Facts about this weekend's match-up

Read inside as guest columnist Edwin Turnage shares several notes on this weekend's match-up between South Carolina and LSU.

- LSU leads the series against the Gamecocks 15-2-1.

- The Gamecocks last beat LSU at home in 1930, 7-6. That was the year in which the cartoon character, Betty Boop, premiered. It was also the beginning of The Great Depression.

- The Gamecocks' last victory over LSU was in 1994 in Baton Rouge. That Gamecock team was led by quarterback Steve Taneyhill. The Gamcocks came back to beat LSU 18-17 with a fourth quarter touchdown in a driving rain.

- Spurrier's personal record versus LSU is 11-2. However, Spurrier is 0-1 against LSU as the Gamecocks' coach.

- LSU rushed for 290 yards in last season's 28-16 LSU win. The Gamecocks rushed for only 17 yards (on 27 tries) that day.

- The Gamecock offense has tallied 148 first downs for the 2008 season. That first down total leads all other teams in the SEC.

- Here's the good news and the bad news about the Gamecocks' 20 turnovers (116th nationally in the FBS) for the 2008 season:

The two teams that bracket the Gamecocks at the bottom of the current national standings for turnovers (Washington State (21) and SMU (20)) are both 1-6. The Gamecocks are 5-2 despite the 20 turnovers.

The Gamecocks' season "Turnover Margin" (-7), an average of (–1) per game, ranks them as one of the worst teams among the Football Bowl Championship (FBS) teams (107th).

- In the SEC, the Gamecocks are tied with Mississippi (10th) in the dubious turnover margin category. Only Arkansas (- 1.33) is ranked below Mississippi and the Gamecocks in the SEC TO Margin.

However, the Gamecock defense has surrendered just 27 points off those turnovers in the 2008 season. Conversely, the Gamecocks have scored 41 points off the thirteen turnovers that they have forced.

- In terms of total yardage allowed, the Gamecock defense is the stingiest in the SEC (241 yards per game). However, the Gamecock defense, which gives up an average of just 15 points per game, is only ranked fifth among the other tough scoring defenses of the SEC.

- The Gamecock pass defense yields just 132 yards per game. That statistic ranks the Gamecocks second nationally.

- The Gamecocks surrender 109 yards per game on the ground. In 2007, the Gamecocks defense surrendered 209 yards per game on average. Hopefully, that statistic will not change much this week. LSU has a great rushing attack.

- Andrew Province, who played on the Gamecocks' Fire Ant Defense during the 1980-82 seasons, is USC's career defensive leader in the statistic tackles for loss (35). Eric Norwood (now at 32.5) needs just three more tackles to set a new career record at South Carolina.

- After Saturday night's game against LSU, the Gamecocks will not play again until they face Tennessee on November 1, 2008.


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