2 weeks Ago
COLUMBIA — This won't be an ordinary trip to Nashville. The Gamecocks are fresh off a 44-20 drubbing of Texas A&M . The top-10 win was the third under South Carolina coach Shane Beamer.
South Carolina fans rushed the field, and Beamer even get into a singing mood in the USC locker room. The city of Columbia was in high spirits after the huge win. Takeaways from Gamecocks' rout of Texas A&M The road doesn't get easier, though.
Up next is a trip to face off against a Vanderbilt team that's fed up with being the SEC's punching bag. "When the media did their national rankings this week, saw Vanderbilt as one of the 25 best teams in the country and not South Carolina," Beamer said. "We know we have a big challenge.
" Vanderbilt, which has its own top-10 win over Alabama, is having one of the strongest seasons in its history. The Commodores (6-3) boast their best nine-game start in over 40 years. "Our guys can turn on the tape and see how hard Vandy plays on defense, how well-coached they are, the playmaking ability of the quarterback," Beamer said.
"This isn't the same Vanderbilt team we played last year." South Carolina is playing with a similar level of confidence, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Linebacker Debo Williams had a key tackle for loss in the A&M game that kept momentum for the home team.
The Gamecocks defense made every play to keep the Aggies at bay and look to bring that momentum to Nashville. USC charged with NCAA Level III violation and given light penalties in Taylor Edwards matter "We're just going hard every day, we know we have to get better," Williams said. "We're not putting zero on the scoreboard, and our offense shouldn't have to worry about anything.
"We just have to continue to get better, and we know there's more we have to do." The biggest reason for the Aggies beatdown was the protection of quarterback LaNorris Sellers. USC's offensive line created holes for the running backs while containing A&M's pro-like pass rush.
"I think the key to that was complementary football, the offense was rolling and not giving their defensive line much of a break," lineman Cason Henry said. "We just ended up overpowering them like that. "I think we need to bring that same mentality to Vandy.
They have a skilled defensive line and good linebackers, so we need to bring the same energy we had last week to Nashville." It's was a great performance for the O-line, and the confidence is only growing for the group. "We don't back down, we don't give up — that's just how this offensive line is built," lineman Josiah Thompson said.
Charges against Gamecocks' Ashlyn Watkins dismissed; status still unclear In this week's AP poll, South Carolina fans were disappointed to see that the Gamecocks missed the top 25 cut. Furthermore, they may have felt a little bitter that No. 24 Vanderbilt got the nod instead.
But the team isn't focused on that. Vandy has its full attention, whether a win gets the number next to the name or not. "For the rankings stuff, we don't really put too much into that," Henry said.
"The rankings are people's opinions, and the only opinions that matter are inside the building for us. "We just have to have good practices this week, and we'll go prove ourselves Saturday. Whatever happens, happens.
We just have to play our best ball.".
