South Carolina vs Ole Miss: Keys to Victory for the Gamecocks

What the keys to victory are for the South Carolina Gamecocks vs the Ole Miss Rebels.

Sep 14, 2024; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks edge Kyle Kennard (5) celebrates after a fourth down stop against the LSU Tigers in the third quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images / Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

What the keys to victory are for the South Carolina Gamecocks vs the Ole Miss Rebels.

The South Carolina Gamecocks have a bye this week after starting the season 3-1 and are coming off of a bye week and a big win over Akron by a final score of 50-7. Their next game is a home matchup against the Ole Miss Rebels.

Ole Miss started their season off hot with some big wins with the offense looking like one of the best in the country. However, this past weekend, the Kentucky Wildcats went into Oxford and pulled off the biggest upset of the weekend and handed Ole Miss their first loss. South Carolina has already beaten Kentucky, on the road, and that makes this week's matchup a little more interesting. With that said, here are the keys to victory for the Gamecocks:

South Carolina vs Ole Miss Keys to Victory:

1. Win the Turnover Battle
South Carolina's defense has successfully forced a good number of turnovers this season, but the offense has also given up their fair share. The Gamecocks will not be able to gift Ole Miss extra possessions on Saturday, so the offense will need to protect the football and do what they can to keep the Rebels' offense on the field.

2. Dictate Pace of Play
This was something that Kentucky did an excellent job of last weekend. The Wildcats managed to hold onto the football for a large portion of the football game which resulted in Ole Miss' defense having to stay on the field for a long time and the offense being limited in possessions. Ole Miss wants to be explosive and run with pace on offense. If South Carolina can dictate the pace of play, the Gamecocks will be in a good spot to win the game.

3. Create Havoc
This is something that South Carolina has excelled at this season, especially upfront on the defensive line. With this game being played at home, the Gamecocks will have the momentum swing advantage and a great way to capture that is by creating havoc and making momentum shifting plays. If the Gamecocks continue their standard of play on defense against Ole Miss, they will have good success against the Rebels' offense.

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