Would You Be Shocked If South Carolina Won the Last Three Games?

Can the South Carolina Gamecocks win out the last three games? Would you be shocked? Here are some “yes, no, or maybe so” reasons why the Gamecocks will or won’t win out.

Yes we can, with Jake Bentley!

Bentley was being coached while he was in the womb. In early childhood, he was reading playbooks instead of Dr. Seuss. Instead of playing high school, he opted to play at the collegiate level. Jake Bentley was born a quarterback and you’ll be hearing his name a lot on Saturdays and eventually on Sundays.

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SEC football is mostly ground and pound. But this year, we have a deep ball threat in Bentley. He won’t have much time to sit in the pocket against the Gators. That’s okay. Bentley is getting the ball out in less than 3 seconds. He’s been very impressive under pressure and on 38 drop-backs, he has completed 61 percent of his passes with two touchdowns and zero INTs. Opponents are keen to blitz on every play and Bentley has punished them through the air or on the ground with his legs. Comparing him with other Gamecock quarterbacks, we have a shot at winning the last three games.

No. Not against the Gator Defense.

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Florida’s defense overall is nearly the best in the country. Right behind the Alabama Crimson Tide. Reality bites. The Gators allow the fewest total yards per game. Without question, their current coach has benefited from Muschamp’s defensive recruits. If the Gators win the rest of the games this year, Coach McElwain will have another year in The Swamp.

Maybe, against Clemson’s defense?

Clemson has an excellent passing defense but they are behind the Gamecocks when it comes to allowing total passing yards per game. They allow an average 195 yards per game. Overall defense, they are ranked much higher and only giving up only 340 total yards per game. That is fantastic when you play in a basketball conference. But they did struggle against Troy, so I guess there is a chance for an upset.

Yes, penalties help.

Gamecocks can actually win games due to opponents stupid mistakes. Penalties are a YUGE concern for the Gators. They average over 7 penalties a game (avg. 9 penalties for home games). Gamecocks can expect to earn their fair share too, but I like the fact that Gators give up nearly 70 yards per game on penalties. If this game is a close one, it could be because of penalties.

Maybe against the Gator offense?

University of Florida AD and a lot of fans were hoping to avoid playing LSU this year and still sneak into the SECCG. Now we know why. Florida ranks in the bottom half when it comes to passing offense. Not really sure what happened Luke Del Rio this year, but he hasn’t done much. However, the Gamecocks give other teams quarterbacks Heisman like performances at times or will just run it up the middle 100 times.

Not against Dual Threat Deshaun Watson

Watson is a dual threat QB. As long as he is in the game, Clemson is nearly unstoppable on those option plays.

Maybe against pocket passer Deshaun Watson

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He is going to the NFL. You see that brace on his leg? He is not going to take chances running around like he used to. When he tries to be the “great” pocket passer, this plays to our advantage defensively. So, this could be a maybe reason for the Gamecocks.

Maybe because of Injuries?

Gator fans have to roll up the sleeves and really think about what to drink. Maybe it’s beer, a good bourbon, or moonshine, but whatever ever it is, make damn sure it carries them through 4 quarters. Why? Injuries. Jarrad Davis and Alex Anzalone are some key defensive players that will miss the game. Look, I’m not saying that we are beating the Gators because of injuries. They have a lot of talent on the bench!

No. Not in that other 2nd Death Valley but maybe not in The Swamp.

Dabo Swinney will want everyone to eat some biscuits that morning and get ready to cheer louder than him. It will be extremely loud in Death Valley 2.0. You know that. However, when Muschamp returns to The Swamp, this could be very interesting. We talked about his signature win against Tennessee but that was at Williams-Brice stadium. When the Gamecocks play the Gators, maybe this is his revenge win.

Net-Net

Chances look really good for us to make it to a bowl game this year. Winning the last three games? That is a huge maybe. Although we have improved as a team this year, can we shock the college football world by winning out? Either way, I gotta feeling...