Steve Spurrier Hopes to Lead His Gamecocks Past Ole Miss on Thursday

A rare Thursday night SEC matchup will take place tomorrow, as the Gamecocks of South Carolina look to upset the Ole Miss Rebels in Columbia. Ole Miss is currently ranked as the number 4 team in the country, but you can count on "The Ol' Ball Coach" showing up with a well prepared team, as this will be the Rebel's first real test of the year.

The Gamecocks are a team that, in recent years, has always been "good" but never "great". While they seem to always put up a fight in their tough conference, they are just not able to make it over the hurdle that would put them among the top shelf SEC teams. This season could be another "good" year for South Carolina, but don't look for anything spectacular. They faced their first and only loss of the season against a decent Georgia team, and were only able to squeak by NC State in their season opener. Sophomore quarterback Stephen Garcia shows promise, but is just not on the same level as the Rebel's Jevan Snead.

One thing that the Gamecock's do have going for them this Thursday is Freshman production. True Freshman running back Jarvis Giles and receiver Tori Gurley (a red shirt freshman) have both burst onto the scene this season with some good early performances. According to ESPN.com, Gurley currently leads the team in receiving yards with 180, and is just one catch behind tight end Weslye Saunders for the lead in that category as well. While Gurley finds himself atop the receiving corps, Jarvis Giles has managed to rack up nearly 150 yards on only 26 carries. Look for both of these Freshman to become true impact players as the year continues.

In contrast to SC, the Rebels boast star players at almost every position. Defensive end Greg Hardy will lead the way on defense, and look for receiver Shay Hodge and quarterback Jevan Snead to head up the offense. These three guys are all proven playmakers, and their ability and experience should be the reason that the Rebels get out of Columbia with a win. Look for Senior receiver Dexter McCluster to get in on the action too, as his quickness and route running ability have proven to be a good compliment to the bigger and slower Hodge.

Both teams have something to prove going into this match up, and you can count on Spurrier making this an interesting test for No. 4 Ole Miss.

"South Carolina Gamecoks" ESPN.com