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The South Carolina Gamecocks (2-1) look to bounce back after a home loss to Kentucky last Saturday against Louisiana Tech (2-1).
The Gamecocks come into this matchup only having faced Lousiana Tech five times in program history, the most recent matchup coming in 1995 when the Gamecocks won 68-21. It should be interesting to see how the preparation of both teams play out on Saturday, as they are unknown opponents.
What to know about Louisiana Tech
The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs are a part of Conference USA, which is comprised of teams like Western Kentucky and Marshall. Last season, they lost in the Conference USA Championship to Western Kentucky, but beat Navy in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
This season, Louisiana Tech comes in with wins against Northwestern State and Western Kentucky, but own a loss to Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are no slouch, and will come into Williams Brice Stadium eager to get another crack at an SEC opponent.
Louisiana Tech has some playmakers on offense, starting with quarterback J’Mar Smith, who has thrown for 722 yards and three touchdowns this season. He has a ton of weapons on the outside, including Rhashid Bonnette, Teddy Veal, and Marcus Gaines, who are all three already over 100-yards receiving three games into the season. Running back Jared Craft has also looked strong, gaining 248 yards on 48 carries and also scoring two touchdowns. Look out for the Bulldog’s offensive weapons, which could make some explosive plays against South Carolina’s defense.
On the defensive side of the ball, the player to watch out for is junior defensive end Jaylon Ferguson. Ferguson set the single season sack record for the Bulldogs with 14.5 sacks a year ago. He is a presence on the defensive side of the ball that the Gamecocks should watch out for.
South Carolina: What to look for
It is going to be interesting to see how the Gamecocks coming out on offense despite losing two starters, high-powered wide receiver Deebo Samuel and right tackle Zack Bailey. Samuel broke a bone in his left leg and Bailey has a high ankle sprain. These are big loses on the offensive side of the ball for South Carolina, who struggled to generate points throughout last week’s game.
Keep an eye on how South Carolina bounces back from its first loss of the season. Will the Gamecocks keep their composure and come out firing against the Bulldogs? Or will they crumble? It will be important for the player’s to come out with a sense of urgency this week.
Both teams are in unfamiliar territory in this matchup, taking on one another for the first time in over 20 years. The Gamecocks look to bounce back from last week’s loss while the Bulldogs look to shock an SEC opponent on the road.