Thursday Night Preview: (4) Ole Miss at South Carolina

Stephen Garica and the Gamecocks are thinking upset

The nation's fourth-ranked team, the Ole Miss Rebels, are taking on the South Carolina Gamecocks in an SEC showdown tonight, with the kickoff scheduled for 7:30pm EST on ESPN. This looks to be a close game yet again, as last year the Gamecocks were able to knock off the Rebels 31-24 in Oxford. This year, South Carolina will play host, as the Rebels put their eight-game winning streak on the line.

Steve Spurrier has yet to reach the level of excellence he found in Florida, but South Carolina has been a sound football team under his direction. Their only loss this season came against Georgia. The Gamecocks' offense has been decent so far this season, putting up 27.3 points per game with just under 400 total yards per game.

Their leader is QB Stephen Garcia, who is averaging 228 yards per game in the air, with three touchdowns and two interceptions. His main target has been wide receiver Weslye Saunders, who has recorded 13 receptions for 153 yards. The passing game, which had 327 yards and 3 TDs last season again the Rebels, will be looking to build on their success from last year.

The Gamecocks defense has been very good this season in stopping the run, yielding only 87.3 yards per game. If they can continue with that trend, they can force the Rebels into passing more often.That would be a welcome treat to a defense that has already recorded 10 sacks in their first three games.

Ole Miss is returning a talented QB in Jevan Snead, who has led the Rebels to a 2-0 record against two inferior opponents in 2009. His top receivers are Dexter McCluster and Shay Hodge, who have 17 receptions and 249 yards between them. Against a defense geared for the run, Snead will need to complete more than the 56 percent of passes he’s achieved so far this season.

The Rebels averaged an impressive 7.9 yards per rush against SE Louisiana, a statistic that is likely to change in this week’s game against a much stronger defensive front.

The Mississippi defense has been superb through their two contests, allowing only 10 points per game and 293 total yards per game. They are led by Safety Johnny Brown, who has 20 tackles and an interception so far this season. They are also expecting star defensive end Greg Hardy to be at 100 percent this week and put some pressure on Garcia. On third down so far, the Rebels have held opponents to an impressive four conversions out of 30 attempts, but Ole Miss hasn’t been tested against the caliber of athletes that SC will put on the field.

The Rebels are boasting their highest ranking in almost 40 years and have an overall 8-6 record against the Gamecocks in the series history. An interesting note is that Ole Miss has not won an SEC opener in the last five years.

Both defenses are solid and it may come down to which team can make the bigger plays. South Carolina has a great chance to play spoiler to the Rebels at home.

Prediction: South Carolina 24 Ole Miss 21