COLUMBIA, S.C. – When looking to bounce back from a bad loss, there aren’t many teams South Carolina would rather line up against than Vanderbilt. The Gamecocks aim for their 11th consecutive victory in the series when they host the Commodores on Saturday.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network. LINE: South Carolina -15.5
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South Carolina is coming off an embarrassing 41-21 loss at Tennessee, especially considering it came just two weeks after the Gamecocks stunned Georgia between the hedges. The Vols held the Gamecocks scoreless in the second half - the second time in three games they’ve been blanked in the third and fourth quarters. The Commodores hope last week’s bye doesn’t kill the momentum from their 21-14 upset of Missouri last time out. Vandy is trying to win back-to-back games for the first time this season.
ABOUT VANDERBILT (2-5, 1-3 SEC)
The Commodores got an unexpected boost against Missouri from Mo Hasan, who was the third quarterback to start for the team this season and will remain as the starter if he is cleared through concussion protocol. The offense could be potent if Hasan can boost the passing game to complement star running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn (100.4 yards per game, 6 TDs). Vandy’s defense struggled early in the season but has rallied of late and held Missouri to 293 total yards.
ABOUT SOUTH CAROLINA (3-5, 2-4)
The Gamecocks have been able to run the ball fairly effectively with the combination of Tavien Feaster (71.5 yards per game, 5 TDs) and Rico Dowdle (65.3 yards, 4 TDs), but they want to see more from the passing game. Freshman Ryan Hilinski passed for 319 yards as the Gamecocks played catch up against the Vols last week, but he is completing just 59.2 percent of his passes and has struggled on third down. The defense has been solid against the run, for the most part, but was gashed for 351 passing yards by a previously punchless Tennessee offense last week.
EXTRA POINTS
1. In 28 previous meetings, Vanderbilt has scored more than 17 points only six times.
2. South Carolina WR Bryan Edwards is the program’s all-time leader in receptions (211) and needs 227 receiving yards to surpass Alshon Jeffery (3,042) for the school record.
3. Vanderbilt is one of four Power 5 teams that feature a 2,000-yard career rusher (Vaughn) and a 2,000-yard career receiver (Kalija Lipscomb).
PREDICTION: South Carolina 24, Vanderbilt 20