5 final thoughts, score prediction for South Carolina vs. LSU football game
Coming off its first bye week, South Carolina travels to Baton Rouge for a matchup against No. 11 LSU (4-1, 1-1 SEC) on Saturday.
The Gamecocks are just 2-20-1 all-time against the Tigers, with their two wins coming in 1930 and, more memorably, 1994.
South Carolina and LSU will kick off at 7:45 p.m. ET. The game will air on SEC Network. And, as of Thursday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook has the Tigers as 9.5-point favorites.
Those are the facts. Here are some thoughts:
1. Race to 50
No. No. No. Not 50 points. Fifty rushing yards.
Ok, that’s a bit hyperbolic … but not by much.
These are the two worst rushing offenses in the SEC. Through five games, LSU’s rushing attack is averaging 105 yards a game. Somehow, South Carolina’s ground game has been worse. The Gamecocks are averaging under 100 ground yards a game — a number tanked by the the -9-yard performance against Missouri.
Now, both offenses have been underwhelming so far this season. It’s not just the rushing attack. But both South Carolina coach Shane Beamer and LSU coach Brian Kelly were adamant during news conferences this week that they need the running game to find a rhythm so the passing attack can open up.
The thing is, both teams are going to come out trying their best to prove they made changes in the bye week, that they can move the chains with their running backs.
“Any offensive coordinator is going to try and start out with the running game,” said USC defensive coordinator Clayton White. “Nobody wants to sit back and throw it 60, 70 times. That’s not a good formula.”
In the words of Jason Bateman from “Dodgeball”: “It’s a bold strategy, Cotton. Let’s see if it pays off for ‘em.”
2. Revenge for 2024?
It has been a year since LSU beat South Carolina and, well, it’s still talked about. For good reason.
While I thought it was silly for Gamecock fans to cite that as the reason USC didn’t make the College Football Playoff last season, you can’t deny the butterfly effect. There’s no way of knowing how that win would have affected the rest of the season; there’s no denying South Carolina was borderline robbed.
Yes, the Gamecocks blew a 17-point lead and committed a million penalties. But there still has never been a good explanation for the phantom pass interference call against Mazeo Bennett. And the roughing-the-passer call on Kyle Kennard, which wiped out the Nick Emmanwori pick-six, was ticky-tacky at best.
If South Carolina was 5-0 heading into Baton Rouge, perhaps last year’s game would be a bigger storyline. But Beamer — who was so distraught over the loss last year that he was still watching and talking about it weeks later — seemingly wants to completely ignore it, even as a possible motivation tactic.
“I don’t think I need to bring it up,” Beamer said Tuesday. “There’s enough guys on our team who were here (and) who remember last year. But, again, that has nothing in so many ways to do with this year’s team because there’s so many new faces. I remember it.”
3. Gamecocks need a big game from Dylan Stewart
In Ole Miss’ win over LSU two weeks ago, the Rebels seemed to have a simple plan. They knew LSU’s rushing attack couldn’t beat them, so they basically dared LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier to step up.
Ole Miss routinely rushed just three guys while dropping eight defenders in coverage. It worked to perfection. Nussmeier threw for under 200 yards. The Tigers picked up just 57 rushing yards. And, well, it worked so well because Ole Miss was still able to pressure LSU’s quarterback with three rushers.
If South Carolina can do the same, the Gamecocks have a real chance Saturday. That puts a big onus on edge Dylan Stewart, who’s coming off his best game of the season against Kentucky.
A year ago, LSU’s veteran offensive lineman shut Stewart down. After the game, Kelly made Stewart sound like a child he put in timeout.
“He just had a speed rush,” Kelly said. “(Tackle) Will Campbell took care of him and he wasn’t a factor.”
But Campbell is in the NFL. LSU’s offense line is vulnerable. If Stewart can be a true game wrecker, that might allow the Gamecocks to drop eight defenders and make Nussmeier turn into Superman to beat them.
4. Can South Carolina overcome the crowd?
Around LSU this week, Beamer almost turned into an endearing figure.
The Gamecocks coach was talking about how his team is preparing for the noise inside Tiger Stadium, explaining how South Carolina always makes sure to pump crowd noise into practices ahead of road games. But, Beamer noted, that might not do much.
“You can’t simulate a hundred-plus thousand probably heavily intoxicated Louisianians,” Beamer said.
LSU fans, usually quick to take jabs at opposing coaches, couldn’t help but agree.
“No lies told,” one LSU fan wrote on X. “Death Valley gonna be lit.”
The crowd noise, though, is concerning for South Carolina. This is a team that was having communication issues on the road against Missouri while getting called for over a half-dozen pre-snap penalties. No offense to Mizzou, but the decibels don’t exactly stack up to Baton Rouge.
Since Kelly arrived at LSU in 2022, the Tigers are 19-1 in home night games. Since 2000, they have won 88% of their games under the lights of Death Valley (115-16).
If South Carolina can get off to a fast start, perhaps it neutralizes the crowd. If not — well, the “heavily intoxicated Louisianians” might take over.
5. Sellers vs. Nussmeier
Coming into this season, Nussmeier and South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers were company in all the lists you want to be a part of. Best quarterback in the SEC. NFL Draft predictions. Heisman Trophy contenders.
They were thought of as two of the best quarterbacks in America. Five games into the season, the public opinion has waned.
It has been clear to anyone who’s watched LSU that Nussmeier looks different this year. Maybe it’s all because of his injury. Perhaps he’s struggling behind a young offensive line. Or, maybe, it’s just regression.
Sellers, on the other hand, has looked like a guy who needs time to adjust to a new offensive coordinator and system. He seemed passive early in the season, almost tentative to run the ball. He was still making some high-level throws, but missed too many of the easy ones.
The good news is Sellers was excellent against Kentucky two weeks ago. He looked himself, running 14 times for 81 yards while completing nearly all his passes.
Both Nussmeier and Sellers haven’t had the season many expected. But they have the power to change the narrative around them and their teams on Saturday night.
PREDICTION: LSU 23, South Carolina 20
This story was originally published October 10, 2025 at 7:00 AM.
