Five Predictions For The USC-Tennessee Game
posted by Scott Hood, Friday, October 31, 2008
1. Stephen Garcia Will Account For 275 Yards Of Offense: Take away the six sacks and Garcia had a decent game against LSU two weeks ago. He threw for 215 yards and rushed for 64 yards on 19 carries. So, he grossed 279 yards of offense before the statisticians deducted the yardage from the sacks, which lowered his rushing total to a paltry 15 yards. The Tennessee defense is not as good as LSU’s, so if the offensive line protects him, Garcia’s passing yardage should increase. Tennessee is a middle-of-the-pack team when it comes to passing defense despite the presence of Eric Berry in the secondary.
2. Kenny Miles Will Take Off His Redshirt: Injuries have catapulted freshman Kenny Miles up the depth chart, but lack of performance by the players in front of him could put him on the field. At one point during the bye week, four running backs were in yellow jerseys. The beneficiary? Miles, who took snaps with the first team offense for two weeks. I’m sure Spurrier would prefer to redshirt Miles this season. But he’s also tired of watching the Gamecock running game drown in quicksand. USC is last in the SEC and 108th in the country in rushing offense (100.2 ypg). If Mike Davis and Eric Baker can do the job, Miles will stay on the sidelines. But if they falter, Miles will be out there.
3. The Team That Passes For The Most Yards Will Win: Spurrier says on a weekly basis that the team that runs the ball the best will win the game. Typically, that rule applies in college football. However, both USC and Tennessee have unproductive running games. USC is averaging 2.9 yards per run, while Tennessee is averaging 3.7 yards. That’s why both teams are at the bottom of the SEC ladder in that category. In this game, where both rushing attacks will likely struggle to reach the century mark, the team that throws the ball the best will have the edge. In that regard, I give USC a slight advantage with Garcia at QB and a receiving corps with Kenny McKinley, Jason Barnes, Moe Brown and Jared Cook. The Gamecocks could try to open up the running game by throwing the football.
4. A USC Player Will Score His First Touchdown: Through eight games, USC has accumulated an odd statistic. Fourteen different players have scored at least one touchdown this season for the Gamecocks, but no player has scored more than two TD’s. Here are the best candidates to score their first touchdown of the season against Tennessee: Eric Baker, Patrick DiMarco and Matt Clements. One of the biggest reasons for the distribution of wealth is the fact that 15 different players have started at the offensive skill positions this season, including three quarterbacks, six wide receivers, three running backs and three tight ends.
5. The Tennessee Offense Will Gain Less Than 280 Yards: Tennessee is 11th in the SEC in total offense with an average of 280.6 yards of offense. In all eight games this season, the USC defense has held the opponent below its season average in yards per game. Which means, the chances are good the Vols will finish under the aforementioned threshold figure. In addition, only one team has exceeded its season scoring average against the Gamecocks. In short, seven of the first eight opponents have scored fewer points against USC than their average. Tennessee is averaging 18.4 points per game, also 11th in the SEC.
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South Carolina faces SEC East rival Tennessee on Saturday night at Williams-Brice Stadium. USC is still looking for that magical sixth win to gain bowl eligibility. Here are five predictions for the game:
1. Stephen Garcia Will Account For 275 Yards Of Offense: Take away the six sacks and Garcia had a decent game against LSU two weeks ago. He threw for 215 yards and rushed for 64 yards on 19 carries. So, he grossed 279 yards of offense before the statisticians deducted the yardage from the sacks, which lowered his rushing total to a paltry 15 yards. The Tennessee defense is not as good as LSU’s, so if the offensive line protects him, Garcia’s passing yardage should increase. Tennessee is a middle-of-the-pack team when it comes to passing defense despite the presence of Eric Berry in the secondary.
2. Kenny Miles Will Take Off His Redshirt: Injuries have catapulted freshman Kenny Miles up the depth chart, but lack of performance by the players in front of him could put him on the field. At one point during the bye week, four running backs were in yellow jerseys. The beneficiary? Miles, who took snaps with the first team offense for two weeks. I’m sure Spurrier would prefer to redshirt Miles this season. But he’s also tired of watching the Gamecock running game drown in quicksand. USC is last in the SEC and 108th in the country in rushing offense (100.2 ypg). If Mike Davis and Eric Baker can do the job, Miles will stay on the sidelines. But if they falter, Miles will be out there.
3. The Team That Passes For The Most Yards Will Win: Spurrier says on a weekly basis that the team that runs the ball the best will win the game. Typically, that rule applies in college football. However, both USC and Tennessee have unproductive running games. USC is averaging 2.9 yards per run, while Tennessee is averaging 3.7 yards. That’s why both teams are at the bottom of the SEC ladder in that category. In this game, where both rushing attacks will likely struggle to reach the century mark, the team that throws the ball the best will have the edge. In that regard, I give USC a slight advantage with Garcia at QB and a receiving corps with Kenny McKinley, Jason Barnes, Moe Brown and Jared Cook. The Gamecocks could try to open up the running game by throwing the football.
4. A USC Player Will Score His First Touchdown: Through eight games, USC has accumulated an odd statistic. Fourteen different players have scored at least one touchdown this season for the Gamecocks, but no player has scored more than two TD’s. Here are the best candidates to score their first touchdown of the season against Tennessee: Eric Baker, Patrick DiMarco and Matt Clements. One of the biggest reasons for the distribution of wealth is the fact that 15 different players have started at the offensive skill positions this season, including three quarterbacks, six wide receivers, three running backs and three tight ends.
5. The Tennessee Offense Will Gain Less Than 280 Yards: Tennessee is 11th in the SEC in total offense with an average of 280.6 yards of offense. In all eight games this season, the USC defense has held the opponent below its season average in yards per game. Which means, the chances are good the Vols will finish under the aforementioned threshold figure. In addition, only one team has exceeded its season scoring average against the Gamecocks. In short, seven of the first eight opponents have scored fewer points against USC than their average. Tennessee is averaging 18.4 points per game, also 11th in the SEC.
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Scott Hood. Since February of 2005, Scott has covered the South Carolina football, men's basketball and baseball programs for GamecockCentral. He may be reached by email at scottblog(at)gamecockcentral.com. Replace (at) with @.