LSU and South Carolina meet for the 24th time on Saturday night in a series the Tigers have dominated.
LSU leads the all-time series 20-2-1. South Carolina’s two wins against LSU were in 1930, 7-6, and then in 1994, the Gamecocks won 18-17.
Last year’s game was a wild one as the Tigers fell behind 17-0 in the first half, but rallied to beat Carolina 36-33 in Columbia.
Here are five things to look for when LSU meets South Carolina at 6:45 on Saturday.
Which quarterback will play better?
South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers was on the preseason All-SEC first-team, and LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier was on the second-team. Neither have had the season they expected.
Nussmeier has been bothered by an ab strain, and against Ole Miss, eight defenders in pass coverage made it difficult for him to connect with his receivers.
Sellers has been playing behind a banged-up offensive line, and the six-foot-three, 240-pounder missed most of the Vanderbilt game with an injury.
Sellers threw for 302 yards in a loss to Missouri on September 20th, but he’s rushed for less than 100 yards on the season, and his longest run is only 20 yards.
Sellers had two rushing touchdowns against LSU last year, including a 75-yarder.
Coach Brian Kelly said they want to make Sellers pay every time he runs the ball.
Which team can get a run game going
Statistically, these are the two worst rushing teams in the SEC The Tigers are averaging 104 yards rushing a game, while South Carolina is averaging just 2.9 yards a carry.
Both teams are missing starters on the offensive line because of injuries, but the Tigers get Caden Durham after missing the Ole Miss game with an ankle injury. Kelly said Durham looked good in practice on Thursday. Earlier in the week, he ran 20 mph in practice.
Durham’s coming-out party was last year against South Carolina, when he rushed for 98 yards and two touchdowns.
Rahsui Faison is South Carolina’s leading rusher. He’s 25 years old and is a seventh-year senior. There were questions before the season started on whether he would be eligible to play, but the NCAA granted his waiver to play.
Last season at Utah State, he rushed for 1,109 yards and eight touchdowns. Faison was ranked as ESPN’s fifth-best running back in the transfer portal and is known for breaking tackles.
How will LSU get its offense on track?
During the bye week, Coach Brian Kelly said there needed to be more attention to detail. This week, Kelly talked about a simplified approach.
“We have a lot of pre-snap motioning and changing of formations,” Kelly said. “That slows you down a little bit, as well as from our perspective not having some lock calls, let’s just call it and let’s roll.”
On his radio show on Thursday night, Kelly said they wanted to push the ball vertically with crossers.
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Kelly also said injured receiver Aaron Anderson is at about 85% and is considered day-to-day.
They have a lot of ideas on how to get the offense going, but in the end, it will come down to execution.
Who will start on LSU’s offensive line?
Starting left guard Paul Mubenga is doubtful with a high ankle sprain. Kelly said Coen Echols has been getting the reps with the first team at left guard. If Echols starts and struggles, will Kelly turn to freshman Carius Curne.
Curne saw action at right tackle for an injured Weston Davis against Ole Miss, but Kelly has said Curne is more of a guard than a tackle.
Can South Carolina find a way to win?
South Carolina’s trip to Death Valley begins a very difficult stretch for the 3-2 Gamecocks. Carolina’s next four games are against Oklahoma, Alabama, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M; all four teams are ranked in the Top 10.
South Carolina needs a big game for Sellers. He needs to do it with his arms and legs, and the Gamecocks need to keep finding creative ways to score.
South Carolina has six non-offensive touchdowns in five games. Vicari Swain has returned three punts for a touchdown, including an 80 yarder.
The Gamecocks also have a pick-six and two fumble recoveries for touchdowns.
Meanwhile, LSU needs to do more with its takeaways. Only 13 points off of eight turnovers.
I’m expecting a tight game, but LSU wins 24-21.