Thursday Night Throwdown

THE MAIN EVENT Auburn (4-0) at South Carolina (3-1)

Time: 7:30
TV: ESPN
Line: Auburn by 14

Importance of the game to Auburn: The Tigers are ranked #2 in the country, and riding high from their win over LSU two weeks ago. Still, the SEC West race is far from locked up with this game, and games against Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, and Florida still ahead. Also, the Tigers and their fans still remember two years ago when they went unbeaten and got left out of the national championship game. They want to avoid getting jumped over for the number two spot by anybody, and must continue winning and winning impressively to do it. This is a nationally televised game that a lot of people will remember later on in the year when they fill out their ballot. But none of that matters if they lose.

Importance of the game to South Carolina: The Gamecocks are still looking for that first really big win of the Steve Spurrier era. Sure, beating Tennessee and Florida last year was nice, but the Vols were only a 5-6 team, and the Florida game was seen by a very small portion of the nation. This is a chance to make a statement on national television. Not only that, but if the Gamecocks intend to win the SEC East this year, they can’t afford many more losses. They already have one conference loss, and another one would be devastating to their chances of wining the division.

Quote from Tommy Tuberville, Auburn head coach: "Our guys understand what they are in to, going on the road. We are playing a football team that has won their last two games and we are playing them at home. We have not been to South Carolina in a while. It will be a very good environment, an SEC environment.”

Quote from Steve Spurrier, South Carolina head coach: “We are looking forward to the game here on Thursday night. I was telling our guys, the last time we were on national TV we sort of stunk up the place against Georgia but fortunately Texas and Ohio State were playing at the same time so most of the country didn't see us. We did have some opportunities and certainly didn't cash in any of them against Georgia.”

Breakdown:
Auburn Offense vs. South Carolina Defense: The Tigers offense will depend on the health of Kenny Irons. He is expected to play, but exactly how healthy he is remains somewhat of a question mark. He is the main cog to the offense. He has averaged 4.9 yards per carry this year and has one touchdown. Brad Lester has averaged 5.2 yards per carry and has five touchdowns. That running game opens up the passing game for Brandon Cox, who has completed 61.3 percent of his passes, has three touchdowns, and two interceptions on the season. His favorite target is Courtney Taylor, who has 18 catches for 12.4 yards per catch this year. The Tigers offense has not been as good as people expected this year, averaging 29.8 points per game, and they would like to have a breakout game of sorts here. The South Carolina defense has been an interesting case so far. They are allowing 4.2 yards per carry and 14.3 yards per completion. However, opponents are completing just 38 percent of their passes and have turned the ball over eight times, including six interceptions. Chris Hampton and Fred Bennett each have two interceptions. Jasper Brinkley leads the team with 28 tackles. Eric Norwood has accounted for two and a half sacks this year. The South Carolina defense has also stiffened in the red zone, allowing opponents just two touchdowns in their eight trips into the red zone, along with just two more field goals. Auburn might have some success running the ball, although the Gamecocks will try to stop the run and force Cox to beat them through the air. They also will likely try to take Taylor out of the game and make someone else beat them through the air.

South Carolina Offense vs. Auburn Defense: Syvelle Newton is back at quarterback for the Gamecocks, with Blake Mitchell still trying to work his way back into playing shape. Newton is an athletic running quarterback, who has become a better thrower this season. He is completing 67 percent of his passes for six touchdowns and one interception. His big receiver is Sidney Rice, the reigning SEC Player of the Week. Rice has 21 catches for 17.0 yards per catch and five touchdowns, with all of those touchdowns coming last week. Mitchell has completed 60 percent of his passes, but is yet to throw a touchdown pass this year. Mike Davis and Taylor Rank lead the rushing attack a week ago. Davis averaged 3.9 yards per carry so far this season and Rank, a freshman, averaged 6.7 yards per carry in his one game last week. Cory Boyd is the team’s leading rusher with three touchdowns and a 5.8 yards per carry average, but he is injured and may not play. South Carolina is going to have a difficult time getting the offense going against this Tigers defense. They allow opponents to complete just 51.3 percent of their passes for 10.0 yards per catch. Opponents are averaging just 2.7 yards per carry on the ground. Marks leads the team with four tackles for a loss and three and a half sacks. Merrill Johnson leads the team in tackles with 21, while Will Herring has 20 tackles, three and a half for a loss, and one interception on the season. This defense has registered 13 sacks through four games this year. The South Carolina offense had struggled into last week’s breakout against Florida Atlantic. This is a whole different beast of a defense that they are facing this week. Things could be rough, unless Newton can beat the Tigers with his feet.

Prediction: The crowd will be loud and get things going for the Gamecocks, who will jump out to an early lead on a big play. But this Auburn team is experienced and will settle themselves down. Eventually, Irons is too much for the Gamecocks, and the defense is too fast. This won’t always be pretty, but it will be a very intense SEC battle. Auburn 24, South Carolina 10.

THE UNDERCARD
BYU at TCU (6:00 OLN)- This is a key game for TCU as they continue to search for a BCS bowl spot this season. BYU is a serious handful, as Arizona and Boston College both had to win with late scores against the Cougars. Can TCU fare any better? Curtis Brown leads the Cougars rushing offense with 4.0 yards per carry, while Fui Vakapuna is averaging 6.3 yards per carry and has five rushing touchdowns. John Beck is completing over 70 percent of his passes and Curtis Brown is also his leading receiver. The Cougars defense has allowed just 3.1 yards per rush. Hala Paonga has registered 3.5 sacks already this season and Aaron Wagner leads the team with 31 tackles. TCU shut down the Texas Tech Red Raiders high powered offense two weeks ago. They are allowing just 1.8 yards per carry and opponents are completing 57 percent of their passes for 10.4 yards per completion. Tommy Blake and Brian Bonner each have two sacks on the season and Marvin White leads the team in tackles. Aaron Brown is averaging 4.2 yards per carry on the season and has two rushing touchdowns. Jeff Ballard is efficiently completing 63 percent of his passes. Brown is also averaging 18.9 yards per catch, while Quentil Harmon leads the team in receptions and averages 11.4 yards per catch. Last year’s game was a 51-50 OT thriller that went the Horned Frogs way. This one should be lower scoring, and very exciting. TCU finds a way and continues to try to prove that they belong in the BCS picture. BYU loses another heartbreaker. TCU 23, BYU 17.

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