After a tough loss against Georgia, the Gamecocks will look to bounce back against Marshall. This will be only the second meeting between the two schools, with Marshall scoring an upset in Columbia back in 1998.
Marshall put together a nice season a year ago after a tough 2016 season. They went 8-5 with a bowl win over Colorado State. In fact the three seasons before 2016, the Herd had three straight double digit winning seasons so 2016 can probably be seen as a blip on the radar.
Marshall returns a lot of their offensive production from a year ago and the defense should be one of the best in Conference USA. One of the big missing pieces is finiding a replacement for three year starting quarterback Chase Litton, who left for the NFL.
Marshall should be a good team this year, but similar to Coastal Carolina, they do not have the talent level to keep up with South Carolina. Coming off the tough loss to Georgia , the Gamecocks will bounce back. Jake Bentley has a solid game, moving the offense on several sustained scoring drives.
Running backs Ty’Son Williams and A.J. Turner both have 100 yard days and a touchdown a piece. Gamecocks close out their opening home stand with a victory.
Final: Marshall 16, South Carolina 38 (2-1)