Auburn Tigers (4-0, 3-1 ATS) –14, o/u 37 ½ atSouth Carolina Gamecocks (3-1, 2-1 ATS), 7:30 p.m. Eastern Thursday,ESPN
by Ultimatecapper.com Staff
The Auburn Tigers look to avoid the bump in the road that couldderail their national championship hopes when they travel to SouthCarolina to take on Steve Spurrier’s Gamecocks in another SECshowdown Thursday night in Columbia.
The Tigers have allowed just 24 points in four games this season.Those games include butt-kickings of Washington State (40-14)and Mississippi State (34-0), that tough 7-3 home win over LSUtwo weeks ago, and a yawning 38-7 win as 42-point home favoritesover Buffalo last Saturday.
Auburn outrushed LSU about 90 to 30 (excluding sacks), and helda 34/26 time-of-possession advantage.
South Carolina has allowed 24 points this season in its threegames vs. Division 1 opponents. Those games include an 18-0 lossto Georgia as three-point home underdogs, a game in which theGamecocks were outrushed 198-35, and a 15-0 win over MississippiState. So in their two SEC games this season, South Carolina hasscored one touchdown.
And in their 27-20 win over D2 Wofford two weeks ago, the Gamecocksgot outrushed 290-165.
Syvelle Newton will make his third straight start for SouthCarolina Thursday night, after starting QB Blake Mitchell wassuspended from the team earlier this season. Mitchell is backwith the squad, but apparently will stay on the sidelines forthe time being.
Newton has hit 67% of his pass attempts this season and ownsa 6/1 TD/INT ratio. He led the Cocks to a 45-6 win over FloridaAtlantic last Saturday as 29-point home chalk.
Auburn clobbered SC last season 48-7 as 15-point home favorites,outrushing the Gamecocks 123-70 and holding them to 199 totalyards of offense.
The Tigers returned six starters to both sides of the ball thisseason, while South Carolina welcomed back seven starters on offensebut just five on defense.
SC went 7-5 in head coach Steve Spurrier’s first season in chargein Columbia last year. The Cocks went 5-2 straight up but just3-4 against the spread at home in 2005, and 1-2 ATS as home underdogs.
Auburn went 3-1 straight up and 3-1 ATS on the road last season,and 1-1 ATS as road chalk.
Tigers RB Kenny Irons (1,293 rushing yards and 13 TDs last season)sat out the Buffalo game with a sore ankle, but most reports havehim playing Thursday night.
Auburn is 19-1 in its last 20 SEC games.
The o/u is 1-3 in Tigers games this season and 1-2 in SC games.
Auburn opened up as 10-point favorites for Thursday’s game,but that number has been bet up to as much as 14 at some
sportsbooks
.The o/u opened at 40, but has been bet down to 37½.
The Ultimatecapper Pick: We like the Gamecocks to getit done as a dog tonight!
