How Can the South Carolina Gamecocks Beat the Ole Miss Rebels?

The South Carolina Gamecocks are only hours away from kicking off against the Ole Miss Rebels. At 3-5, the Gamecocks enter the matchup as major underdogs. As they are contending for bowl eligibility, there are several areas where the Gamecocks must succeed in order to pull off the upset against the Rebels.

Contain the Air Attack- The emergence of Trinidad Chambliss as the Ole Miss undisputed starting QB has turned the Rebels into an offensive powerhouse. They currently rank third in the SEC in passing yards per game. Luckily, the Gamecocks have shown the ability all season to slow down opponent passing attacks, as they allow the fifth lowest passing yards in the conference. With a powerful pass rush led by Dylan Stewart, the Gamecocks will have penetration to rush the young Chambliss into rushing his throws, which can lead to incompletions and even interceptions.

Take Advantage of Defensive Stops- Last week, the Gamecocks consistently got Alabama off the field and often left their offense with prime field position. However, this only led to two touchdowns, which included a 54 yard bomb to Nyck Harbor and a rushing touchdown from LaNorris Sellers that started on the Alabama 30 yard line. It’s obviously not realistic to expect the Gamecocks to score a touchdown every time they touch the ball, but they have to do a better job at keeping their defense off the field and creating long drives that result in trips to the endzone.

Create Special Teams and Defensive Scores- While the record may not show it, the Gamecocks have shown the ability to swing games with their defense and special teams performances. Earlier in the season, defensive back and return specialist Vicari Swain took three punt returns for touchdowns in the span of two games. In both games, Swain’s impressive scores swung the direction of the game and put the Gamecocks firmly in the driver’s seat in both games. The Gamecock defense has also scored their fair share of touchdowns. If both are able to give the Gamecock offense a boost, who is the lowest scoring unit in the SEC, they could drastically change the outcome of this game as well as removing the crowd’s impact.

The Gamecocks are set to kickoff against the Rebels at 7 PM ET on ESPN.

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