South Carolina Football’s No. 12 Most Entertaining Game of 2023:
Furman Paladins
Furman, while one of the better FCS programs, is the only lower-division team the Gamecocks play this year. Head coach Clay Hendrix has built a formidable football program in the upstate, as they made the second round of the FCS playoffs last season and played Clemson (relatively) close in the early part of the 2022 season, falling 35-12.
Furman also returns mobile QB Tyler Huff, a former Presbyterian product who is part of the Division 1 record for passing touchdowns in a game by a team set in 2021. He’s a threat on the ground just like star running back Dominic Roberto, who also returns for his senior season. Roberto averaged 5.7 YPC, amassed over 1,000 yards, and found the endzone 12 times last year. For a Gamecocks defense that struggled against the run all season, the Furman offense will be a nice litmus test.
However, this is the same Furman team that gave up 40 points to Western Carolina last season. Even if the Paladins end up scoring more than 14 points against the Gamecocks, Spencer Rattler and the South Carolina football passing attack will thrive against a secondary that ranked 115th out of 123 FCS teams in passing yards allowed in 2022. The best bet with this game? Lanorris Sellers sees his first in-game action as a Gamecock to the delight of fans.
This game should be entertaining in the context of Carolina scoring a lot of points, but it’s unlikely to produce a nail biting finish or 60 minutes of back-and-forth football.