Arkansas football: 3 bold predictions for Week 2 matchup vs South Carolina

The Arkansas football team survived a tough Week 1 test against the Cincinnati Bearcats and looks to see if they can hold off the South Carolina Gamecocks on Sept. 10 at 12 PM ET on ESPN

The Arkansas football team looks to continue its strong start to the 2022 college football season when they take on South Carolina at home in Week 2.

The Razorbacks are coming off a 31-24 win against a ranked Cincinnati Bearcats team and hope to use that momentum to end a losing streak that dates back more than a decade.

This will be just the fourth meeting between these teams since 2011 and the first since 2017. South Carolina is 3-1 against Arkansas in that time frame and has won each of the last three meetings.

This is an intriguing matchup and should be one of the better games on the Week 2 college football slate. Let’s dive into some predictions.

Arkansas’ injury-stricken defense will struggle to contain QB Spencer Rattler

Three key defensive players for the Razorbacks all left the Week 1 game against Cincinnati with various injuries mid-game— CB Myles Slusher, S Jalen Catalon, and DL Isaiah Nichols.

While Rattler struggled a little bit against Georgia State last week throwing 2 INTs, some of that could have been first-game jitters and nerves He’ll likely be facing a fair amount of second-string talent against the Razorbacks.

This will be a tough test for Arkansas football Head Coach Sam Pittman. How deep is his roster and can some of these bench players step up and make plays?

The Hogs gave up 325 passing yards against the Bearcats. With a few second and third-string players taking the field, Rattler may be able to take advantage of the Hogs’ early-season injury woes.