Mississippi State vs South Carolina NCAA Football Handicapping
The 14th-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks will need to avoid a lull after their big win over then No. 5 Missouri in double overtime on Saturday. The team has the benefit of playing at home, but they will face a tough SEC foe in the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Mississippi State Bulldogs (4-3) at 14 South Carolina Gamecocks (6-2)
Date: Saturday, November 2, 2013
Time: 12:21 PM ET
Venue: Williams-Brice Stadium
City: Columbia, South Carolina
O/U Odds: 52
Spread: South Carolina -12
Money Line: South Carolina -440, Mississippi State +365
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It was quarterback Connor Shaw who led South Carolina on a comeback that forced overtime against Missouri, despite not even drawing the start in the game.
Shaw came off the bench to lead South Carolina to a 27-24 win in double overtime. He came off the bench to throw for 201 yards and three scores. Shaw replaced the ineffective Dylan Thompson, who completed 15 of 27 passes for 222 yards and an interception. The Gamecocks threw for 423 yards in the game, but they needed every one of those yards because of an ineffective ground game. Lead back Mike Davis turned his 19 carries into just 51 yards.
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The big passing day led to huge outputs for a pair of South Carolina receivers. Bruce Ellington brought in 10 balls for 136 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while running back Mike Davis brought in 10 balls as well for 99 yards. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The South Carolina defense bent but didn’t break in the game. The unit surrendered 404 yards of offense, a number largely skewed by a 96-yard passing touchdown on a broken coverage. The unit was able to get off the field on 10 of Missouri’s third down opportunities. The unit surrendered a touchdown in the opening overtime session, but they also were able to come up with a stop in the second session, forcing Missouri to attempt a field goal that they ended up missing.
Mississippi State is coming off a 28-22 win over Kentucky that was far more in control than the final score indicates. Not surprisingly, quarterback Dak Prescott was the catalyst of the team’s offense, but he did most of his damage with his arm, completing 23 of 34 passes for 268 yards and a pair of scores, adding only 33 rushing yards. His favorite target on the night was Jameon Lewis, who hauled in seven balls for 53 yards and a score. Malcolm Johnson added four receptions for 79 yards and a score.
The Bulldog defense limited the Kentucky offense to just 325 yards of offense with backup quarterback Maxwell Smith running the show. Smith completed just 18 of 34 passes for 160 yards, but did add a touchdown and didn’t turn the ball over. Running back Raymond Sanders gave the Bulldogs the most trouble, rushing for 86 yards on 15 carries.
Mississippi State had a little more trouble with Kentucky than they would have liked last Thursday, but expect a more focused effort against a South Carolina squad that hasn’t done a great job of building, and sustaining margins against their opponents this season.
The play: Mississippi State +12
