South Carolina vs. Auburn: Complete Game Preview

AUBURN, Ala. — Two months ago, most people expected this Saturday's matchup at Jordan-Hare Stadium would be a battle between two of the top teams in the SEC.

However, with the state of Mississippi taking a hold of the conference's Western division and an early Eastern favorite suffering two early conference losses, the South Carolina-Auburn game will be a matchup of two teams needing some help in order to get to Atlanta.

But don't let the diminished prestige of a game between two preseason Top-10 teams fool you—Saturday night's game is crucial for an Auburn team looking to rebound from a loss to Mississippi State two weeks ago and a South Carolina team needing to stay alive in the East's free-for-all.

Auburn, who has dominated the all-time series against South Carolina with a 9-1-1, is hoping to reap the benefits of an important bye week and put together a complete performance that puts head coach Gus Malzahn's Tigers back into the national spotlight.

Steve Spurrier and South Carolina, on the other hand, are looking for improvements from a lackluster defense as its under-the-radar offense leads the way in an upset bid on the Plains.

Before we get to the full breakdown of this cross-divisional clash, here is all the basic information you need to know:

• Date: Saturday, Oct. 25
• Time: 7:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. local)
• Place: Jordan-Hare Stadium; Auburn, Ala.
• TV: SEC Network
• Radio: Gamecock IMG Sports Network, Auburn IMG Sports Network
  
• Spread: Auburn -17.5, according to Odds Shark

South Carolina Keys to Victory

Associated Press

South Carolina HC Steve Spurrier

Limit the Explosive Plays

Auburn's offense is not at the record-breaking pace it set in 2013, but it still is one of the country's best at getting big plays either through the air or on the ground.

South Carolina's defense, on the other hand, is allowing more than six yards per play this season and is No. 102 nationally in giving up plays of 20 or more yards.

The Tigers aren't firing on all cylinders offensively, and the Gamecocks will want to make sure it stays that way if they want to prevent this game from getting out of hand. South Carolina's defense responded well to a slow start against FCS opponent Furman last Saturday, but it will need a complete game to survive on the road against much stiffer competition.

String Together Long Drives

While the defense is limping as it heads into Jordan-Hare Stadium, South Carolina's offense is a balanced unit capable of putting up points and yards against anyone.

Auburn's defense has thrived at home this season because of its ability to keep the opposition from getting any offensive momentum. A quick three-and-out can turn into a streak of points for Malzahn's uptempo offense, and the Tigers have been able to stack those sequences to turn close games into easy victories.

South Carolina is one of the country's best at converting third-down opportunities, and it needs to keep that going against Auburn's tough defense. Keeping the ball away from Nick Marshall and the Auburn offense will be vital for South Carolina, who hasn't been able to stop big plays on defense.

Hold off the Second-Half Surge

With the exception of the season-opening blowout loss to Texas A&M, SEC teams have done the bulk of their scoring against South Carolina in the second half. To take it one step further, Georgia, Missouri and Kentucky scored multiple touchdowns in the fourth quarter against the Gamecocks.

Both sides of the Tigers have shown an ability to make necessary adjustments in the locker room at halftime, but the defense is especially great at shutting teams down in the second half.

If the Gamecocks still have a close game with Auburn heading into halftime, it must avoid the drop in production Arkansas had on the Plains in Week 1 and the drop they have had against multiple SEC teams all throughout the season.

Auburn Keys to Victory

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Auburn HC Gus Malzahn, RB Cameron Artis-Payne and QB Nick Marshall

Dial Up Big Plays on the Ground

Each team that has played South Carolina finished its meeting against the Gamecocks defense with at least four yards per carry, and that plays straight into Auburn's strengths.

Although the Tigers rushing attack hasn't been as deadly as it was last season, this weekend's game against South Carolina will be a perfect chance to get it back on track. The young Gamecocks defense has allowed 15 rushing touchdowns this season, the fifth-most of any power-conference team.

After a tough matchup against Mississippi State and an off week to fix its problems, look for Auburn to really lean on its base running plays and set up a few home run balls in the passing game.

Go After Dylan Thompson

South Carolina's offensive line has allowed four sacks in two of the Gamecocks' last three games, including last Saturday's homecoming win against in-state opponent Furman.

