South Carolina football vs Old Dominion score prediction, scouting report for 2024 opener

COLUMBIA — When Old Dominion football steps onto the field in Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday, it will be the biggest crowd the Monarchs have ever played in front of,

The last time Old Dominion played an SEC team was Vanderbilt in 2023, and now the Monarchs face South Carolina football for the first time in the 2024 season opener on Saturday (4:15 p.m ET, SEC Network).

Here is what to know about the matchup:

Shane Beamer says Sun Belt football teams love a good upset

"All you have to do is look at the history of the Sun Belt conference and who the Sun Belt conference has beaten over the last six years, and it is a who's who of college football," South Carolina coach Shane Beamer said.

Beamer noted the upset Old Dominion pulled on Virginia Tech (ACC) in 2022, and referenced South Alabama's 33-7 win over Oklahoma State (Big 12) last season.

"We need to make sure our team understands this is a quality team coming in here," Beamer said. "You have a lot of teams in the SEC, the ACC, and the Big 12 that have lost to teams in the Sun Belt."

Old Dominion star linebacker Jason Henderson

Old Dominion linebacker Jason Henderson was No. 2 in the nation in tackles last year, with 167 total tackles (51 solo). The senior has a program-record 436 career tackles. Henderson is all over the field, is very tough and loves to force fumbles.

"The good thing for us is that we get to go against Debo (Williams) every day," South Carolina offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains said. "There's some similarities on how hard these guys play, how relentless they are ... (Henderson) does a great job of not just making tackles, but he's going after the ball. We showed (our players) 'you better protect it because he's trying to tackle you and every time he does that, he's trying to rip the ball from you.'"

Quarterback battle: LaNorris Sellers vs Grant Wilson

Old Dominion quarterback Grant Wilson has a lot more experience than South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers. Wilson started 11 games in 2023 and completed 178 of 312 passes for 2,149 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Wilson had 289 rushing yards last season with four rushing touchdowns.

Sellers, the new starting quarterback for South Carolina, runs the ball well but has only played in three games.

What to know about Old Dominion's offense and defense

Beamer and Loggains said the Old Dominion defense creates a challenge for South Carolina's run game.

Beamer said Old Dominion offense tempo, formations, concepts, passing, run game is very similar to Tennessee. The offense is expected to be very spread out and incredibly fast. In the offseason, the Monarchs hired former Tennessee wide receivers coach Kody Cook and former Tennessee offensive analyst David Weeks, as the new tight ends coach.

REQUIRED READING: What South Carolina sees in quarterback LaNorris Sellers that his hometown of Florence already knew

South Carolina score prediction vs Old Dominion

South Carolina 28, Old Dominion 10 : There's going to be bumps in Sellers first game as starting quarterback but the Gamecocks start 2024 off with a win.

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina football vs Old Dominion score prediction, scouting report for 2024 opener