Gamecock Digest

South Carolina vs Wofford: An Early Look

Alex Joyce

Nov 16, 2024; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer celebrates beating the Missouri Tigers at Williams-Brice Stadium. He is holding the Mayors Cup, given to the winner of the South Carolina-Missouri game. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images
Nov 16, 2024; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer celebrates beating the Missouri Tigers at Williams-Brice Stadium. He is holding the Mayors Cup, given to the winner of the South Carolina-Missouri game. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images / Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

Fresh off a Mayor's Cup win, the (7-3) South Carolina Gamecocks are looking to extend a four game winning streak this week against the (5-6) Wofford Terriers.

South Carolina is 5-0 against Wofford in all-time mettings, winning the last game in 2017 by a score of 31-10. On that day in Gamecocks' history, Jake Bently led the team in passing with 194 yards and a touchdown, adding two more scores on the ground.

While South Carolina is the favorite in this game, weirder things have happened in the sport of college football. They'll need to stay focused against a Wofford team who won't lie down. Let's take a look at some early matchups in Saturday afternoon's game.

Wofford's Kyle Watkins vs South Carolina's Secondary

Senior wideout Kyle Watkins has been the Terriers' most dangerous receiver in 2024. The 6-foot and 170 pound receiver has caught 43 passes for 683 yards (15.84 yards per catch) and hauled in a touchdown. The issue for Watkins is two-fold. One, the Terriers' quarterback situation hasn't been ideal. Between the two Wofford quarterbacks, who have 100 or more pass attempts, neither has completed more than 56 percent of thier throws, which leads us to the second issue for Watkins. Now he and the quarterbacks are facing the best defense they've seen all year by a wide margin. Between the Gamecocks veteran secondary and great pass rush, it will be tough for Watkins to find many opportunities to catch passes. He'll need to be special to give his team a chance to win.

Wofford's Defensive Front vs South Carolina's Offensive Line

One category where Wofford has succeeded in this year has been finding tackles for loss. The Terriers rank second in the Southern Conference in tackles for loss (76). They also rank third in the conference in total tackles (757). This Gamecocks offensive line is a talented unit that has gotten better from week to week. They will need to be stout again versus a Wofford team who will look to win on first and second downs.

LaNorris Sellers vs Wofford's Secondary

Wofford ranks fourth in the Southern Conference with 12 interceptions on the year and fourth in passes defended (43). They have been a tenacious group keen on creating turnovers and making it hard on opposing passing attacks. This week however may be tougher to find those turnovers through the air. Gamecocks star QB LaNorris Sellers has been on fire since the Alabama loss. In four consecutive wins over SEC opponents, Sellers has completed 64/101 passes (63.4 percent) for 1,010 yards adding 10 touchdowns and only one interception. In other words, Sellers has been surgical and dominant as of late. The play of Sellers and the wealth of talented pass catchers could pose major problems for Wofford on Saturday afternoon.

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Alex Joyce
ALEX JOYCE