It was a tale of two halves in South Carolina's season-opening victory over Vanderbilt, as Will Muschamp's Gamecocks trailed 10-0 at the break before charging back in the final 30 minutes for a 13-10 victory. Now, South Carolina has another SEC road test ahead.
The Gamecocks will travel to Starkville to take on Mississippi State, the team predicted to finish last in the SEC West during SEC Media Days. The Bulldogs didn't have the most ideal start to the season, losing at home to South Alabama after missing a short go-ahead field goal late in the fourth quarter.
Mississippi State fell apart in the second half last week, losing 21-20 after holding a 17-0 halftime advantage and still leading by 10 at the start of the fourth quarter. The offense clearly struggled without former quarterback Dak Prescott,as Damian Williams averaged just over five yards per pass attempt, though he was the team's leading rusher.
The Bulldog defense looked suspect as well, allowing South Alabama's Dallas Davis to throw for nearly 300 yards while completing just over 70 percent of his passes. Dan Mullen's team also surrendered 8.3 yards per carry to the Jaguars' lead running back, Tyreis Thomas.
A low-scoring battle is likely in the cards for the Gamecocks again this week, as the Bulldogs managed just 20 points against a Sun Belt team that won five games in 2015. The South Carolina defense turned in a strong showing against Vanderbilt, holding the Commodores to just 73 passing yards and shutting them out in the second half.
With the likelihood of a low-scoring affair, special teams could be the difference, which appears to favor the Gamecocks. South Carolina kicker Elliott Fry is fresh off setting a career-long with a 55-yard field goal, not to mention the 48-yarder he hit earlier in the game. Conversely, Mississippi State's Westin Graves missed his final two field goals of the game from 46 and 28 yards, though he did make two from 37 and 48 earlier in the game.
On the South Carolina side, the Gamecocks will continue to look for clarity in their quarterback competition. Perry Orth started and sealed the win last week, but Brandon McIlwain quarterbacked the majority of the first half. Orth is expected to get the start again Saturday, but Muschamp says he expects both quarterbacks to play.
Despite the fact that the Bulldogs lost to a mediocre Sun Belt opponent at home last week, don't expect South Carolina to take the home team lightly.
“We will face a different football team on Saturday night in Starkville,” Muschamp said. “We know that. We just need to worry about South Carolina and take care of our preparation. That’s all I’m worried about.”