First Look: South Carolina

South Carolina is having a surprising season in year two under Will Muschamp. The Gamecocks have improved from 6-7 last year to 8-3 in 2017, with a shot at a ten win season looming if they can upset No. 2 Clemson.

While they have not looked particularly impressive in their wins, there's something to be said for having the ability to pull out a win when things are tight, and the pressure is on.

Dabo Swinney, during his Sunday teleconference, noted, "They've found ways to win games, and that's what good teams do." Swinney is right, being advantageous can make a big difference for a team that might be under-manned. 

Can they handle the pressure of a top five team walking into their stadium? Let's break it down. First, the numbers. 

Clemson Sports Talk

No. 2 Clemson @ South Carolina - 7:30 Saturday, November 26th - ESPN

National Rankings:

Points Scored Per Game: 23rd Clemson - 88th South Carolina

Total Yards Per Game: 26th Clemson - 104th South Carolina

Passing Yards Per Game: 57th Clemson - 72nd South Carolina

Rushing Yards Per Game: 25th Clemson - 102nd South Carolina

Third Down Conversion %: 12th Clemson - 63rd South Carolina

Points Allowed Per Game: 3rd Clemson - 21st South Carolina

Total Defense: 7th Clemson - 43rd South Carolina

Sacks: 2nd Clemson - 59th South Carolina

Tackles For Loss: 5th Clemson - 80th South Carolina

Turnovers: 45th Clemson - 14th South Carolina

Bold = Better Ranking

Common Opponents:

On the ground:

This is probably the weakest aspect of South Carolina's team. The Gamecocks average just 131.5 yards per game on the ground. For reference, Florida State's abysmal offense, even after the game against Clemson where they had just 21 yards rushing, still averages 141.7 per game. 

South Carolina is led in rushing by A.J. Turner, who has 507 yards and three touchdowns on 90 attempts for the season. Turner has brought some life in recent weeks to the running game, as he's gone over 100 yards in two of the last four contests, including a career night of 136 yards on 22 attempts against Florida. Turner gashed the Gators on the ground and gave the Gamecocks some semblance of balance offensively. 

However, mixed in with those two 100 yard games is a game against Georgia where he had just 35 yards on eight attempts. Arguably the most athletic defense they had played this season, the Bulldogs smothered South Carolina on the ground.

Can they find some room to run against a Clemson defense who is every bit as athletic as the Bulldogs? 

Through the air: 

The passing offense starts, obviously, with quarterback Jake Bentley. The sophomore is 210-333 for 2,429 yards and 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions this season.

Bentley has moments of brilliance at times, with all the tools you want in a quarterback. He has a strong arm, an ability to fit the ball into some tight spaces and mobility to get away from a rush. All of those traits were on display in the opener against NC State on this play. 

Unfortunately, he also has some bad moments that make you scratch your head, like this interception against Florida. 

One thing that has hurt the Gamecock passing attack this season, which averages 220.8 yards per game, has been the loss of do-it-all receiver Deebo Samuel. Samuel was a guy who could take a short route and turn it into a big gainer. 

Without Samuel, Bentley has relied heavily on the athletic, 6'3 Bryan Edwards. Edwards has become a security blanket for Bentley. Thus he gets a lot of targets from the South Carolina quarterback.

Edwards has 635 yards this season, almost double that of the next closest receiver on the roster, Shi Smith (350 yards). Without a consistent running game, the Gamecocks need Bentley and Edwards to step up in a huge way Saturday night.

Special teams:

This was an area where South Carolina could have had a significant edge if Deebo Samuel had not gotten injured. Samuel was a menace on kick-off returns before going out for the season, recording two returns for 194 yards, both touchdowns. 

Minus Samuel, the return threat has not been there, at least not to the same level.

In the kicking game, South Carolina has struggled mightily. Parker White has gone 11-21 and is just 2-9 on kicks longer than 40 yards. The Gamecocks have punted well this season averaging 42.9 yards per boot. 

Biggest strength:

South Carolina is one of the best teams in America at forcing turnovers, and they've also done well protecting the ball when they have possession. The Gamecocks have turned the ball over just 12 times this season and has forced 21 turnovers so far this season. A +9 differential is outstanding.

They are particularly good at forcing fumbles, as they've forced and recovered 11 so far this year. They go after the football hard, ripping and swiping at any opening they're given. Sometimes this can lead to touchdowns as evidenced by this play.

And sometimes it can even save touchdowns.

If there's one thing that could give the Gamecocks a chance against Clemson, it's forcing turnovers. If you can win the turnover battle, you can win the game, and turnovers are a big reason South Carolina has eight wins heading into the Battle for the Palmetto State.