South Carolina Football: How to watch, storylines, expert picks, predictions vs. Furman

South Carolina football fans would like to forget what happened last Saturday night when their favorite team went to Charlotte to take on the North Carolina Tar Heels. Unfortunately, the image of the Gamecock offensive line on their heels and quarterback Spencer Rattler running for his life is imprinted on the fans of USC fans everywhere.

That must change moving forward, and the Gamecocks have an opportunity to right the ship this Saturday against a very good FCS team in the Furman Paladins.

How to watch South Carolina Football take on the Furman Paladins

A sold-out Williams-Brice Stadium full of angry South Carolina football fans will welcome the purple and white Furman Paladins to Columbia on Saturday. A crowd hungry for a win could be a bigger factor than many expect in a game against an FCS opponent.

The game will kick off at 7:30 and will be broadcast on SECNetwork+ and ESPN App. For Spectrum/Charter customers who are dealing with a lack of ESPN programming due to the ongoing feud between Charter and Disney, a few options exist to get around the blackout that you can check out here.

Storylines to watch for in South Carolina Football’s week 2 matchup

The major talking point since the North Carolina loss has been the play on the line of scrimmage. Both the offensive line and the defensive line in garnet and black struggled in a major way. Against a Furman squad with a tough, veteran defensive front, the Gamecocks will be tested on the offensive line again.

Injuries are a major storyline, as well. Star receiver Juice Wells has said he will play this weekend after being limited and then exiting the UNC game. Starters Nick Emmanwori (safety) and Cason Henry (offensive tackle) are not expected to play, and rotational players Mo Kaba (linebacker), David Spaulding (defensive back), JT Geer (defensive end), and Markee Anderson (offensive line) also are not expected to play.

Henry (at least a month) and Kaba (all season) are believed to be out for a while, joining offensive linemen Jaylen Nichols and Ryan Brubaker. Wide receivers Xavier Legette and Ahmarean Brown and linebackers Pup Howard and Bam Martin-Scott are all expected to play after dealing with injuries before and during the week 1 game.

Furman is the 3rd-ranked team in the country in FCS. The team is a much different opponent than the Gamecocks’ 2022 FCS opponent, the South Carolina State Bulldogs. Furman is good enough to compete in several Division-1 FBS conferences, and they will not be a pushover on Saturday night.

What experts are saying about South Carolina Football vs. Furman

The Greenville News’ Emily Adams, who is an AP Poll voter in the 2023 season, predicted a 35-17 victory for the Gamecocks.

South Carolina has a 93.2% chance to win the game against the Paladins according to ESPN’s Football Power Index.

The great staff at GamecockCentral all picked the Gamecocks to rebound against Furman with most of their score predictions sitting somewhere between 31-38 points for the Gamecocks and between 10 and 17 points for the Paladins.

Most betting sites stay away from betting odds for FCS vs. FBS games.

Official Garnet and Cocky Prediction for South Carolina Football’s week 2 game against the Furman Paladins

The Gamecocks need to bounce back this Saturday against a team with inferior talent and size. Furman is good, but they should not be good enough to legitimately contend with a team like South Carolina. If they do, the problems in Columbia are worse than originally thought.

The Paladins play hard and do a good job in the run game. On offense, Dominic Roberto is a returning All-SoCon player at running back who could pose a problem for the Carolina front if they do not get a better push from the defensive line than they did against North Carolina. On defense, a veteran group led by Matt Sochovka and Cameron Coleman on the inside. If South Carolina can establish the run against that unit, it is a real step forward.

Fans should expect Furman to hang around some early in this one. The Paladins play hard and are coached well by head coach Clay Hendrix, while the Gamecocks are dealing with a lot of injuries and likely will have a more conservative game plan.

However, the superior talent in garnet and black should start to separate itself as the game moves along. Spencer Rattler is poised for another big day passing the football, and the Gamecock receivers might be able to get behind the secondary a time or two on Saturday. The running game won’t become elite overnight, but they will have a much better day and (hopefully) gain some much-needed confidence.

If things go as the South Carolina football coaching staff are hoping, the 4th quarter will provide an opportunity for the Gamecocks to play some younger talent. Hyped freshmen like Nyckoles Harbor, LaNorris Sellers, and DJay Braswell should see a lot of snaps late in the game.

The game likely will be somewhat close through the first half, but the Gamecocks’ depth and athleticism advantage will shine through in the later portions of the game, and USC will pull away. The final score will be more lopsided than the game actually was.

***The “South Carolina Furman Paladins” is part of the graphic that cannot be changed. The database has Furman named this. The school and mascot should read as “Furman Paladins.”