Having started the 2024 season with a relatively unimpressive 1-1 record, LSU coach Brian Kelly isn’t taking any opponent lightly and had plenty of praise for South Carolina football heading into this weekend’s week three matchup.
LSU coach Brian Kelly expecting several major challenges from the Gamecock offense
When it comes to box score scouting, the 2024 South Carolina offense isn’t exactly one that will show you all that much to be intimidated by. As a matter of fact, even when watching live, it’s not uncommon for them to look sloppy and overall out of sorts, currently ranking just 122nd nationally in total offense (270 yards per game).
With all that said, however, this is also the kind of offense that looks like it just needs one or two things to go its way to become incredibly explosive in the blink of an eye.
While speaking with the media on Monday this week, LSU coach Brian Kelly spoke a bit about the Gamecocks on that side of the ball, and didn’t exactly hesitate when speaking on a few impact players that he’s watching.
“Playing South Carolina, you look at what Shane [Beamer]’s done, he really gets his team to play well, in particular at home,” the Tiger head coach began during Monday’s media availability. “They’re coming off a really great road win against Kentucky – 31-6 – and a lot of it is the type of offense they’re running now with [LaNorris] Sellers at quarterback, [Raheim] Sanders, the transfer from Arkansas and [Joshua] Simon at tight end.”
This is a big physical quarterback. He reminds me of the kid at Florida, [Anthony] Richardson. Big, physical, 6-foot-3, 242 [pounds] – we’re gonna have to be prepared for kind of a similar offense in a sense. But a guy with a strong arm that can certainly get the ball down the field to [Dalevon] Campbell and [Nyck] Harbor – Harbor’s a freak of an athlete – so they’ve got some weapons there from an offensive standpoint.”
Overall athleticism is by far one of the biggest strengths for this South Carolina offense, and for head coach Shane Beamer, it’s just a matter of getting it to translate onto the football field.
Scoring hasn’t exactly been easy to come by, with them having put up just 27 points per game through two weeks, ranking them 88th in college football. Still, with the 2024 Tiger defense still working to find its groove, this is the kind of team that LSU does not want to mess around with, and it’s thanks in large part to what they are putting together on the defensive side of the ball.
South Carolina has the makings to have one of the best defenses in college football in 2024
“Defensively, they lead the SEC in sacks, so this is a defense with an outstanding front. Freshman edge player [Dylan] Stewart, and [Kyle] Kennard’s an outstanding player,” Brian Kelly continued.
As much as the Gamecocks have struggled up to this point on offense, it hasn’t exactly mattered all that much thanks to their impressive five sacks per game, ranking them No. 3 in the country.
Then, when you pair that pass rush with a passing defense that’s allowing just 120.5 yards through the air per game, it’s not hard to see how this has the potential to be a surprisingly difficult matchup for the Tigers of Baton Rouge in week three.
“Really love [Nick] Emmanwori, the defensive back No. 7; very active, he was a freshman All-American in 2022. Just a really good defense, and they run both three-down and four-down, and made it really difficult for Kentucky last week. And then very innovative – they do a lot of things in the special teams game.”
With ESPN College Gameday officially set to make their way over to Columbia, SC, this weekend, Saturday’s LSU football vs. South Carolina matchup has the potential to be one of the biggest in all of college football for week three.
While the Tigers are understandably favored by around a touchdown up to this point, it’s pretty clear that coach Brian Kelly isn’t willing to take the Gamecocks lightly this week. Having already fallen in week one to the USC Trojans, every single game has become a must-win for the Bayou Bengals, and it appears that the coaching staff at the very least understands that.
The purple and gold will take the field this Saturday, September 14, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. CST. The big-time SEC matchup will take place in Columbia, SC at Williams-Brice Stadium and will be available to watch live on ABC.
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