Judging by the numbers, South Carolina's offensive line isn't a bad unit, it just has had trouble in keeping Thompson upright recently. And even when Thompson hasn't been sacked, pressure is often enough for the senior signal-caller to make crucial mistakes.

This is where Auburn's pass rush, which the coaching staff stressed has been a main focus, needs to show how much it has improved over the off week. True freshman Raashed Kennion and senior Brandon King have received extra work at defensive end, so a couple of new faces might get their first real chances in an area of need Saturday night.

Keep South Carolina out of the Red Zone

Johnson said he doesn't see a weakness in the offense of South Carolina, a team he once coached with players he recruited to become Gamecocks.

"If you just look at the numbers offensively, they have played extremely well this year," Johnson said. "They are at the top of the conference in just about every statistic. I think they lead the conference in getting first downs. That tells you they’re moving the football, and they’re going to be tough to slow down."

Perhaps the area South Carolina excels at the most offensively is converting red-zone opportunities—the Gamecocks are third nationally, with 27 out of 28 trips turning into points. Although the Tigers have been a good red-zone defense recently, teams that have defeated South Carolina have largely kept the offense outside of the 20s.

South Carolina Players to Watch

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South Carolina QB Dylan Thompson and RB Mike Davis

QB Dylan Thompson

Succeeding on the road in the SEC usually requires veteran leadership, especially from the quarterback position, and South Carolina has that in Thompson.

"He knows what Coach Spurrier wants to do with the football, where the read is and so forth in the passing game and in the running game as far as any checks and things," Johnson said. "Most of them are off the sideline, but he knows when they're in a bad play and he knows when to look for help and check himself. I think it's a big element to why they're so productive. He's a general on the field that can get it done."

Thompson has thrown for more than 200 yards in each of his starts for the Gamecocks, so he will be a constant test for an Auburn secondary that has made solid strides so far this season. Expect him to spread the ball around in Spurrier's offense—seven of his targets have at least 100 yards this year.

RB Mike Davis

After struggling through some injury issues last season, Davis is looking back at 100 percent this season as one of the SEC's top running backs.

The hard-running junior has some talented players behind him in Brandon Wilds and Shon Carson, but he is the unquestioned leader of the Gamecocks rushing attack. Davis has more than half of South Carolina's rushing yards this season and keeps defenses from overloading against the classic Spurrier pass attack.

Auburn's defense has made a big jump in stopping the run this season, as teams are only averaging 3.34 yards per touch against the Tigers. The unit had a tough time slowing down Mississippi State's Josh Robinson the last time it was out on the field and will need to get back to its best against a player like Davis.

DE Gerald Dixon

First off, a disclaimer: This is sophomore defensive end Gerald Dixon, not his older half-brother at defensive tackle, Gerald Dixon Jr.

Yes, the Gamecocks have two players with the same name on the defensive line, and both of them will be important to the defense's success in Auburn.

But Dixon, the team's leader in sacks and tackles for loss, will be especially important for a unit that has several players battling through injuries. If a few reserves have to start on the Plains, they will look to their positional leader to be a difference-maker Saturday.

Auburn Players to Watch

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Auburn RB Corey Grant

RBs Corey Grant and Roc Thomas

Cameron Artis-Payne's position as the primary, between-the-tackles running back isn't going anywhere, but the Mississippi State game showed Grant's spot as the secondary, change-of-place back could be up in the air.

Thomas, a true freshman who averaged seven yards in his first work away from home, got some work on both inside and outside runs—something Grant hasn't received.

Expect Grant to still get his speed sweeps, but watch if Thomas gets the second-most carries for the Tigers against South Carolina. His combination of power and speed could be the spark Auburn's offense needs to get back to the heights it reached last season, and Saturday's game could be the start of something big for the newcomer.

WR D'haquille Williams

South Carolina's middle-of-the-road pass defense has recovered from the onslaught Texas A&M delivered on the opening night of the season, but it has still given up more explosive passing plays than anyone else in the SEC this season.

Given the statistical imbalance of the Gamecocks rush defense, Auburn will most likely go back to its roots and pound away with the running game Saturday night.

However, that will open up big opportunities through the air for Nick Marshall and his receivers. While other Auburn wideouts have gone through cold spells this season, Williams has consistently gotten open for big plays downfield while making outstanding catches—don't be surprised if he adds more to the highlight reel this weekend.

