Mississippi Rebels vs. South Carolina Gamecocks Pick & Prediction OCTOBER 5th 2024
Preview and Prediction
An early setback has placed No. 12 Ole Miss in a precarious situation in Week 6.
After suffering a defeat last week to begin Southeastern Conference play, the Rebels will take on South Carolina on Saturday afternoon in Columbia, S.C.
Following a lackluster nonconference schedule that only featured one Power Five opponent (Wake Forest), the Rebels (4-1, 0-1 SEC) are aware that they are facing serious challenges ahead - starting SEC play with two losses would greatly hinder their chances at a postseason berth.
See also:
"AP Top 25 Poll: Oregon Rises to Second Place, Penn State Claims Third Spot"
See also:
23-year-old North Carolina WR Tylee Craft passes away from cancer
Last Saturday, things did not go well for Ole Miss on their home field against Kentucky, who entered their first road game of the season with a record of 2-2 and their most memorable moment being a one-point loss, 13-12, to then-No. 1 Georgia.
The Ole Miss defense struggled to get off the field against the Wildcats, who controlled the game by holding a 39:43-20:17 advantage in time of possession.
To make matters worse, the home team had the game in their grasp until Kentucky's Brock Vandagriff converted a fourth-and-7 from his own 20 with 4:02 remaining, throwing a 63-yard pass to Barion Brown for the Wildcats' longest play of the season.
A fluke touchdown for Kentucky on a fumble, and a missed 48-yard field goal attempt by Ole Miss kicker Caden Davis in the final minute, resulted in a 20-17 loss for the Rebels.
Despite being favored by over two touchdowns, Mississippi suffered a home defeat to Kentucky for the first time since 1978.
On Monday, Rebels coach Lane Kiffin stated that South Carolina presents a different defensive structure compared to the one used by Kentucky coach Mark Stoops.
"The player types are very different from last week. They are polar opposites and have very different schemes," Kiffin said. "Kentucky is very sound, keeping things in front of you with big bodies. ... These guys (the Gamecocks) are built on speed and agility. Both present challenges."
See also:
"Recap of Top 25 Matchup: No. 3 Oregon Edges No. 2 Ohio State with Late Field Goal"
See also:
"Colorado's Travis Hunter, DB/WR, Suffers Apparent Shoulder Injury and Leaves Game"
For South Carolina (3-1, 1-1), they are expecting the return of quarterback LaNorris Sellers, who has been dealing with an ankle injury sustained in a 36-33 loss to then-No. 16 LSU on September 14.
Sellers, a redshirt freshman, completed 9 of 16 passes for 113 yards with an interception against the Tigers. He also rushed 10 times for 88 yards and two touchdowns, including a 75-yard scoring run - the longest in program history by a quarterback.
However, Sellers left the game in the second quarter, and LSU outscored the Gamecocks 20-9 in the second half.
Picked to finish 13th in the 16-team SEC, South Carolina bounced back with a 50-7 nonconference victory over Akron, led by three touchdowns from Sellers' backup, Robby Ashford.
Top running back Raheim Sanders left the Akron game with a foot injury, but both he and Sellers are expected to be ready for Saturday.
"These guys have good weapons and present a challenge with their ability to escape," Kiffin said of Ashford and Sellers. "Robby is an elite runner and that brings its own set of challenges. So it will be a big test for us."
Ashford threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for a game-high 133 yards and one score against Akron.
"I've been through a lot of ups and downs in my career," said Ashford, who spent two seasons at Auburn. "It has taught me a lot and I wouldn't change it for anything. ... The road has been tricky, but at the end of the day, it has shaped me into who I am today."
Ole Miss currently leads the all-time series with South Carolina 9-8. The teams' last meeting resulted in a 59-42 win for the Rebels in 2020.