LSU vs South Carolina Game Preview | College Football Game Predictions

welcome back to another episode of rock boys football deal a game that we're both fired up for LSU heading on the road to play South Carolina you South Carolina starting the season two and 0 shocking a lot of people on Saturday afternoon not just beating Kentucky but going on the road in lack of better terms dominating Kentucky and an LSU team that I'm still really high on I think that USC team is a lot better than people gave him credit for Alice you certainly could have won that football game anyways you're seeing Blake Baker make some improvements on the defensive side of the football at the very least it's a little bit more of an aggressive defense which I think we both like want to get into you know some key players some key matchups talk about what might win this football game for both sides now before we get into it as always let it fly in the comment section D I don't even think we agree on this game pick so we're gonna have some back and forth would love for you guys to let it fly in the comment section as well if yall do enjoy the content consider subscribing to the channel and D without further dude let's start with this LSU offense versus this South Carolina defense and I want to start with what I think is going to be a fascinating matchup you know this LSU offensive line specifically the offensive tackles I think the best tackle Duo that you see in the country going up against the South Carolina Ed rusher room and Kyle Canard and Dylan Stewart that have been phenomenal the first two weeks how do you see that matchup playing out because I look at it and say that's probably one of the big matchups that you're going to see on this football field yeah and I get looking at it from that pass Pro standpoint but I think what's going to set the tone is South Carolina's ability to stop the run because that's still where I want to see it and I think again you saw them getting after Kentucky on the edge those two Kyle Canard Dylan Stewart are starting to be real weapons and if they can get pressure with the ability for them to take away the ball in the back end with those safeties and Corners who really seem to have good instincts for that zone defense that South Carolina likes to run that's where South Carolina gets dangerous that's where they got obviously very dangerous against Kentucky but I still want to see if they can with a really physical team and LSU I know they didn't really run the ball against Nicholls but when you saw them get going against USC a couple times like that offensive line can obviously make it happen those running backs very good I think Caleb Jackson needs to be more involved in this offense to go forward but that's where I'm gonna be looking because again I'm still I have my questions I think about whether South Carolina's defense can really stand up physically for a whole game because I look they're good penetrators on the defensive line and then those linebackers to me it's a it feels like a much improved unit but I still want to see them against probably their toughest test yeah 100% like the South Carolina front seven is a much improved unit there's no question about it that being said it is against in LSU offensive line that we think's the best unit in the country and you kind of noted something that look I know Gary nm's dog like I think he's one of the better quarterbacks in the SEC and quite frankly one of the better quarterbacks in the country I get you have dudes on the outside it felt like LSU especially against the USC team kind of missed an opportunity to really just establish control of that football game and lean on their offensive line which is one extremely talented more importantly extremely experienced outside of the center position look you're going on the road against what I think is a very good pass rush and quite frankly a really good secondary I think the best way you can kind of settle into this football game it's going to be a Rowdy environment is get it going on the ground and try to build an early League because you look at this South Carolina offense it's not an offense that's meant to play from behind if you can come in get that run game going build an early lead if you're LSU you like those chances there yeah that to me is where you can pick on this USC team because I look I just again that's still where my questions are and I do think the secondary is very good that's not to say LSU they're not well that's that's a question to kind of cut you off is all right if South Carolina starts walk up some safeties can LSU work a little bit more vertically as well cuz I I thought quite frankly that was another opportunity they could have had some more success against USC like USC was walking safeties into the box pretty consistently and you know nus meer made some really good throws I would have liked to ask a guy like CJ Daniels to work more vertically down the field and really try to hit some explosive plays if teams are going to start loading the box to stop this rushing attack and you look at South Carolina I think that's what they might do right LSU wants to run the football if you get those safeties into the box can you make them pay working vertically down the field we all know nus meer can make those throws I think CJ Daniels and Company can make those catches can they kind of put that together and kind of play that complimentary football that's probably what I'm looking for now flipping the sides Here Blake Baker LSU defense going up against Lenor sers in South Carolina my biggest matchup I'm looking at here is can LSU win one-on-one on Islands against South Carolina's wide receivers we know the recipe for Blake Baker he is going to be sending a lot of pressure playing a lot of man coverage with not a lot of safety he you look at USC where they were able to have some successes winning some of those one-on-one uh matchups working vertically down the field South Carolina on the other point Lenor sers looked pretty solid against Kentucky but wasn't asked to do a whole lot in terms of making high level throws vertically down the field and I also have question marks about the South Carolina wide receiver room like I think there's a lot of talent in that room you haven't necessarily seen it kind of come too fresh I think M Bennett dog true freshman 100% that's where this matchup kind of comes down like we know South Carolina wants to run the football with rocket Sanders and Lenor sers that being said I think LSU is gonna do a decent job stopping the run and give South Carolina those opportunities to push the ball down the field can South Carolina hit on those opportunities probably the biggest question mark for me in that game and that's why I think you need to see Lenor sellers really play wall toall a really good football game because you saw him have some good moments where he was throwing on time making like making his plays in Rhythm and it looked like okay that's like a competent passing offense you certainly didn't see it against Old Dominion not for one second it was like that was concerning but obviously bounce back against