South Carolina takes on Jacksonville State

It’s a battle of the Gamecocks. The 7-2 Jacksonville State football team squares up against 2-6 South Carolina at noon Saturday.

Proving it on the Gridiron

Jacksonville State plays in Conference USA. In other words, it’s not the SEC, PAC-12, Big 10 or any other household name conference. However, the Gamecocks have only lost twice which puts them second in the conference. There’s no better way to earn some respect than to beat an SEC team, especially one that hasn’t been extremely competitive.

Zion Webb, Jacksonville State’s quarterback, has as many touchdowns as he does interceptions. The best way to win this game is for him to make sure his passes are on target. Making smart choices should be his No. 2 priority.

Perry Carter and Quinton Lane, two of the Gamecocks’ wide receivers, have put up decent numbers.

Carter has dominated against opposing teams. In all but one game, he has averaged 10 or more yards per reception. In other words, he almost always gives the team a first down when he has the ball in his hands.

In four out of Lane’s eight games, he has averaged more than 11 yards per reception. If Webb can get the ball in his hands, the Gamecocks have a chance to be competitive.

South Carolina’s coach Shane Beamer talked about both of Jacksonville’s quarterbacks, Webb and and Logan Smothers in his press conference.

Stop the Bleeding

South Carolina’s season has been one to forget. They’ve lost six out of their eight games on the season. In the majority of their games, they haven’t been very competitive.

The Gamecocks need to turn their season around, and this game allows them to get a bit of a restart. And, if they win, that could right the ship ahead of their game against Vanderbilt.

Spencer Rattler, South Carolina’s quarterback, has an 83.3% completion rate against non-conference opponents. The offensive line will need to limit sacks and give Rattler a chance to show off his arm.

Wide receiver Xavier Legette and running back Mario Anderson can help their team succeed in Saturday’s game.

Legette has 756 receiving yards so far on the year. When looking at the whole season, he’s only had one game where he’s averaged less than 10 yards per reception. In fact, in five games he’s averaged about 20 yards. If Rattler can get the ball in his hands, Legette has the chance to tie his season record of 37.8 yards per reception.

Anderson has an average of 5.1 yards per rush attempt and 468 rushing yards on the season. If he can match his performance against Tennessee (10.1 yards per rush attempt), he can push South Carolina to a win.

Beamer also talked about his history with Jacksonville State’s coach Rich Rodriguez.

Coach Beamer described how he looks ahead at practice instead of focusing on the team’s losses.