Everything you need to know before South Carolina football takes on the Akron Zips

Coming off of an extremely disappointing loss (for a variety of reasons) to LSU last weekend, Shane Beamer's South Carolina football team has the chance to "get right" this Saturday as the Akron Zips come to town.

In what will be just the second meeting ever between the two programs, Williams-Brice Stadium is sold out again (the third time in three home games this season). The Gamecocks hope that they will rebuild some confidence and, more importantly, get healthy this weekend.

South Carolina Football vs. Akron
How to Watch

In front of another capacity crowd, the Gamecocks and Zips will kick off at 7:30 PM ET on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU and will be streamed on the ESPN app.

DirecTV customers who have been blacked out from watching Disney and ESPN broadcasts can breathe easily as the corporate greed-fueled spat ended over the weekend.

South Carolina Football vs. Akron
Storylines to Watch

The first and biggest thing on the minds of South Carolina football fans is the Gamecocks' injury situation. That starts with quarterback LaNorris Sellers who sprained his ankle against LSU. Since then, Shane Beamer has downplayed the severity of Sellers' ailment but has acknowledged they have a plan in place in case he can't go against Akron. Defensive lineman TJ Sanders (foot) and wide receiver Jared Brown (hamstring) also left the LSU game, and their statuses are up in the air, too.

The Gamecocks will debut throwback uniforms that will pay homage to the 1980 Gamecocks and Heisman Trophy-winning running back George Rogers. There also will be a new version of Williams-Brice Stadium's light show (fans in attendance for the game can download the Gamecocks App to participate).

Through one-fourth of the season, South Carolina EDGE players Kyle Kennard and Dylan Stewart are on pace to challenge several USC pass rushing records. Kennard, in particular, is on pace to finish ahead of Jadeveon Clowney's 2012 totals for sacks, tackles for loss, and forced fumbles.

Several areas of the South Carolina offense have gotten better each week of the season. The offensive line, running back Rocket Sanders, quarterback LaNorris Sellers, and offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains have improved from week to week. Can that continue on Saturday?

According to USC head coach Shane Beamer, Akron likes to play two quarterbacks on the field at the same time, which could make things complicated for the Carolina defense. Beamer also said he liked some of the things Akron does with their dual-QB sets and could utilize a few of them.

Akron beat FCS Colgate, a team that was blown out by another FCS school the week before, and the Zips haven't beaten another FBS team since they knocked off the lowly Kent State Flashes in a close contest in 2023.

South Carolina Football vs. Akron
What the Experts Are Saying

Betting lines opened early in the week with the Gamecocks being favored by about 4 touchdowns. By Thursday, the spread is up to 29 points in favor of USC, and the over/under points total sits around 47.

ESPN's FPI gives Shane Beamer's team a 94.3% chance of victory on Saturday.

Because this is not a premier matchup and Carolina is such a heavy favorite, most national outlets are not predicting what will happen against Akron.

South Carolina Football vs. Akron
Official Garnet and Cocky Prediction

There is virtually no world in which South Carolina will lose to Akron this weekend. Only a disaster of epic proportions could lead to the Gamecocks falling to 2-2 this weekend. However, what Shane Beamer and his coaching staff are hoping for is a comfortable, confidence-building, injury-free contest against the Zips in which depth players get valuable experience.

Chances are, LaNorris Sellers will be rested this weekend, giving him two weeks of recovery (the Gamecocks have a Bye following the Akron game) before a home contest against Ole Miss on October 5th. If he doesn't go, Robby Ashford will get the first crack at the quarterback position. Fans should expect more called pass plays for the team's backup than they saw while he was in the game against LSU, but there also will be an emphasis on repping what Ashford does well.

No matter who plays quarterback, offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains likely will try to draw up some things for sophomore wide receiver Nyck Harbor. If the fromer 5-star performs well, he will take extra confidence into the final 8 games of the regular season, and his elite size and speed will add a major threat to the minds of opposing defensive coordinators. Other young receivers like Vandrevius Jacobs and Mazeo Bennett also could really benefit from some success against Akron.

If South Carolina can get ahead relatively early, there will be opportunities for the fanbase to see some inexperienced Gamecocks get their first extensive action.

The 2023 contest against Furman could serve as a template for this one as the Gamecocks ease into the game before calmly pulling away in the 3rd quarter.