South Carolina, Clemson set for Season Opener

Opening Weekend is just days away which means football is back! With that in mind, today's post focuses on the Gamecocks and Tigers season opener and the key areas of the game for both teams. South Carolina welcomes Texas A&M to Columbia for what will be the first meeting ever between the two. Clemson travels down to Athens to take on long time rival, Georgia. The Tigers took care of buisness at home agasint the Dawgs last year in Death Valley but can they go between the hedges and win?

South Carolina's Keys to Victory: 

1. Get Pressure-  The Gamecocks will be without the services of Jadeveon Clowney, Chaz Sutton and Kelcy Quarles this year but will have to find a way to get pressure on the quarterback and stop the run. The Aggies will start Sophomore Kenny Hill who has yet to see any significant playing time thus far in his career. I would imagine Gamecock DC Lorenzo Ward will come after Hill early and often and try to get him rattled and uncomfortable. While I think South Carolina's offense will be able to move the ball well, its the first game and it might be a slow start. That being said, getting off to a good start defensively will be very beneficial and could set the tone for the night. 

2. Feed The Hungry- While helping the less fortunate is always a good thing, this key isn't as charitable as it appears. RB Mike Davis rushed for 1183 yards and 11 touchdowns last year as a sophomore and is ready to take it a step further this year behind (on paper) what appears to be one of the best offensive lines in the land. He is 100% healthy and is hungry and ready to have a big year and remind everyone that Todd Gurley isn't the only beast of a running back in the SEC. If I'm Spurrier, I'm setting a goal of 20 touches for Davis also giving him some chances to catch the ball out of the backfield. The junior from Atlanta averaged over 10 yards per catch last season and knows how to get yards. Give em the ball and get out of his way. 

3. Crowd Noise- While South Carolina is in the midst of the best years in the history of the program and is a Top 15 squad, much of their success at home has been due to their fans and the atmosphere they bring to Williams Brice. As a Clemson fan I hate everything about Columbia and Willy B Stadium from "2001" to Sandstorm but gotta admit they know how to turn up the volume. The Gamecocks have the longest current home game winning streak in college football at 18 games. It can get pretty loud in there and for a QB that hasn't had much experience it can become a nightmare. Throw into the mix its the season opener and a Thursday night game, the students and fans will have it rocking by the time kickoff rolls around at 6pm. At A&M they call the fans "the 12th man"....well rest assured Gamecock fans have just as much influence in their home games as well. 

Clemson's Keys to Victory: 

1. Line of Scrimmage- We all know games are won and lost in the trenches and that is always an area to examine for any game but it couldn't mean more than in week 1 for Clemson. They have one of the best defensive fronts in the nation and will be tested by a solid offensive line and RB Todd Gurley who torched the Tigers for 154 yards and 2 touchdowns in Death Valley last year averaging over 12 yards per carry. If the Tigers allow that type of production again this Saturday...hold on, cause it will get out of hand quickly. I don't foresee that happening but winning the battle up front and limiting the big plays on the ground will go a long, long way in securing a win in Athens.

2. Field Position- I almost made this one about Turnovers, but we all know how important those are. In the Tigers two losses last year, they committed a total of 10 turnovers. You simply cannot do that...(especially on the road)..and expect to win. Common sense. So instead I want to focus on field position. This game could very easily come down to special teams/a late FG. That being said I see field position playing a huge role. With an offense that will have its hands full in a warm and hostile environment, having decent field position to work with will be critical. While the defense should hold its own it will also be important for the Tigers to pin back the Dawgs as often as possible and try to make them go the length of the field every time they have the ball. 

3. Get Creative- With the loss of Tajh Boyd, Sammy Watkins and Martavis Bryant the Tigers lose a great deal of that big play, home-run type scores. It will be important for Stoudt to not force things and instead just take what the defense gives him. Even if that means having to settle for the check down receiver more times than he would like. That being said, Chad Morris will also need (and almost certainly will) dig into his bag of tricks and try to catch Georgia's defense off guard. We saw that early in the game last year against South Carolina and in the Orange Bowl against Ohio State. I expect him to not waste any time this game as well. It's going to be extremely loud out on the field and if the Tigers can make some plays early it will only help in the long run...opening up the playbook and more importantly quieting down what promises to be a rowdy crowd...if only for a few brief moments at a time.