First look: Top storylines, betting odds for South Carolina vs. Georgia State football

Jeremiah Holloway
David Barnes/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP

The highly anticipated start of South Carolina’s season is here, and the team will face a familiar face in Week 1.

Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks will take on the Georgia State Panthers — led by former USC assistant coach Shawn Elliott – on Saturday in Williams-Brice Stadium. Elliott served as an assistant coach from 2010-16 and was the interim head coach in 2015 after Steve Spurrier resigned.

Saturday’s game will feature a jersey retirement at halftime, as Jadeveon Clowey’s No. 7 will be honored by the team.

South Carolina vs. Georgia State game, stream info

Who: Georgia State Panthers vs. South Carolina Gamecocks

Where: Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C.

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday

Watch: Streaming only via SEC Network Plus and ESPN Plus

USC vs Georgia State betting line

South Carolina opened an 11-point favorite. The Vegas Insider consensus for the game is now 12 points.

First look at USC since Duke’s Mayo Bowl

Though South Carolina struggled offensively most of last season, the Gamecocks put up 38 points in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl win over North Carolina.

Since then, the team added several new weapons on offense with returning players expected to make leaps this year.

Tight end Jaheim Bell returns as one of the most versatile players in the nation. Wide receiver Josh Vann led the Gamecocks in catches, yards and receiving touchdowns in 2021. Running back MarShawn Lloyd is healthy and expected to start.

By way of the transfer portal, South Carolina added Spencer Rattler, Austin Stogner, Antwane Wells, Nate Adkins and others on offense.

On defense, the team returns one of the strongest secondaries in the SEC. Led by Cam Smith, the team picked off 15 passes in 2021. Playing alongside him in the secondary will primarily be Darius Rush and David Spaulding, and the team has additional depth in the defensive backfield.

The team struggled against the run last year, and that was a point of emphasis in the offseason.

Spencer Rattler’s South Carolina debut

Rattler’s benching at Oklahoma eventually brought him to South Carolina, where he will be the Gamecocks’ starting quarterback. He’s played under Beamer in the past, as Beamer served as an assistant coach at Oklahoma during Rattler’s first two years with the team.

Rattler won his last 15 starts, all of which came as a Sooner. The former Heisman Trophy candidate remains an NFL prospect. His South Carolina debut comes with many eyes nationally, as people watch to see how he’ll bounce back from how things unfolded at Oklahoma.

Rattler joins an offense that scored just 22.6 points per game last year and used four different starting quarterbacks. If he stays healthy, the team could find more consistency on that side of the ball this season.

Saturday will be the first opportunity to see how he gels with the unit in a real game setting.

Shawn Elliott returns to Williams-Brice

The Panthers are 30-30 since Shawn Elliott took over in 2017, but they’re 21-15 over the last three seasons.

Georgia State has scheduled SEC games in the last three years as well. The team beat Tennessee in 2019 and lost to Auburn by 10 in 2021. The Panthers were supposed to play Alabama in 2020, but the game was canceled.

Elliott has collected three bowl wins in four appearances for Georgia State.

This will be his first time coaching against his former team. Beamer and Elliott overlapped for one year as assistants at South Carolina in 2010.

Elliott also coached defensive end Jordan Strachan from 2017-2020 before Strachan transferred to the Gamecocks.

Gamecocks and Panthers players to watch

  • Jaheim Bell, TE, South Carolina: Bell’s versatility was on full display in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, as he lined up all over the field. The way South Carolina uses him could create matchup problems across the field.

  • Cam Smith, DB, South Carolina: Smith plays in the nickel often for the Gamecocks, and he’s recognized as one of the best cornerbacks in the nation entering this year. In 2021, he recorded three interceptions.

  • Blake Carroll, LB, Georgia State: Carroll led the Panthers in sacks last season with 5.5 and came second in tackles with 89. His activity on the field could disrupt South Carolina’s offensive flow due to his playmaking abilities.

  • Tucker Gregg, RB, Georgia State: Gregg was Georgia State’s leading rusher with 953 yards, adding nine touchdowns. He was an efficient runner as well, averaging five yards per carry. Gregg’s productivity presents a challenge to a Gamecock team that gave up 178.9 yards per game on the ground in 2021.

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