Auburn Tigers at No. 10 South Carolina Gamecocks (-9.5), Total 59.5 |
Auburn is set to meet South Carolina for the 11th time, leading the series 8-1-1, including wins in the last six meetings overall. The Tigers bounced back from their first loss since their 17-game winning streak was snapped, coming away with a 30-14 win over Florida Atlantic.
"We have to go back and really look at some things,” commented Tigers head coach Gene Chizik. “It just wasn’t a very good performance all around.”
From a scoreboard perspective, it seems to have been a solid win, but giving up 307 yards to a team that came in averaging 92.5 yards of total offense, things could have been better.
The program has tallied an 18-11 record against ranked opponents since the 2001 campaign, including an 8-2 mark under Chizik. Offensively, the team has scored 30 or more points in 19 of 31 games during his era.
Quarterback Barrett Trotter passed for 178 yards last week, which was his third consecutive game of failing to throw for over 200 yards. Running back Michael Dyer was also off his usual numbers, rushing for 68 yards, after compiling 301 in the previous two contests.
Sportsbooks bettors will find that the Tigers are 17-13 ATS over the last two-plus seasons, while the ‘over’ is 17-10 in that span.
South Carolina puts its undefeated record on the line and will be looking to start 4-0 for the first time under current head coach Steve Spurrier. The Gamecocks front man is 10-7 all-time against Auburn, including an 0-4 mark while being on campus in Columbia.
The team has done a good job of defending its home turf recently, compiling a 16-2 record in its last 18 home games.
Running back Marcus Lattimore comes into the week averaging the third-most yards nationally, gaining 152.75 yards per game. He had one of his best performances two games back, gaining a career-high 246 yards on 37 carries.
Quarterback Stephen Garcia is 0-2 in two starts versus Auburn, completing 31-of-49 passes for 405 yards and five touchdowns, while also throwing two interceptions. He has thrown for 7,437 career yards during his time within the program.
