national champions lost a lot of star power but still will be one of the better teams in the country. They return 12 starters, but all eyes will be on who replaces Deshaun Watson at quarterback. Junior Kelly Bryant looks to take over that job. The Tigers also have to replace departures in the backfield and in the receiving corps.
The defense looks to be as solid as it was last year, but they will have to replace leading tackler Ben Boulware, who had 131 tackles last fall and was a leader of the defense. The defensive line returns for the most part and that will be the Tigers strength.
Despite the question marks that Clemson has, this will still be a really good team for head coach Dabo Swinney. While repeating as national champions will be a steep hill to climb, they no doubt will be in contention for a third straight ACC championship. Not sure Carolina is quite there yet to beat their rivals, although it should be much closer than last year’s blowout.
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Jake Bentley will have a decent day, throwing a couple touchdowns, one each to Deebo Samuel and Bryant Edwards. Rico Dowdle will also add another score on the ground. That’s not going to be enough though as Bryant counters all those scores and leads the Tigers on a game winning drive.
Final: South Carolina 21, Clemson 28 (8-4, 5-3 SEC)