First look: Top story lines, betting odds for South Carolina vs Auburn football game
South Carolina football gets another shot to earn bowl eligibility as it begins a season-ending home stretch with a meeting with the SEC West’s Auburn Tigers.
The Gamecocks failed to build upon their strong win over Florida when they sputtered on the road Saturday in a 31-28 loss at Missouri. Auburn also faltered, giving up a 25-point lead to Mississippi State at home behind poor pass defense that allowed Bulldogs quarterback Will Rogers 415 yards and six touchdowns on an 80% completion percentage.
According to reports from ABC Columbia and On3 Sports, Auburn’s third-year starting quarterback Bo Nix won’t play against South Carolina as he broke his ankle during the Mississippi State game. Nix later confirmed the news in a Sunday night Instagram post. Reports said the Tigers are likely to play LSU transfer T.J. Finley, who led LSU’s 52-24 win over the Gamecocks last season in Baton Rouge.
South Carolina upset Auburn at Williams-Brice Stadium last year, as former defensive back Jaycee Horn had a field day with Nix and picked him off twice. The Tigers lead in the all-time series 10-2-1, with the Gamecocks going 1-3 at home against Auburn.
How to watch South Carolina vs Auburn football game
Who: Auburn Tigers (6-4, 3-3 SEC) at South Carolina Gamecocks (5-5, 2-5 SEC)
Where: Williams-Brice Stadium (77,559) in Columbia, S.C.
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
TV: ESPN
This week’s SEC betting odds, TV times
Auburn opened as a 10-point favorite on the road over South Carolina, according to the VegasInsider. The Tigers were favored by 10.5, according to Circa Sports.
SEC point spreads this week
College football point spreads, according to VegasInsider.com
- Noon: New Mexico State at Kentucky (-36)
- Noon: Charleston Southern at Georgia — No available odds
- Noon: Tennessee State at Mississippi State — No available odds
- Noon: Prairie View A&M at Texas A&M — No available odds
- 3:30 p.m.: Arkansas at Alabama (-22.5)
- 4 p.m.: Florida (-10) at Missouri
- 7 p.m.: Auburn (-10) at South Carolina
- 7:30 p.m.: Vanderbilt at Ole Miss (-34)
- 7:30 p.m.: South Alabama at Tennessee (-27)
- 9 p.m.: UL Monroe at LSU (-28)
The state of the Gamecocks
South Carolina appeared to turn a corner as it put together season-best performances across its offense and defense in a win over Florida two weeks ago. The Gamecocks weren’t able to replicate any of it against Missouri.
Faced with a formidable runner in Mizzou’s Tyler Badie, South Carolina’s defense allowed a fourth opponent to total 200 yards or more on the ground. USC couldn’t get its offense rolling steady in Missouri either, as the Tigers’ offense outgained the Gamecocks 438 yards to 250.
Quarterback Jason Brown, who impressed in his first South Carolina start against the Gators, was sacked three times and threw an interception, completing 16 of his 30 passes for 193 yards on Saturday.
Brown’s 50-yard loss on the stat sheet played a large role in bringing the Gamecocks’ net rushing total down to 57, its lowest total of the season, despite the fact South Carolina actually gained 118 yards on 35 rushing attempts.
The Gamecocks put together a statement but struggled to repeat it just a week later. Despite the messy Mizzou loss, head coach Shane Beamer still has a potential first-year bowl berth just one game away, with South Carolina given two more chances at home vs. Auburn and Clemson.
The state of the Auburn Tigers
Auburn will come to Columbia reeling from its steepest blown lead in school history last week. The Tigers allowed Mississippi State to come back from a 25-point deficit on Saturday, with the Bulldogs scoring 40 unanswered points in a 43-34 Mississippi State win at Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Further complicating matters, third-year starting quarterback Bo Nix broke his ankle in the third quarter of the Mississippi State loss, according to Sunday afternoon reports. Nix, who later confirmed the reports in an Instagram post, won’t play against South Carolina after undergoing surgery Monday. The Gamecocks will face LSU transfer quarterback T.J. Finley in Nix’s absence.
Finley played South Carolina last year in Baton Rouge, completing 17 of his 21 passes for 265 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He added another touchdown on the ground in LSU’s 52-24 win over USC in 2020.
First-year head coach Bryan Harsin is grappling with disappointment as the Tigers slog through the second half of their slate. After getting off to a 4-1 start in its first five games, Auburn has gone 2-3 in in its most recent half, including two consecutive losses to SEC West foes Texas A&M and Mississippi State.
Inconsistency has plagued the 2021 Auburn Tigers, and the Gamecocks’ best shot at a second-consecutive upset likely requires some of Auburn’s problems to surface once again at Williams-Brice Stadium.
3 Auburn players to watch
Tank Bigsby, RB: Bigsby made a splash in his freshman campaign last year and ran for 111 yards on 16 carries in the Tigers’ loss to South Carolina in 2020. This year, Bigsby has accumulated 776 yards on 156 attempts, bringing in nine touchdowns, ranking him seventh in the SEC.
Kobe Hudson, WR: Auburn’s leading receiver had his first 100-yard game in the Tigers’ loss to Mississippi State, totaling 107 yards and a touchdown on eight catches against the Bulldogs. Hudson has accounted for 490 yards on 37 receptions in 2021 as the 6-foot-1 sophomore cements himself as Auburn’s go-to pass catcher.
Zakoby McClain, LB: A senior veteran in Auburn’s linebacker corps, McClain lands at third in the SEC with 51 solo tackles in 2021. He’s also deflected four passes this season and totaled two sacks for a loss of 10 yards. McClain’s performance against Mississippi State was one of the few positive spots in Auburn’s loss last Saturday, as he came up with 14 tackles and a pass breakup against the Bulldogs.
