The Mississippi State Bulldogs and the South Carolina Gamecocks meet Saturday in college football action from Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia. Here’s a South Carolina vs Mississippi State prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best South Carolina vs Mississippi State pick.
Mississippi State Bulldogs Betting Preview
The Bulldogs had a pretty routine opener versus Louisiana-Monroe this year. In that game Mississippi State was up 41-3 by halftime and scored in every quarter along the way to a 62-13 blowout victory. Kamario Taylor was 22-of-34 for 354 yards and four touchdowns while Jaeden Hill led the rushing attack on his seven carries for 118 yards and two more scores in the win.
In game two versus Minnesota, the Bulldogs got to work early, scoring 14 points in each of the first two quarters. Mississippi State ended up scoring in every frame on the way to a dominant road win 38-13. Taylor was 16-of-22 for 227 yards and three scores this time, while Fluff Bothwell had 18 carries for 113 yards and a pair of scores during the blowout victory.
South Carolina Gamecocks Betting Preview
Over on the Gamecocks’ side, they also notched a blowout victory in their opener. South Carolina took on Kent State and scored in every quarter (with double-digits in three of them) on the way to a 57-0 shutout. LaNorris Sellers was 19-of-23 for 270 yards and three touchdowns and Jabree Coleman had four carries for 77 yards and two touchdowns of his own.
Matched up against Towson last weekend, the Gamecocks were up 17-3 by halftime, then scored 14 points in each of the final two quarters for a 45-9 blowout win as the game came to a conclusion. Sellers was 10-of-23 for 96 yards and a pick but also rushed for 119 yards and a TD. Matt Fuller led the runners on 11 carries for 125 yards and a touchdown in the blowout.
Mississippi State Bulldogs @ South Carolina Gamecocks Betting Trends: Week 3
South Carolina Gamecocks Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 3, Matthew Fuller ranks 6th amongst qualified players for Yards Per Carry (9.5) this season.
Mississippi State Bulldogs Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 3, Kamario Taylor ranks T9th amongst FBS players for passing touchdowns (7) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- South Carolina ranks T1st among FBS teams for points allowed per game this season (4.5).
- South Carolina ranks T1st among FBS teams for Q1 opponent points per game this season (0.0).
- Mississippi State ranks T1st among FBS teams for Q4 opponent points per game this season (0.0).
- Mississippi State ranks T1st among FBS teams for 4th down conversion percentage this season (100.0).
South Carolina vs Mississippi State Prediction
I’ll lean toward Mississippi State, but this should be a fun matchup. The Bulldogs put on a clinic in the road win over Minnesota last weekend, bagging 479 total yards (252 rushing), 7.0 yards per play and 28 first downs. On defense Mississippi State gave up 292 yards (13 rushing), 18 first downs and just 4-of-13 on third-down tries. That makes a whopping 100 points scored across two games so far.
As for South Carolina, their defense gave up just 203 yards (21 rushing), 12 first downs and 3-of-16 on third-down tries in their blowout win over Towson. The run game was clicking on 405 yards, and the offense managed 22 first downs with 7.5 yards per play. Mississippi State’s defense is going to have to stand tall in this one but I think they can pull it off.