Week 5: Mississippi State at South Carolina

Mississippi State (3-1, 1-1) at South Carolina (3-1, 1-1)
Game Time: Saturday, September 29 at 12:30 p.m. ET

At first glance, the Gamecocks and Bulldogs have quite a bit in common. Both teams are 3–1 with the only loss coming against LSU. Both teams have notched a road upset in league play. Both teams have leaned on their running game due to issues at quarterback. And both teams have been relatively stout defensively.

It sounds like these two teams are pretty evenly matched. Well, not exactly. While Mississippi State is off to a nice 3–1 start, this team will have to scratch and claw to reach six wins and become bowl eligible. The running game has been solid, but the Bulldogs still have major issues on offense. The passing attack, which was mediocre with starter Michael Henig in the lineup, is almost nonexistent with backups Wesley Carroll and Josh Riddell running the show. Henig will miss his second straight game while recovering from a broken bone in his throwing hand.

With the quarterback play an issue, you can expect to see a heavy dose of tailbacks Anthony Dixon and Christian Ducre this week. And that could be a good thing against a South Carolina defense that has struggled to stop the run. The Gamecocks have allowed over 200 rushing yards per game, including 252 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette, 196 against South Carolina State and 290 against LSU.

“They’ve got a good defense and run the ball well,” Steve Spurrier said Monday. “The way we’ve been trying to stop the run we could be in trouble if they start rolling up and down the field. That’s the key to the game right there — if we can slow them down some.”

To no one’s surprise, Spurrier has made a change at quarterback, inserting redshirt freshman Chris Smelley in favor of fifth-year senior Blake Mitchell. Smelley, who led the Gamecocks on two late scoring drives against LSU, has done a better job of getting rid of the ball more quickly than Mitchell — a necessary trait on a team that has had trouble protecting the quarterback.

On the other side of the ball, South Carolina will be without All-SEC linebacker Jasper Brinkley, who injured his knee against LSU. It’s a tough blow for a defense that is allowing only 14.3 points per game. Junior Marvin Sapp and true freshman Melvin Ingram are the top candidates to replace Brinkley.

Spurrier put a positive spin on the injury to Brinkley, a senior who is expected to receive a medical hardship from the NCAA. “Next year at this time we might be saying, ‘We’re glad he got hurt,’” Spurrier told the Columbia State. “We all plan to be here next year and we should definitely have a stronger team next year. So in a way having Jasper here next year is a positive.”

That might be true, Coach, but you could really use him this season.

South Carolina by 10