South Carolina Vs. Notre Dame: Final Thoughts
The Gamecocks are coming into today's game riding a sea of momentum. Although it's been over a month since they last played, everyone remembers what South Carolina accomplished in November.
They won back-to-back games against Top 10 teams, erasing any hopes Tennessee and Clemson had of making the college football playoff.
When you combine that with the historical prestige of their Gator Bowl opponent, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the eyes of fans, media, and power brokers alike will be on Jacksonville Friday afternoon for what's sure to be an extremely competitive matchup.
When looking at South Carolina's offense and how they match up against the Irish defense, it's clear that the Irish will try and challenge the Gamecocks through their mixture of different blitzes in the box and trusting their defensive backs in man coverage on the back end.
South Carolina won't be able to go into max protection due to their lack of bodies at tight end, so they'll have to be creative in trying to get Spencer Rattler into a rhythm with a vastly different set of skill players compared to week one.
If South Carolina can find success on the edge and give themselves the ability to go up-tempo in select moments, they could catch the Irish defense on their heels.
On the other side of the ball, the Gamecocks will face an Irish rushing attack that has produced 1,980 total yards between their top three running backs: Audric Estime, Logan Diggs, and Chris Tyree.
Combine that with a stout offensive line, and South Carolina's defensive front will need to bring their "A-game" today. Replicating the Clemson blueprint could be critical, where the defensive sellout on the run in the box and trust their defensive backs on proverbial islands.
In terms of special teams, this could be the best matchup in the entire bowl season. Both teams bring in Top 10 units, and while South Carolina may tout the better group of individual specialists in Mitch Jeter and Kai Kroeger, the Irish are a unit noted for their effort and length, which could pose problems for Pete Lembo and Co.
No matter what, the likelihood of the winner doing so convincingly is slim. If South Carolina can win this game, the hype heading into the offseason will unequivocally reach heights rarely seen in program history.
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