Early Football Previews and Predictions: Game 2 at. Arkansas

We are now 58 days from the start of football season, and pre-season practice is just around the corner. About a month ago, we took a very early look at South Carolina's first opponent, Georgia State. As we work our way through the final stretch of talking season, we're going to continue our breakdown of every team the Gamecocks will face, and I'll give my way too early prediction. Today we are taking a look at the Gamecocks' week 2 game in Fayetteville, Arkansas. While Gamecock Scoop recently looked at the top 5 wins over Arkansas in program history, this year's bout is shaping up to be an early litmus test for both teams on whether they are truly ready to compete in the SEC as soon as this season.

College football programs generally take on the personalities of their head coaches. It's why South Carolina football suddenly become a lot more fun after the energetic Shane Beamer stepped into the fold back in December of 2020. Similarly, Arkansas has seen a huge shift in tone as they exited short-lived Chad Morris era, and entered the domain of Sam Pittman, who coached OL at UGA, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina among others prior to his current gig. Pittman has quickly turned Arkansas around from a team who won zero SEC games in two years under Morris, to a team that went 9-4 last year, including wins over both Texas and Texas A&M, as well as LSU and Missouri, meaning Arkansas won all 3 rivalry trophies (A&M, LSU, Mizzou) as well as bragging rights against their past and future conference rival in the Longhorns. The program hadn't had more than 8 wins since 2011 and accomplished this in just the second year under Pittman.

As Arkansas enters the 2022 season, expectations are sky high under Pittman and one of the more elite coordinator combos in the country with OC Kendal Briles and DC Barry Odom. The question will be whether 2021 was a flash in the pan, or if Arkansas is building toward being competitive in the SEC for years to come. Similarly, South Carolina is ahead of schedule, earning a bowl win en route to a 7-6 season in head coach Shane Beamer's first year. By all means, the Gamecocks improved across the board this off-season, especially on offense with their additions in the transfer portal. Assuming South Carolina gets past Georgia State unscathed, this road game at Arkansas could set up to be quite the measuring stick as the Gamecocks look to elevate their profile within the SEC.

Arkansas surprised many folks in 2021 with how improved their offense was. They finished the season ranked #27 in the country in total offense, good enough for #6 in the SEC. The biggest improvement may have come from returning QB KJ Jefferson who completed 67% of his passes with a TD to INT ratio of 21/4. Jefferson also got it done with his legs, leading the team with 664 rushing yards and another 6 TDs. While Jefferson will be without his (quite literally) biggest receiving threat in first-round NFL draft pick Treylon Burks, Jefferson will have plenty of weapons, including Oklahoma Transfer WR Jadon Hasselwood to go along with Warren Thompson and Ketron Jackson Jr. Another receiving threat will be present in TE Trey Knox, who notched 20 receptions for 141 yds and a touchdown in 2021.

Perhaps the scariest thing for Gamecock fans is how balanced the Razorbacks were, especially given how much Carolina struggled at times against the run in 2021. Arkansas averaged an SEC-best 227.8 YPG on the ground in 2021, and all three contributing RBs, Raheim Sanders (578 yds), Dominique Johnson (575 yds), and AJ Green (227 yds) are set to return this season. The big boys up front are led by Center Ricky Stromberg and guard Brady Latham who are excellent at clearing running lanes for their RBs and elusive QB.

The Gamecocks will have to find a way to force Jefferson into obvious throwing situations and keep contain on 3rd down, where he often extends drives with his legs, a la Gamecock great Connor Shaw. Add on a steamy 11 EST start in a hostile road environment, and it will be essential for South Carolina to control the pace and keep their defense fresh against a grinding run game that could allow Arkansas to put the game on ice in the second half if the time of possession gets too out of hand.

Arkansas was ranked #50 in overall defense in 2021 and really had a lot in common with South Carolina's #41 ranked defense last year. They didn't blow anyone away with dominating performances, but they were solid, and rarely let games get out of hand (save a blow-out loss to UGA 37-0). Many of the contributors for DC Barry Odom's 4-2-6 defensive scheme last year will not be returning, but the LBs may be the strong point this squad can build around. Returning veteran Bumper Pool (yes that's his real name) and Alabama transfer Drew Sanders are a solid foundation for a defense that struggled at times to put pressure on opposing QBs last year. In order to increase the ability to blitz to create a pass rush, Odom's scheme often has 6 defensive backs on the field, with boundary corners often playing tight man coverage, springing flexibility across the second level for various packages.

Gamecock receivers will need to have elite route runners like Josh Vann and Antwane Wells find ways to create space in a crowded secondary, while speedsters like Corey Rucker, Jaheim Bell, and Ahmarean Brown create a deep threat that backs off the safeties. Arkansas is exploitable in the run game if the Gamecocks can find some balance and create their own pace of play to keep their defense fresh. On paper, these teams have a lot of similarities, but neither would want to get into a situation where they have to pass a lot to come from behind.

This one is very tough to get a good call on at the moment. Arkansas has a week one test against Cinncinati which should give us a lot more clarity as to what the 2022 iteration of this Razorback squad can do. South Carolina should win their opening game, but as we've discussed, it's not quite a "gimmie" either. If I have to call it right now, this one sets up to be a tough road test for the Gamecocks against a team that looks to be about one year ahead of them in a rebuild. For now, I'll give the edge to Arkansas, but if the Gamecocks can go into Fayetteville and find a way to win, there will be a lot of chatter about South Carolina heading into a week 3 home game against the reigning national champion Georgia Bulldogs.

Arkansas 27 ------ South Carolina 23