South Carolina football will have to deal with the nation’s toughest schedule in 2023. One of the lower-profile games on the schedule is a home matchup with the Gamecocks. Yes, you read that correctly. The Jacksonville State Gamecocks will travel to Columbia to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks on the first Saturday in November.
South Carolina should be heavy favorites in this game as Power-5 talent is a (literal) different level from the Group of 5, especially when compared to a team that is entering its first year at the FBS level like Jacksonville State. However, JSU was a very good team at the FCS level a season ago under first-year head coach Rich Rodriguez. The other Gamecocks went 9-2 and were undefeated in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
Now in Conference USA, Jacksonville State will look to continue being a run-first spread team that can put up points in bunches if a defense isn’t prepared. The Gamecocks of JSU scored a whopping 37 touchdowns on the ground in 2022, 10 more than the Columbia-based Gamecocks, despite Jacksonville State playing two fewer games than Carolina. Anwar Lewis and Ron Lewis are explosive backs that both averaged over 7 yards per carry in 2022, and UL-Monroe transfer Malik Jackson will contribute running the football, too.
The key to South Carolina football handling its business and soundly beating the little brother Gamecocks of Jacksonville State will certainly be the run game battle. Carolina will need to be stout up front, especially in setting the edge at defensive end and outside linebacker. Defensive tackles Alex “Boogie” Huntley and TJ Sanders will need to get push up front, as well. If South Carolina can win the battle at the line of scrimmage and also play disciplined football on the outside, the home team will win convincingly.
Shane Beamer’s team will also need to run the ball well. Most small school upsets occur when things go poorly for the favored team. Turnovers, dropped passes, and untimely sacks give life to underdogs, but USC can avoid many of these risks with a strong showing in the run game. Carolina has some major questions at running this summer, but by week 9, new offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains’ unit will have figured out a few things on the ground.
South Carolina begins the lightest portion of its schedule with this game against Jacksonville State, and the Gamecocks need to start the final third of the season on a strong note. Games against Vanderbilt and Kentucky follow the showdown between Gamecocks, and the Clemson game finishes the regular season. All four of these games are at home, and the Gamecocks must go at least 3-1 in these games to reach their preseason goals. 4-0 is certainly within the realm of possibility as Carolina knocked off Clemson, Vanderbilt, and Kentucky in 2022.
However, USC cannot finish the regular season 4-0 without a win against Jacksonville State. That outcome should be expected as no SEC program should ever lose to a team from Conference USA (other than Vanderbilt). Rich Rod’s JSU team is not a team of slouches, though, and the squad from Columbia will need to play well to ensure they come out on top as the superior Gamecocks on November 4th.