re: Auburn @ South Carolina Predictions

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1. South Carolina’s third-down defense has been the best in the SEC and top-three in the country this season. I know Will Muschamp has always been a defensive-minded coach, but what has made the Gamecocks so strong on those pivotal downs?

Cloninger: Muschamp has done a great job of getting the right personnel on the field for those crucial downs and it’s those guys who are making plays. Linebacker Ernest Jones is one of the SEC’s best and while the secondary has had its problems this year, the talent is showing itself in winning one-on-one matchups with receivers on those downs.

2. Speaking of Muschamp, it has been five years since he left his post as Auburn’s defensive coordinator to take over the program at South Carolina. Every player he recruited to Auburn is gone now, but there are still some familiar faces. Do you think this reunion, of sorts, will mean anything to Muschamp and guys Travaris Robinson and Bobby Bentley?

Cloninger: There’s always some time to reflect in the days leading up to the game, but Muschamp has been in the business long enough that he’s always going to be facing someone he knows, or some school where he knows someone. There are obviously a lot of connections -- including Bentley, who he met at Auburn and first started recruiting his son, former quarterback Jake Bentley, then -- but once the game starts, it’s all about winning the game.

3. What have been the early-season impressions of South Carolina’s new-look offense with Mike Bobo and his grad transfer quarterback, Collin Hill?

Cloninger: It’s been what it’s supposed to have been. Unpredictable, which has been the most consistent issue the past four years, and able to go fast. Many have liked the ability to get downfield and score but are also upset at some of the methodical drives, such as the one that cost them a chance to get back in the game against Florida. Hill has been great in his three starts. He doesn’t make many mistakes and is doing what he can with the personnel he has.

4. Is there a specific position/matchup on Saturday that should favor South Carolina and prove pivotal to the Gamecocks' chances?

Cloninger: Kevin Harris vs. Auburn’s rush defense. It’s no secret what Muschamp wants to do -- run the ball, play defense -- and he has a back that can make that happen. Harris is second in the league in rushing and trampled Vanderbilt for 171 yards, and he’s a guy that even if the box is loaded and he’s hit right after the snap, he can still make something happen. He’s productive, he’s tough, and if Auburn’s defense is on the field trying to stop him, USC’s defense isn’t trying to stop Auburn.

5. How do you see the game shaking out, and what’s your score prediction?

Cloninger: Gus Malzahn had to be chuckling and rubbing his palms together looking at this USC secondary. He has the receivers and the QB to riddle it, and he knows he will probably win a game where he scores first. The Gamecocks will hang in the game and can score on Auburn’s defense, but they’ll forever be a touchdown away. USC will end the game the same way it went in -- since it joined the SEC in 1992, Auburn is the only SEC team that was in the league then that the Gamecocks have not beaten.

Auburn 28, USC 21.

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