Alabama-South Carolina: What 2 Watch 4

Offensive Leadership

Greg McElroy vs. Stephen Garcia. The winner of this battle will be the one who sets the tempo of the game.

The Alabama redshirt junior QB must take the ball on the first offensive possession and lead the Tide to a score by crossing into the end zone. Anything less in the SEC home opener will be considered a victory for the South Carolina defense.

On the other hand, for South Carolina to look impressive, a sustained drive on the first possession that leaves the Tide in poor field position will serve notice that Stephen Garcia came to play.

If South Carolina scores on its first drive, it will put the Alabama Crimson Tide in unfamiliar territory for this season and have them playing on their heels.

Receivers

Julio Jones vs. Alshon Jeffery. Jones held up to preseason hype in his freshman year and led the Alabama receiving corp with 58 catches, 924 yards and 4 TD. He is off to a slow start this year, hampered by an early-season knee injury. He has missed two complete games.

Jones must get on track in this game and threaten the USC defense early and often. An effective passing game in this contest will spell victory for the Crimson Tide. If the double-team is effective, McElroy must find the open man and rip the USC secondary to shreds.

Alshon Jeffery has scored four touchdowns in his last two outings and caught seven passes for 138 yards against Kentucky last week in a tightly contested win for the Gamecocks. If he is all that against this strong Alabama secondary, the Tide will recede and the ground game will open up for the Carolina offense.

Running Backs

Ingram vs. Whoever is in the backfield for South Carolina. There has been turmoil in Columbia this week. The freshman sensation RB, Jarvis Giles, will miss the Bama game because he has missed too much class.

While this could damper offensive production from the backfield, it may have the opposite effect.

Giles will be replaced by backup Kenny Miles. Miles has been on the heels of Giles, contending for the starting position over the past two games.

Miles numbers are actually better than Giles, averaging 6.0 yards per carry. He has 45 rushes for 268 yards on the season and 1 TD.

Next in line for USC is Brian Maddox (54 rushes, 166 yards, 3 TD). Beyond that there is nothing in the way of players with significant game experience. Unless someone has a breakout game, Bama wins the battle of the running back.

Ingram, Richardson, Upchurch, and Grant have been sensational in the first half of the year, rushing and winning by committee. Last week, the Tide chose to go with Ingram as the primary back for the game. He responded with 177 yard and the lone touchdown in   the game.

Look for reps to be spread out to the committee for this contest. Ingram will likely be the leader at game's end but if Richardson, Upchurch or Grant get hot, they may stay in the game for maximum impact.

Line Play

It will be surprising if the Gamecocks take charge on either side of the ball. If they do, it will be lights out for the Tide.

The Alabama defense has been in control of every game and they will likely follow suit today. The Gamecocks might be out muscled, but they must excel at pass protection and allow Garcia to find an open man.

If the Gamecock defense can pressure McElroy, they have a chance to put the Alabama offense in difficult third-and-long situations and potentially force mistakes by the first-year starter.

It hasn't happened yet, but the season is still young. For two weeks, the Alabama QB has had difficulty getting his offense in gear. Early stops on the part of the Gamecocks will frustrate McElroy and may cause uncharacteristic errors.

Linebackers

McClain vs. Norwood. Norwood has six sacks, five quarterback hurries and two interceptions. He has forced two fumbles and has blocked two kicks.

Norwood, like McClain, is a playmaker. He is the best individual defender the Alabama offense has seen to date.

The running backs must play their best at pass protection or McElroy will end up on his back. The 252-pound Norwood knows how to hit and he would like nothing more than to put McElroy on the sidelines. Alabama fans have yet to figure out what that would look like.

When Alabama is on defense, the Carolina offense will be on alert. Unfortunately for USC, the alarms will be going off all over the place and they won't know where to exit.

Anders from the left, Reamer up the middle and McClain from where ever he chooses to apply pressure.

McClain is a tactical genius. He calls the plays for the defense without much help from the sidelines and demands excellence from those around him. 

This game has the potential to be the best game to date for the Alabama linebacker corps. On the ground and in the air, on paper, they are superior to the offensive counterparts. If they play like they are capable, they may just shut out the Gamecocks altogether.

Spurrier Factor

But don't count out the Ol Ball Coach yet. He has a great offensive mind and will keep the Bama defense off balance in the early going. If Garcia and his offense execute Spurrier's game plan, they will turn this game into a shootout.

Prediction: Alabama 41, South Carolina 10