DT Montravius Adams

Adams has been the most versatile player on Auburn's defensive line this season, lining up at either defensive tackle or defensive end, depending on the situation.

The standout sophomore plays an important role in both stopping the run and getting to the quarterback, and his presence will be vital in a game against a balanced offense.

Despite leading the team in tackles for loss, Adams has been held in check the last two games. Look for the sophomore to get back to his disruptive ways back in front of the home crowd Saturday night.

What They're Saying

USA TODAY Sports

Auburn HC Gus Malzahn

South Carolina

Head coach Steve Spurrier on facing Auburn's offense, per 247Sports' John Del Bianco:

"

People say Oregon and Auburn probably know how to run the ball with that spread offense as well as anybody in the country and certainly they’ve got enough rushing yards to back it up. So they’ve got some good players all over the place. Gus Malzahn is definitely one of the best coaches in the country; one of the best offense coaches without a doubt and it will be a big challenge for our team.

"

Spurrier on his defense's rebounding effort against Furman, per Del Bianco:

"

Well, anything good is a confidence boost for us, because we have struggled. We’re not in the bottom of the conference. Some of those other teams have replaced us, so we have made improvement. We’re not at the bottom in total defense now so that was good, and hopefully we can keep climbing. Hopefully we can get in the middle of the pack four years over, but this week will be the challenge for our defense. I guess after Texas A&M, this is an offense that goes up and down the field and hopefully we can slow them down a bit.

"

Junior running back Mike Davis on the team's confidence heading into Auburn, per the team's official site:

"

It is a big opportunity to go to an environment like Auburn. Just do our best and do our part. Do a lot of things right. I think we have a big chance against anybody. Anybody you put against us, we don’t doubt ourselves.

"

Auburn

Defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson on South Carolina's offense:

"

They’ve got a player at every position that can make a play. It’s another one of these games where you can’t take away one element and think you’ve got a shot to win it. They’re balanced and we’ve got to take away a lot of things if we’re going to have a chance to slow them down.

"

Senior defensive tackle Jeff Whitaker on playing against a Spurrier-coached team:

"

He likes to pass the ball, but his offense, he wants to run the ball. With Mike Davis and the crew he's got upfront, they love running the ball. I think it's key for us to have the sets against the run to open up—and you don't want to say, 'Make them one-dimensional.' You've just got to win your battles, because Coach Spurrier is a Hall of Fame coach because a lot of people tried to make him one-dimensional.

"

Senior wide receiver Quan Bray on what to expect from Auburn's wide receivers:

"

I don't think we've played a complete game, to be honest with you. The LSU game was probably the one we clicked the most as an offense just as a whole. But as far as a receiving standpoint, I don't think we've all clicked yet. Hopefully in these next six games, y'all will see us clicking where we supposed to be at.

"

Prediction

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Auburn WRs Sammie Coates and D'haquille Williams

In my final preseason predictions for Auburn's season, I had the Tigers winning a close, low-scoring slugfest against South Carolina, with the home-field advantage playing a huge part. Then again, I had Auburn winning by two scores at Mississippi State and pulling out a last-minute victory against LSU.

The point is that we really have no true idea of what to expect in the preseason, and South Carolina is a perfect example. The losses on defense have become a huge problem for the Gamecocks, who were supposed to be one of the nation's best teams this season.

Instead, Spurrier and Co. will head into Jordan-Hare Stadium unranked and sizable underdogs. The offense will get their yards and points against this Auburn defense, probably early in the game, but Johnson's adjustments against his former employer will keep this from being a close contest in the second half.

All eyes will be on the Auburn offense in this one. Will the Tigers suffer through another slow start like they had in Starkville, or will this be more like their last conference game, when it started routing LSU from the opening quarter?

Put me down for a quick start, especially after a bye week filled with tweaks and fine-tuning for Marshall and the rest of the offense. Auburn doubles up South Carolina and gets ready for a massive matchup against Ole Miss.

Auburn 48, South Carolina 24

What are your keys to victory, and who are your players to watch for both teams? Let me hear those and your final score prediction in the comment section below.

All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All recruiting rankings and information courtesy of 247Sports. All stats courtesy of CFBStats.com.

Justin Ferguson is Bleacher Report's lead Auburn writer. Follow him on Twitter @JFergusonAU.