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South Carolina at Arkansas: 2022 SEC Football game preview, TV schedule

By Jonathan Lurensky

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 30: Head coach Shane Beamer of the South Carolina Gamecocks looks on prior to the Duke's Mayo Bowl against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Bank of America Stadium on December 30, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 30: Head coach Shane Beamer of the South Carolina Gamecocks looks on prior to the Duke's Mayo Bowl against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Bank of America Stadium on December 30, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
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Spencer Rattler and the Gamecocks face off against KJ Jefferson and the Razorbacks in one of the more underrated matchups of the week. Can Spencer Rattler put up a big-time performance in his first big-time game for South Carolina against one of the better teams in the country? Will the Razorbacks continue to win after beating Cincinnati last week?

The Arkansas Razorbacks go into this game after beating Cincinnati last week. KJ Jefferson had a solid performance in the season debut, throwing for 223 yards and 3 touchdowns. The game included a nice goal-line stop after Cincinnati had two penalties on first and goal. This was a crucial play in the game as it made them settle for a field goal and not tie the game.

Looking into this week for the 16th ranked team in the country (according to AP Poll), Arkansas faces off against a sneaky good South Carolina team. KJ Jefferson will be facing stud Cam Brown in the secondary. While Cam Brown is one of the best corners in the SEC, the real strength of this South Carolina defense comes on the line. Zacch Pickens and Jordan Burch is the real strength of this defensive line (at defensive tackle and defensive edge respectively).

South Carolina goes into this game after beating Georgia State last week. While the final score was lopsided in the Gamecocks’ favor, the game wasn’t always that way. The score was only 12-7, South Carolina at halftime. Rattler then went off in the second half and finished with 227 passing yards for the game. Rattler transferred from Oklahoma this offseason. He struggled at Oklahoma and was mocked online due to him being a Heisman candidate at the beginning of last year. In the Spencer Rattler comeback tour, this is the first real test.

Besides Rattler, Shane Beamer leads the team coaching in his second year with the squad. In his first year with the squad, he went 7-6 and won the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Considering the state of the program was in after Will Muschamp was fired, that is a pretty solid result. On offense look for Rattler to go to Josh Vann and Jaheim Bell. These two players are the two playmakers on this squad.

The two players to watch out for on defense for the Razorbacks are Jalen Catalon and Bumper Pool. Pool and Catalon are the two stars on this Arkansas defense. Catalon is arguably the best free safety in the SEC and Pool is one of the best linebackers in the SEC. Rattler and the rest of South Carolina offense will need to find ways to contain these two players if they want a chance to win this game.

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Prediction:

South Carolina: 17 Arkansas: 21

While this game has upset potential, I do think that the Razorbacks take out the dub here. While I really like the Gamecocks this year, I think Arkansas has potential to be the second-best team in the SEC West. Look for KJ Jefferson to have a great game. I do think Spencer Rattler and the rest of the Gamecocks do put up points against Arkansas, but the lack of good players in the secondary (besides Cam Brown) is the reason I think Arkansas will avoid the upset.

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