The South Carolina Gamecocks are looking to improve to 2-0 this season, taking on the FCS Towson Tigers at home for Week 2. The Gamecocks will kickoff at Williams-Brice Stadium at 7 p.m. ET, marking the first night kickoff for this South Carolina team.
South Carolina will be looking to perform just as well offensively as it did last week, getting 645 yards of total offense in the 57-0 victory over Kent State. While much of the focus last week was on LaNorris Sellers in the passing game, the Gamecocks would be wise to focus on the ground game against the Tigers.
In the last two weeks, Towson's defense has had a hard time defending the run. Last week against Navy, the Tigers allowed 506 yards rushing, led by Midshipmen quarterback Brandon Woodson. The signal-caller finished with an impressive 8.7 yards per carry, adding three touchdowns on the ground. Navy running back Vic Listorti added 81 yards and a touchdown.
During Towson's Week 1 game against Maine, the Tigers had a better time defending the run, holding the Bears to 130 yards on the ground. But Towson fell 21-18, which puts the Tigers entering this game at 0-2.
How South Carolina can win on the ground vs. Towson
Towson's porous run game should be good news for Briles and the South Carolina offense. Last week against Kent State, the Gamecocks had a great performance running the ball.
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The Gamecocks finished with 278 yards rushing, led by Penn State transfer Jabree Coleman. Coleman finished with 77 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 19.3 yards per carry. Matt Fuller added 74 yards on 10 carries with a score, and Jawarn Howell added 62 on the ground.
South Carolina will be facing a Towson defense that's no stranger to giving up big runs, so don't be surprised if Briles pounds the rock early. And what about utilizing Sellers in the run game? He had just one carry last week. But head coach Shane Beamer told reporters this week that South Carolina won't be afraid to use his legs when the opportunity arises.
"I don’t want to take the threat of his legs away," Beamer said via Gamecock Central. "So certainly, there’s times where it’s a throw or a handoff or a throw or he’s the runner; certainly his legs are certainly a weapon. We’ve got some pretty good backs, so I like seeing those guys carry the ball too. Yeah, absolutely, we want LaNorris to be able to use his legs when the time is right.”
South Carolina looks primed to start out the season 2-0 after Saturday. The Gamecocks haven't lost to an FCS opponent since 2015, when South Carolina fell 23-33 to The Citadel. Under head coach Shane Beamer, the Gamecocks have also defeated FCS teams by an average of 36.8 points.
Saturday night's contest will air live on SEC+.
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