South Carolina Vs. Charlotte: Final Thoughts

The South Carolina Gamecocks take on the Charlotte 49ers on Saturday night in a matchup that has huge ramifications for both teams in terms of getting back on the preverbal tracks.

When looking at this game from a birds-eye view, there's a surprising amount of parallels between both sides. Shane Beamer and Will Healy are both viewed as new-age coaches who highly emphasize culture and attack everything you do with an abundance of energy.

Both coaches, however, are searching for a victory on Saturday to change the trajectory of their team's season. For South Carolina, coming off two matchups in which, at times, they were bullied in between the white lines, are looking to give their fanbase reason for optimism and try to show that they can still accomplish the expectations set on them before the season. For Charlotte, they'll try to earn one of, if not the biggest, win in program history after earning a scrappy win against Georgia State the previous weekend, which ended a six-game losing skid dating back to last season.

The most exciting subplot of this game is how both teams' passing game performs against the opposing secondaries. Spencer Rattler and the Gamecock offense, which has floundered at certain moments, are facing a Charlotte defense that has been gashed in the back end time and time again this season. For Charlotte, the heart and soul of their team in, quarterback Chris Reynolds, returned last week. Along with a solid group of wideouts led by Grant Dubose, an honorable mention All-Conference USA selection in 2021, they'll look to expose the youth and inexperience of a Gamecock secondary that has questions on who'll be available for this contest.

Another factor not receiving much attention is how both teams have performed on 3rd down this season. Charlotte has only converted 33% of their 3rd down attempts offensively, while the Gamecocks' defense allows opponents to convert 45.2% of their 3rd down attempts. On the flip side, South Carolina has converted a measly 27% of their 3rd down attempts offensively, while Charlotte's defense has let opponents capitalize on 54.9% of their 3rd down opportunities.

The bottom line is that these teams have left a lot to be desired on 3rd down this season, both on offense and defense, so this is a game where something must give in those situations.

How To Watch Charlotte @ South Carolina

• Gameday: Saturday, September 24th, 2022.
• Game time: 7:30 pm ET
• TV: ESPNU
• Stadium: Williams-Brice Stadium (Columbia, South Carolina)
• Live stream on fuboTV: Start with a 7-day free trial!

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