Kentucky that's how teams have been beating LSU when they've been doing it for the most part even Nicholls I mean they weren't they did hit a couple big plays in The Run for sure but when they were just kind of marching it was they were on time they were accurate they were making their plays in Rhythm and and Blake Baker is going to challenge you to do it that's been one I think key difference from the Blake B Baker era from the Matt house era is that they're challenging teams okay I'm not sure LSU quite has the cornerbacks they need yet I will say Z Alexander is a Difference Maker I think if he's in that USC game I think that might have been a different story because he was the one guy against Nicholls who was consistently very very much I should say playing gray color I love what LSU is doing with this defense because that's kind of what we talked about all offseason like hey you're LSU you're going to have like a really physically gifted defense go play smothering defense that's what Blake Baker's doing but you're seeing a little bit of an adjustment period where I don't know if they have the topend defensive backs yet to kind of sit on those islands and win those one-on-one matchups but I also am questioning if South Carolina has the wide receivers to win those one-on-one matches sellers fit them into the windows because you Miller Moss was making some really good throws and they were making plays it's not like LSU was like busting they were just I mean you big tall wide receivers who are making good catches in traffic I thought again same thing with Nicholls they were making throws into relatively Tight Windows Lenor sellers that really hasn't been something we've seen a ton of yet again made some nice throws against Kentucky but can he consistently do that marching this South Carolina two two other things that I'm kind of looking at here big game for the backers Whit weeks Harold Perkins Greg pen I think that is like a sneaky really good linebacker and Whit weeks has been phenomenal throughout the I mean even going back to last year but has been really really good the first two games of 2024 you're G to see a lot of eye candy you're G to see a lot of misdirection pre-and motion obviously L nor is going to be keeping the football plenty of times in this football game can you be disciplined with your R fits and I think the other question mark is Blake Baker this is your game to go out and win because you look at this South Kore Ina offense there's been some problems with pass protection specifically with the communication like South Carolina starting a true freshman left tackle and Josiah Thompson who I think's really physically gifted I think he's going to be a very good left tackle in the future you can tell at times that he's a true freshman little bit lost in terms of picking up stuns not always picking up blitzes the right way the South Carolina unit as a whole because they're young they have a lot of new faces in the transfer portal if you're Blake Baker you're changing the picture you're giving a lot of different looks and you're bringing pressure from everywhere and I think Norris sers is compounding some of those errors frankly because he has been fumbling the ball too much so again I think you saw some development in that Kentucky game where he was able to evade some rushes with clean blitzes but you also saw a I mean he fumbled back toback plays I think at one point in that football game so again he's giving teams an opportunity to make big plays I think that's something like LSU is obviously trying to make that part of that that was much more on the offensive line not picking up was but you definitely again I like yeah your offense line has to pick it up but there is an element of that wasn't coming off The Blind Side you'd like to be able to see that and at least not fumble because the fumbles are the what exacerbate that problem it's okay to take a sack once in a while but you can't fumble and he has fumbled I two three that's that's fair I think the big keys for South Carolina moving the football I think you have to win at least some one-on-one explosive plays vertically down the field if you're LSU I I think Blake Baker's got to dominate this football game and try to you know change the picture give a lot of different looks to a uh young Slash new offensive line in an inexperienced quarterback D let's get to the pick here seveno spread LSU on the road here in South Carolina going to be a Rowdy environment and quite frankly I don't feel great about picking against Shane Beamer after what we just saw against Kentucky they're coming at home I think it's going to be again very Rowdy where you going with this pick here I think I lean LSU just because I the way LSU I think can play their their highrisk High reward defense I think probably has a better chance of working against South Carolina right now just because you have seen some of those inconsistencies still I think can they be clean through a whole series of plays that's kind of what I question for South Carolina you didn't really see that much against Kentucky like they got a lot of short Fields obviously some defensive scores and then some broken plays that they made play for that's still my question they really struggled to do that against Old Dominion LSU I think that ability to really heat it up and and I don't I don't frankly see South Carolina being able to just smash him on the ground and that's another thing that Nichols was able to do a little bit again I still probably question what LSU has in that interior defensive line I just don't see South Carolina being necessarily the poster child of a team takes advantage especially if LSU is starting to put safeties the box and I I really do think that's how it's going to play out like you're going to see a lot of cover one which you've seen the first two games Blake Baker's going to beg Lenor cers to push the ball down the field and I think the question is can Lenor sers and these new wide receivers largely unproven wide receivers make those plays vertically down the field D I'm gonna go LSC too as South Carolina fans you can feed me in the comment section because I picked against South Carolina last week as well against Kentucky obviously look like an idiot I ain't even that smart so if you're South Carolina fan you're probably taking this to the bank saying now this this dummy is picking against South Carolina again I'm I'm going to go with LSU because I just think this matchup favors LSU I think LSU can come on the road I think they can run the football I think Blake Baker can give Lenor sellers in this offensive line some problems in pass protection and I just haven't seen enough from Lenor sers pushing the ball vertically down the field to punish LSU that's really the only weakness that we've seen from LSU so far how did USC move the football working vertically down the field and so I'm going to go LSU don't feel great about it really excited to watch this football game we'll close it out there again appreciate you guys rocking with it if you all do enjoy the content consider subscribing to the channel we'll talk to you all later peace