16 days ago
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The two teams are being scouted as potential representatives in the 2009 Chick-fil-A Bowl on Dec. 31.
The ACC and SEC team selections for the 42nd edition of the Bowl will be announced on Sunday, Dec. 6. The Chick-fil-A Bowl is the oldest guaranteed ACC vs. SEC match-up in the bowl business.
Though bowl eligible for the second straight season, South Carolina (6-3, 3-3 SEC) looks to bounce back from a loss to Tennessee last weekend and improve its postseason stock. Saturday's contest features the top two pass offenses in the conference, with the Gamecocks amassing the second-highest average with 237 yards per game. The visitors can disrupt the pass as well and possess two of the top sackers in the conference in linebacker Eric Norwood (6) and defensive end Cliff Matthews (5). Should South Carolina reach the Chick-fil-A Bowl, it would mark the first appearance in the game since 1969 and first as a member of the SEC.
Arkansas (4-4, 1-4 SEC) continues a string of four home games in a row this weekend and began the stretch with a 63-27 win over Eastern Michigan last weekend. Led by quarterback Ryan Mallett, the Razorbacks average 35.9 points per game (second most in the conference behind Florida) and boast the SEC's best pass offense (2,366 yards, 20 touchdowns). Mallett has thrown for 200 yards or more in all but one game this season and is on pace to shatter Clint Stoerner's single-season school record (2,629 yards). The Razorbacks join Alabama as the only SEC schools to never appear in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
Arkansas holds a 10-7 all-time edge in the series, but South Carolina captured the most recent matchup in Columbia last season. Saturday's game kicks off at 12:21 p.m. (EST) and will air on the SEC Network.
The Chick-fil-A Bowl is the ninth-oldest bowl game in the country and hosts the longest-running rivalry series between the ACC and SEC. Now in its 42nd year, the Chick-fil-A Bowl has established itself as one of the nation's elite bowl games with a string of 12 consecutive sellouts and has earned a reputation as one of the most competitive bowls in the nation. Ten of the last 17 games have been decided by a touchdown or less. The Chick-fil-A Bowl has disbursed more than $90 million in team payouts over its 41-year history and has increased team payout every year since 1996. The Bowl also leads all other bowl games in charitable and scholarship contributions, giving more than $1.2 million to organizations in need in 2008 alone.
