Staff picks: Mississippi State at South Carolina, highlights from a big Week 4

South Carolina is back at home this week and looking to build on a–while not perfect–good performance on the road at Georgia.

The Gamecocks welcome in a Mississippi State team coming off a loss to LSU but with a 2-1 record this season. It’s a big test at home, and the GamecockCentral plus 107.5 FM staff are taking a stab at predicting it.

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Here’s how those staff think Saturday’s game will go and a few picks on what is a locked and loaded Week 4 of college football.

Chris Clark: Despite Mississippi State’s throttling against LSU last week, this is still a team that presents some unique challenges schematically to the Gamecocks. The Bulldogs have plenty of good players, too. I’d anticipate a tight, fourth-quarter ballgame, with USC doing enough at the end to win it. South Carolina 24, Mississippi State 20.

Terry Ford: Gamecocks will get a few explosive plays on offense, grab a big turnover on defense and the special teams will get it back together in a close, three-phases team win. South Carolina 27, Mississippi State 22.

Griffin Goodwyn: Mississippi State will provide South Carolina with a challenge this weekend because it has done two things – run the ball and stop the run – much better than the Gamecocks have. Both teams will head into this weekend disappointed after starting their SEC campaigns in the loss column, and I expect this game to be close. But there’s no denying the game-changing ability that Spencer Rattler has, even with some of his top weapons on the shelf, and I think that will be enough to bring South Carolina back to .500 on the season. South Carolina 27, Mississippi State 24.

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Tyler Head: I’m not afraid to admit when I’m wrong, I thought the Gamecocks would get handled easily last week. They didn’t and I tip my hat to Coach Beamer and his staff on a strong performance. Mississippi State comes in with lots of uncertainties, I think Rattler is in for a big night against their weak secondary. South Carolina 31 Mississippi State 20.

Joe Macheca: South Carolina’s defense will win this game. I have zero concerns about the offense getting their job done. Defense finds a way to stop the run and force a couple Will Rodgers turnovers to get it done. South Carolina 34, Mississippi State 24.

Wes Mitchell: If you’re South Carolina, then Mississippi State running back Jo’quavious Marks, a prototypical SEC back according to defensive coordinator Clayton White, concerns you. If you’re Mississippi State, then Gamecocks quarterback Spencer Rattler concerns you too. The Bulldogs will try to grind this one out like Missouri did last year and the Gamecocks will need to keep getting explosive plays. South Carolina 31, Mississippi State 21.

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Jay Philips: Carolina definitely exceeded (most) expectations in the loss at Georgia. SC’s inability to run effectively, along with a few correctable mistakes, allowed Georgia to keep their distance in the second half. While I don’t see Carolina turning a major corner in the run game, I do believe they’re building some confidence up front. A modest improvement there, coupled with the continued level of play from Spencer Rattler and a reenergized defensive line should produce a close win at home. South Carolina 27, Mississippi State 20.

Kendall Smith: Both teams are looking for a bounce-back effort this week. From what I saw in Week 3, I liked what South Carolina showed a lot more than Mississippi State. Don’t get me wrong, Will Rogers is really, really good. But I still think the Gamecocks take this one at home. They know they need it. South Carolina 30, Mississippi State 17. 

Collyn Taylor: The stats show South Carolina rarely loses in home night games under Shane Beamer (9-2 overall, 4-1 SEC). In his last two home games, Spencer Rattler is 55-for-64 (85.9 percent) for 783 yards (12.2 yards per attempt) with nine touchdowns to no picks. Mississippi State’s offense doesn’t inspire much confidence, and the Gamecocks have done enough to move the ball and look explosive. If the offensive line protects like it did against Georgia, it feels like a South Carolina win. This game has weirdness potential, but the Gamecocks win a close one. South Carolina 27, Mississippi State 22.

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Mike Uva: On paper, this matchup is as evenly matched as it gets. But the biggest x-factor on Saturday will be a loud Williams-Brice Stadium. With Mississippi State playing their first road game of the season, while still adjusting to a new offensive system, look for Gamecock Nation to play a key role under the lights. South Carolina 34, Mississippi State 24.

Jack Veltri: South Carolina played nearly perfect football for 33 minutes last week. Now, the Gamecocks will have to try to replicate that and more for 60 minutes against Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are not on the same level as Georgia, which bodes well for the Gamecocks. I think they are clearly the better team in this matchup. We will get a complete game from the offense, defense and special teams en route to their first SEC win of the season. It will get this team set up perfectly for a date with the Vols in Knoxville next weekend. South Carolina 31, Mississippi State 21. 

Chris Wellbaum: I’m not sold on Mississippi State, and getting blown out by LSU just reinforced my skepticism. Jayden Daniels torched the Bulldogs’ secondary and Spencer Rattler should be able to do the same. South Carolina isn’t as good as LSU so it won’t be a blowout, but it will get the Gamecocks back to .500. South Carolina 24, Mississippi State 20.

Picker	Wisconsin at Purdue (Friday)	Florida State at Clemson	W. Kentucky at Troy	Virginia Tech at Marshall	BYU at Kansas	Ole Miss at Alabama	Oregon St. at Washington St.	Ohio St. at Notre Dame
Chris Clark (16-11)	Wisconsin	FSU	W. Kentucky	Marshall	Kansas	Alabama	Washington St.	Ohio St.
Terry Ford (16-11)	Wisconsin	Clemson	Troy	Marshall	Kansas	Alabama	Oregon St.	Ohio St.
Griffin Goodwyn (19-8)	Wisconsin	FSU	W. Kentucky	Marshall	Kansas	Alabama	Washington St.	Notre Dame
Tyler Head (18-9)	Wisconsin	FSU	W. Kentucky	Virginia Tech	Kansas	Ole Miss	Oregon St.	Notre Dame
Joe Macheca (16-11)	Wisconsin	FSU	W. Kentucky	Marshall	BYU	Alabama	Oregon St.	Notre Dame
Wes Mitchell (21-6)	Wisconsin	FSU	W. Kentucky	Marshall	Kansas	Alabama	Oregon St.	Notre Dame
Jay Philips (19-8)	Wisconsin	Clemson	Troy	Marshall	BYU	Ole Miss	Oregon St.	Ohio St.
Kendall Smith (20-7)	Wisconsin	FSU	W. Kentucky	Virginia Tech	BYU	Ole Miss	Washington St.	Notre Dame
Collyn Taylor (17-10)	Wisconsin	Clemson	Troy	Virginia Tech	Kansas	Ole Miss	Oregon St.	Ohio St.
Mike Uva (20-7)	Wisconsin	FSU	W. Kentucky	Marshall	Kansas	Alabama	Oregon St.	Notre Dame
Jack Veltri (16-11)	Wisconsin	FSU	Troy	Marshall	BYU	Ole Miss	Oregon St.	Notre Dame
Chris Wellbaum (16-11)	Wisconsin	Clemson	W. Kentucky	Marshall	Kansas	Ole Miss	Washington St.	Ohio St.

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