Louisiana State @ South Carolina preview
Tiger Stadium
Last Meeting ( Oct 13, 2012 ) South Carolina 21, Louisiana State 23
Fifth-ranked LSU will have an unexpected home game Saturday as the Tigers look to stay unbeaten when they host struggling South Carolina. The teams elected to move the game to Baton Rouge, La., after the Columbia, S.C. area was ravaged by floods in the past week.
The announcement to move the game came Wednesday, after South Carolina had cancelled classes for the entire week, citing stress on the region’s recovering infrastructure. “The stress on law enforcement and first responders is too great,” University of South Carolina President Harris Pastides said in a release. “Moreover, we’ve had many in the Carolina family directly impacted by the flooding.” Regardless of the site, the Gamecocks face a difficult test in trying to slow down LSU running back Leonard Fournette, who is the first player in SEC history to rush for at least 200 yards in three straight games and leads the nation in rushing yards (864) and rushing touchdowns (11). LSU has dominated the Gamecocks, winning five straight meetings and leading the all-time series 17-2-1.
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, TBD. LINE: LSU -18.5
ABOUT LSU (4-0, 2-0 SEC): The Tigers are off to a 4-0 start for the eighth time in 11 years under coach Les Miles and look to move to 5-0 for the sixth time in his tenure. With Fournette leading the way, LSU leads the SEC and ranks fourth nationally in rushing (336 yards per game) and hasn’t needed much from quarterback Brandon Harris (382 passing yards, two TDs). The defense has been overshadowed by Fournette’s huge numbers but has limited opponents to 293.5 total yards per game.
ABOUT SOUTH CAROLINA (2-3, 0-3): The Gamecocks have had difficulty stopping the run, which is a major concern against Fournette. The defense has performed better over the past two games, though, holding UCF (230) and Missouri (299) under 300 total yards. Freshman quarterback Lorenzo Nunez has given the Gamecocks a dual-threat in two games since taking over the starting job, but his three interceptions against Missouri killed any chance of a comeback.
EXTRA POINTS
1. LSU has outscored opponents 49-0 in the first quarter and 65-20 in the first half.
2. Fournette needs 102 rushing yards to become the 15th player in LSU history to surpass 2,000 in his career.
3. South Carolina has trailed at halftime of every game this season but allowed seven or fewer points in the second half in four of its five contests.
PREDICTION: LSU 34, South Carolina 16