5 Predictions for Gamecocks-Miss. State
South Carolina squares off with rebuilding Mississippi State Saturday night in Starkville, MS in a game pivotal to both schools. What will happen when the contest kicks off shortly after 7 p.m. ET? Here are five predictions:
1. Perry Orth will throw for at least 200 yards: After registering his second career win at Vanderbilt, Orth’s confidence shined through this week when he spoke to the media. He will be unfazed by the noise created by the thousands of cowbells inside the stadium. Mississippi State’s secondary struggled against South Alabama, allowing 285 yards through the air. Two of MSU’s veteran cornerbacks suffered injuries in preseason camp and based on their performance last weekend, the Bulldogs are still reeling. Orth could light up the night in Starkville.
2. Somebody will have to remind us afterwards that Bryan Edwards isn’t Alshon Jeffery yet: If you watched the Gamecocks’ win at Vanderbilt and didn’t get a tingling sensation that Edwards might be the next Alshon Jeffery, you might not have a pulse. Edwards, a true freshmen, showed why he earned the starting nod in his first college game, hauling in eight passes for 101 yards, including a long reception of 33 yards. He was the only freshman receiver in the country to log a 100-yard game last week. Has any freshman WR gone 2-for-2?
3. USC will allow less than 125 yards passing: Damian Williams, Mississippi State’s likely starting quarterback, attempted 28 passes and threw for just 143 yards in last weekend’s loss to South Alabama. That’s just 5.11 yards per pass attempt. Translation: MSU coach and play-caller Dan Mullen won’t allow Williams to throw the ball down the field because that is not his strength. If the Gamecocks are able to defend the bubble screen, it could be a long night for the MSU offense in the throw game.
4. Elliott Fry will do Elliot Fry things: Fry has averaged 7.6 points during his career, so he should eclipse the 300-point plateau Saturday night. Fry has 296 career points and has converted 75.3 percent of his 73 career field goal attempts, second best in school history behind Spencer Lanning’s 77.3 percent. After kicking a career long 55-yard field goal with under a minute remaining to win the Vanderbilt game, Fry’s confidence should be skyrocketing. Does he have another 50+ yarder in his right leg this week? Probably.
5. The Mississippi State crowd will start singing the old disco hit ‘Ring My Bell’ by the end of the third quarter: Yes, Mississippi State fans love to ring their cowbells during games. So much so that when the SEC allowed the tradition to continue as a major exception to the artificial noisemaker rule, they adopted the slogan, “Ring Responsibly.” That means Bulldog fans are supposed to stop ringing their bells when the opposing quarterback approaches the line of scrimmage. Inspired, though, by one-hit wonder Anita Ward and her wildly popular song, Bulldogs fans are sure to make things as difficult as possible for the Gamecocks. All within the rules, of course.
