The second player to watch will be quarterback Stephen Garcia, who had a career-best three TD passes in his last outing against Auburn. In that game, he also had his second highest completion percentage of his career, completing 15 of 21 passes for 235 yards.
For the year, Garcia has completed 69.1% of his passes, putting him second in the SEC. He has a passing efficiency of 161.6, which put him 4th in the SEC and 16th in the nation. While he has put up some good numbers this season, he has continued to have his troubles, which led to him being replaced late in the game against Auburn. Alabama's main goal this weekend on defense will be to keep the game in his hands and take away the playmaking ability of Lattimore. And Nick Saban should have some pretty good schemes to put pressure on Garcia throughout the game.
If Garcia is to be successful in the passing game, he will need help from his star wide receiver Alshon Jeffery. Jeffery has had over 100 yards receiving in three of his first four games. He leads the SEC and is third in the nation in receiving yards per game, averaging 124.5 yards per game. He also leads the SEC in receptions per game this season with 6.8.
Overall on offense, with the success of Lattimore, the Gamecocks have led the SEC in time of possession, keeping the ball an average of 31:37 minutes per game. Also, South Carolina leads the league in red zone offense, scoring 93.8% of the time. To be successful, the Tide defense will have to finish each series strong. The Gamecocks lead the SEC in third down conversions, converting 26 of 47 third down attempts this season.
On defense, the Gamecocks have been equally consistent. In 2010, it has allowed 73 points and seven touchdowns. They are ranked 6th in the SEC in scoring defense, 7th in rushing defense, and 10th in passing and total defense. Its defense has had 12 sacks through its first four games, giving them the third highest average in the conference. Against the ground attack, the rushing defense has held opposing running backs to 128.2 yards.
Article comments
1 - Braden
Good analysis. Although, Garcia's bad case of butter fingers against Auburn shows us that he can be pretty weak in the pocket. Dareus will eat him for breakfast if SC's O-line doesn't hold up.