Spread: SOCA -21
Total: N/A
M/L: N/A
SOUTH CAROLINA
South Carolina is a heavy favorite, but may be attempting to do it without their QB Connor Shaw.
If Marcus Lattimore continues to play as he did last week, that may not even matter. Lattimore tore his ACL and missed the final six games of 2011, but he carried it 23 times for 110 yards and the go-ahead TD against Vandy last week, and was the main breadwinner offensively. Beyond Lattimore, the Gamecocks had trouble getting much going.
Gamecocks’ coach Steve Spurrier said it was a reality check: “Maybe it’s good for us, you look at the preseason and we thought we were hot stuff; then we almost got that stuff beat out of us.”
Missing Shaw will make it harder to keep that “stuff” in, but Spurrier said he will not play Shaw hurt. Shaw said he could play last week, but that was a miscalculation according to Spurrier and the other coaches, who had to watch Shaw grimace every time he fell back on his back or shoulder.
EAST CAROLINA
East Carolina started off their season with a bang, too, though, winning 35-13 over Appalachian State. QB Rio Johnson threw for 242 yards with 2 TDs and only one interception, and Michael Dobson rushed for 78 yards on 19 carries.
The Pirates won their 32 of 37 games when scoring 30+, so while they are heavy underdogs in this one, it’s worth keeping a close eye on the total set by college football oddsmakers.
They must improve their pass defense, which gave up 300+ yards to App State’s Jamal Jackson. Their defense was good on third down though, allowing just 4 of 15 conversions. Jeremy Grove finished with nine tackles and forced two fumbles for the Pirates.
East Carolina Betting Trends:
Pirates are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 non-conf games. 4-1 ATS in their last 5 vs SEC, 1-7 ATS vs teams with winning records, 0-4 ATS in their last 4 road games vs a team with a winning record.
South Carolina Betting Trends:
Gamecocks are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games following an ATS loss and 4-0 ATS in their last 4 after accumulating less than 275 total yards in previous game. 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games, 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games on grass. 5-13 ATS in their last 18 games after surrendering less than 20 points in the previous game.
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