Preview and Predictions: LSU Football vs. South Carolina Gamecocks in Week 3 Battle

The Bayou Bengals head to South Carolina for Week 3, take on a new-look Gamecocks squad to open SEC play.

No. 16 LSU will hit the road to South Carolina for a pivotal matchup against the Gamecocks on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. CT.

After capturing a Week 2 victory over Nicholls State, the program will look to carry its momentum into Week 3 against a red-hot SEC foe.

The matchup will mark the Tigers’ first visit to Columbia since 2008, when quarterback Jarrett Lee engineered a 6-minute scoring drive late in the fourth quarter to break a 17-17 tie. Charles Scott (32) scored the game-winning points on a 2-yard run with 4:16 left in the contest.

Last Saturday, LSU secured a 44-21 victory over Nicholls, highlighted by quarterback Garrett Nussmeier’s six touchdown passes as the redshirt junior joined Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels as the only Tiger quarterback to throw six or more touchdown passes in a single game.

Now, he looks to remain sharp in his decision-making against a conference opponent in South Carolina.

Here's the game information for Saturday, the final betting lines, injury report, keys to the game and final score prediction:

LSU vs. South Carolina Game Information

Date: Saturday, September 14, 2024
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
TV Channel: ABC
City: Columbia, South Carolina
Venue: Williams-Brice Stadium

The Betting Lines: Week 3 Edition

LSU: -6.5 (-110)
South Carolina: +6.5 (-110)

LSU to Win: -260
South Carolina to Win: +210

Over 48.5 Points: -110
Under 48.5 Points: -110

*All odds via FanDuel*

The Betting Trends:

- LSU is 5-2 against the spread in its last 7 games against South Carolina.
- Total went under in South Carolina's last 5 games.
- Total went over in 5 of LSU's last road games.
- Gamecocks are 4-1 against the spread in last 5 games in September.
- Total went over in LSU's last 5 games against SEC teams.
- Total went under in 4 of South Carolina's last 5 home games.
- LSU is 1-4 against the spread in last 5 September game.
- Total went under in 5 of Gamecocks' last 6 games against SEC teams.

The LSU Injury Report:

- John Emery Jr., RB — Out
- Princeton Malbrue, DE — Out
- Kobe Roberts, OL — Out
- Jake Ibieta, LB — Out
- CJ Jackson, DE — Out
- Jacobian Guillory, DT — Out
- Chris Hilton Jr., WR — Questionable
- Jordan Allen, S — Questionable
- Kyle Parker, WR — Questionable
- Da’Shawn Womack, DE — Questionable
- West Weeks, LB — Questionable
- Garrett Dellinger, OL — Probable

The Keys to the Game: LSU vs. South Carolina

No. 1: Contain the South Carolina Pass Rush

The Gamecocks are led by freshman phenom Dylan Stewart, Kyle Kennard and TJ Sanders up front with the trio of defensive lineman combining for a whopping 26 quarterbacks pressures and eight sacks through the first two weeks of the season.

Saturday will be a game won or lost in the trenches. Stewart and Kennard, the Gamecocks's edge rushers, will be lined up against the Tigers' tackle duo of Will Campbell and Emery Jones.

The All-SEC offensive tackles will be put to the test in Week 3 with the forceful pass rushers preparing to wreak havoc in the trenches.

“Stewart is a pure pass rusher. That doesn’t mean he can’t defend the run,” Kelly said. “I’m not saying that. But he is a guy who they want in there to get after the quarterback. We are going to be disciplined in our drops, and have to get the ball out on time. This is an SEC defensive front and they can get to the quarterback. In particular he can.”

The offensive line has been elite in pass protecting after allowing zero sacks through two weeks, but there is clear room for improvement in the ground game. Campbell and Co. must grow in Week 3 in run blocking in order for the Tigers to capture a victory in Columbia.

No. 2: Diversify the Playcalling, Get the Run Game Going Early

Nussmeier has been surgical through two games for the Bayou Bengals. He leads the SEC in passing touchdowns (8) and completions (57) with the Tigers rolling through the air.

LSU wideout Kyren Lacy leads the SEC in receiving touchdowns (4) with the Nussmeier-Lacy connection giving defenses problems through two weeks.

But the real question is how the Tigers will ramp up their rushing attack while finding a balanced offense in Week 3.

The passing game has been sensational with Nussmeier carving defenses with Lacy, Mason Taylor and Aaron Anderson, among others.

Now, it'll be about creating running lanes for Josh Williams and Kaleb Jackson in Week 3.

Expect to see a heavy dose of Williams on Saturday. The Gamecocks have been sensational in the pass rush this season and Williams is an elite-level pass protector. The sixth-year senior must rise to the occasion and protect Nussmeier in the backfield.

No. 3: Limit LaNorris Sellers' Explosive Plays

LSU's secondary has been in question all week with changes expected at the safety position ahead of Week 3, but the program must limit South Carolina signal-caller LaNorris Sellers' explosive plays.

He shouldn't carve the defense through the air, but his legs will be the piece to keep tabs on. He's electric with the ball in his hands and has the ability to extend plays.

LSU must keep Sellers in the pocket and force him to throw the football. A program that runs the ball more than 65% of the time, their bread and butter is on the ground, but when Sellers drops back to pass, the Tigers must contain him.

Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer knows his program must change things up in Week 3 against the Tigers with Sellers looking to remain comfortable in SEC play.

“There are going to be new things that we do this week because it fits LSU better than it did Kentucky. We try to keep the bulk of our offense the same week to week, run game and pass game. So there is a lot of carry over and continuity. The more you do something, the more comfortable and confident you are going to get at it,” Beamer told reporters. “I think he will just get more and more comfortable with those things. He showed what he can do. Begin comfortable, being confident in what we are doing where he knows where his answers are.

“He knows where to go with the ball. I thought he did a much better job Saturday of relaxing and going and making plays and just go play ball. That is what he will need to do on Saturday, for sure.”

The Prediction: LSU Tigers vs. South Carolina Gamecocks

LSU is presented with an opportunity to bounce back following back-to-back underwhelming showings during the first two games of the season. Yes, South Carolina took down Kentucky last weekend 31-6, but the Wildcats aren't as sharp as they were a season ago. The Gamecocks were 3-for-10 on third downs with only 255 yards of total offensee (173 passing and 82 rushing) in the conference win. In Week 1, South Carolina barely slipped past Old Dominion in a 23-19 win. A program that is averaged just 4.1 yards per play, it sits them in the bottom half of the NCAA this season. LSU is miles better than the previous opponents the Gamecocks have played, and with Garrett Nussmeier remaining sharp, it gives the program a chance to carry its momentum on offense from a week ago. Look for the Tigers to show up with something to prove on Saturday in Columbia with the Tigers eyeing "complementary football" in Week 3.

Score Prediction: LSU 24, South Carolina 17

More LSU News:

Instant Takeaways: LSU Takes Down Nicholls State 44-21 in Week 2

Five-Star LSU Commit DJ Pickett Visits ACC Program in Week 2

Nick Saban Calls LSU Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier a "Sleeper" Ahead of 2024 Season

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