The Associated Press
South Carolina (4-3, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) at No. 5 Auburn (5-1, 2-1), 7:30 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
Line: Auburn by 18.
Series Record: Auburn leads 9-1-1
WHAT’S AT STAKE
The Tigers are trying to rebound from a loss to No. 1 Mississippi State two weeks ago and might need to win out to have a shot at capturing the SEC West title and making the College Football Playoff. South Carolina is trying to snap a two-game SEC losing streak and post its second win over a top-10 team this season.
KEY MATCHUP
Auburn’s running game versus South Carolina’s defense. The Tigers are third in the SEC in rushing behind quarterback Nick Marshall, Cameron Artis-Payne and emerging freshman Roc Thomas. South Carolina is 13th at stopping the run, giving up 181.7 yards per game and league-highs of 5.3 yards per carry and 15 rushing touchdowns.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
South Carolina: RB Mike Davis is one of the SEC’s top runners, and he’ll face a big challenge against Auburn’s deep front line. He has run for 294 yards and five touchdowns in South Carolina’s last two games.
Auburn: Marshall has four 100-yard rushing games, and reached both that number and 200 passing yards against Mississippi State.
FACTS & FIGURES
The Tigers’ 13-game home winning streak trails only Florida State nationally. Auburn is 12-0 at Jordan-Hare Stadium under coach Gus Malzahn with an average score of 41-18. … The Tigers have won the last seven meetings with South Carolina, whose only victory came in Birmingham, Alabama in 1933. Steve Spurrier is 0-5 in the series during his tenure. … The Gamecocks have not lost three straight SEC games since falling to Tennessee, Florida and Arkansas in consecutive weeks at the end of the 2009 season. … Auburn is one of four teams to score at least 20 points in every game the past two seasons, joining Florida State, Marshall and Ohio State. … South Carolina has posted two road wins against Top-5 teams, over No. 3 North Carolina (31-13) in 1981 and No. 5 Missouri last season (27-24).
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