Auburn Hits the Road to Play South Carolina

The Auburn Tigers head into week seven traveling to Columbia to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks.Tigers have a 2-1 record with narrow wins over Kentucky and Arkansas.  The Gamecocks are currently 1-2 are still coming down from their first 41-7 win against Vanderbilt.

Auburn started off the preseason No. 8, although they are not living up to the hype. The Tigers almost lost against the Razorbacks last Saturday if not for a controversial call. Was that really a fumble? It did resemble a backwards pass. However, the call cost the Hogs the game.

Auburn hired Chad Morris as the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach after he was fired from Arkansas where he served as head coach from 2018-2019. During Morris' two years with the Razorbacks he managed a record of 4-18 and failed to win a SEC game. So it would seem this was a chancy move by Gus Malzahn. The jury is still out if this was a good hire.

Morris' handy work really shines through the as the Tigers have had poor offensive line play and a quarterback that throws a tizzy on the field.

Luckily for Auburn they had Anders Carlson to save the day with 39 yard field goal to end the game with a two point win.

Will Muschamp, the head coach at South Carolina and former defensive coordinator at Auburn, is looking for a win against the less than impressive Tigers. The Gamecocks defense, is 18th in the country with 13 in rush defense, and 32nd in pass defense.

South Carolina is leading the SEC in third down defense. The Gamecocks are third among college teams in allowing opponents to convert just 19.4 percent on third downs. The South Carolina defense is second to Georgia in total defense.

When Muschamp left the Tigers he took multiple coaches with him, including current defensive coordinator and secondary coach Travaris Robinson and tight end coach Bobby Bentley.

Auburn head coach Malzahn addressed South Carolina third down defense. "They are very aggressive up front. They put the pressure on the quarterback and make him uncomfortable. They do a good job with their coverage. They don't give you easy throws and you have to earn it. If you look at their defense they are 18th in the country and third in the league. What stands out to me is third down defense. They play tight coverage."

Auburn's offense could be the key for South Carolina to take home a victory. The teams have only met on the field 12 times, Auburn is 10-1-1. The last time the Tigers lost to the Gamecocks was Dec. 2,1933, almost 87 years ago.

Auburn will be on the road against South Caroline on Oct. 17, at 11 a.m.