It’s time for some SEC football! This Saturday South Carolina heads to Baton Rouge to face LSU under the lights in Death Valley for a primetime showdown. South Carolina looks to move to 4-2 on the season while LSU aims to rebound after last week’s loss to No. 4 Ole Miss.
This will be the 24th matchup between the two, with LSU leading the series 20-2-1 and carrying an eight-game win streak that South Carolina hopes to break for the first time since 1994. The most recent matchup came last year where LSU went on the road and escaped with a win in a close 36-33 battle.
The Tigers come into this matchup standing at 7th place in the SEC with a 4-1 conference record while the Gamecocks are sitting at 11th with just a 1-2 conference record.
As Shane Beamer is looking to flip a switch after a slow start to the conference schedule, he is followed by an absolute death schedule this month of October and coming November. Following this matchup, the Gamecocks next 4 games will consist of matchups against 4 top 10 teams, 2 of which are top 5 schools in Ole Miss and Texas A&M on the road.
Leading the South Carolina offense is top QB prospect Lanorris Sellers. According to ESPN’s mid-season draft outlook, Sellers was voted as the nation’s top QB prospect in this year’s NFL Draft, beating out soon to be opponent Garret Nussmeier of LSU. Among 25 NFL scouts, Sellers was the top outcome in the poll with 8 votes, with Nussmeier trailing at 7.
Sellers has a resume of upsetting top 25 teams including #10 TAMU, #23 Missouri, and #12 Clemson on the road, all dating back to last season. He is certainly battle tested and built for these big road games, but can he perform against a top LSU team in front of a sold out Death Valley night game?
As for Nussmeier, he has been a key to this Tigers offense in his final season, starting off the season with well over 1,000 yards and only throwing 3 interceptions. The majority of his passes are being completed to star receivers Aaron Anderson and Barion Brown who have totaled 48 receptions and 544 yards as a duo. Brian Kelly’s deep passing attack could be a major key in this game if the USC secondary can’t keep up.
As for the huge home field advantage Death Valley poses, the Tigers have a clear advantage at home, holding a 70-10 record against unranked opponents. So it’s certainly not going to be an easy one for Beamer and the Gamecocks. It’s been a highly anticipated 2 weeks since the Tigers have hosted a game back at home, so Death Valley will be heard all across Louisiana on Saturday night.
With LSU’s playoff hopes on the line and South Carolina desperate for a statement win, Saturday night’s Death Valley showdown has all the makings of an SEC classic.
