Thursday Night Spotlight, Week 5
#2 Auburn (-14) at South Carolina
We still have no idea how good or bad the Gamecocks are now that we’re a third of the way through the season, mainly because we don’t know a whole lot about their opponents: Mississippi State and Florida Atlantic are bad, Georgia is as big a question mark as anyone in the country, and they had trouble with the Wofford option game. We do know, however, that Auburn is a pretty darn good football team. After hammering the Bizarro Bulldogs and Washington State, they got past LSU and beat Buffalo without their star tailback.
That tailback, Kenny Irons, will be the key to this interdivision battle under the lights in Columbia. Irons, a Dacula High product, began his college career at South Carolina under Lou Holtz, where he went on to rush for 252 yards and a score in two years with the Gamecocks. In 2004, he joined his brother David, a juco transfer, on the Plains and had a breakout year in his first season of eligibility in ’05.
Irons may be poised to have a huge game against a suspect South Carolina run defense for a couple of reasons. Though he did face the Gamecocks (and score a pair of touchdowns) in the 48-7 thrashing in Auburn a year ago, he only carried 11 times for 27 yards. At Arkansas a week later, he started a six game streak of hundred yard games (against the likes of LSU, Georgia, and Alabama). Revenge might still be on Irons’ mind. He’ll also be looking to bounce back from a pair of sub par efforts against MSU and LSU and the injury that kept him out of last week’s game.
The Tigers’ backup, Parkview’s Brad Lester, also leads the conference in scoring, adding to the nightmares USC defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix has surely been having all week. Judging by the way Georgia was able to move the ball on the ground in Columbia, Auburn should have no problem doing the same with their stable of capable backs. The Gamecocks’ only hope is to create some turnovers early on and then hang on for dear life.
Auburn - 27, South Carolina - 10
The jury's still out.
We still have no idea how good or bad the Gamecocks are now that we’re a third of the way through the season, mainly because we don’t know a whole lot about their opponents: Mississippi State and Florida Atlantic are bad, Georgia is as big a question mark as anyone in the country, and they had trouble with the Wofford option game. We do know, however, that Auburn is a pretty darn good football team. After hammering the Bizarro Bulldogs and Washington State, they got past LSU and beat Buffalo without their star tailback.
That tailback, Kenny Irons, will be the key to this interdivision battle under the lights in Columbia. Irons, a Dacula High product, began his college career at South Carolina under Lou Holtz, where he went on to rush for 252 yards and a score in two years with the Gamecocks. In 2004, he joined his brother David, a juco transfer, on the Plains and had a breakout year in his first season of eligibility in ’05.
Irons may be poised to have a huge game against a suspect South Carolina run defense for a couple of reasons. Though he did face the Gamecocks (and score a pair of touchdowns) in the 48-7 thrashing in Auburn a year ago, he only carried 11 times for 27 yards. At Arkansas a week later, he started a six game streak of hundred yard games (against the likes of LSU, Georgia, and Alabama). Revenge might still be on Irons’ mind. He’ll also be looking to bounce back from a pair of sub par efforts against MSU and LSU and the injury that kept him out of last week’s game.
The Tigers’ backup, Parkview’s Brad Lester, also leads the conference in scoring, adding to the nightmares USC defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix has surely been having all week. Judging by the way Georgia was able to move the ball on the ground in Columbia, Auburn should have no problem doing the same with their stable of capable backs. The Gamecocks’ only hope is to create some turnovers early on and then hang on for dear life.
Auburn - 27, South Carolina - 10
The jury's still out.
posted by lconneff | 5:54 PM
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