The Towson Tigers take on the South Carolina Gamecocks in a non-conference battle in Week 2. The game kicks off at 7:00 p.m. ET on Saturday in Columbia, South Carolina.
The Gamecocks are listed as 43.5-point home favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at O/U 54.5 points. Below is my full preview, prediction and best bet for this Week 2 matchup.
South Carolina vs. Towson Prediction, Preview
Towson Preview
It has been a tough start to the season for Towson. They have already played twice, and now head to an SEC opponent for their third game of the season. The Tigers opened against Maine in an FCS matchup, losing 21-18 in that game. Last week, they took on Navy and lost 42-15. Playing a service academy is always a tough experience for any team. Navy might not have top-level talent, but they run the ball into the teeth of the defense over and over again and wear teams out. The Midshipmen ended up rushing for over 500 yards of offense against Towson. The one bright spot is that Tigers quarterback Andrew Indorf moved the ball reasonably well through the air against Navy.
South Carolina Preview
It was as positive a start to the season as South Carolina could have hoped for. It was a massive mismatch against Kent State, but the Golden Flashes are at least an FBS opponent. South Carolina won that game 57-0, despite benching LaNorris Sellers at halftime. Sellers looked sharp in the first half and put 29 points on the board. Backup quarterback Cutter Woods came in and played very efficiently as well. The new Kendal Briles offense has made South Carolina look much more explosive. Against inferior opponents like Kent State and Towson, they should be able to hang big numbers on offense.
South Carolina vs. Towson Pick, Best Bet
My best bet is on South Carolina and Towson to go over the total of 54.5 points. The Gamecocks cleared this number by themselves last week, and there is no reason to think their offense couldn’t put up a number that big again this week. South Carolina was conservative with resting its starters early and still put up that big of a number. Towson gave up 42 points last week to a Navy team that didn’t even throw the football. South Carolina should run all over them and be able to hit explosive passing plays, allowing them to hang an even bigger number than Navy did. Towson also has a chance to get a score or two of their own on the board, especially in the second half when facing the Gamecocks’ backups.
