2 weeks Ago By The State
South Carolina (5-3, 3-3 SEC) hits the road for the final time in conference play this season for a game on Saturday with a chance to become bowl-eligible for the first time in two years. The Gamecocks will face off against No. 24 Vanderbilt (6-3, 3-2 SEC).
Kickoff is set for 4:15 p.m. ET, and the game will air on SEC Network.
Those are some facts. Here are some thoughts. 1.
Gamecocks showed offensive aggression Here’s the rundown of South Carolina’s total yards this season against SEC foes, which could also double as a game of “One of these is not like the other.” at Kentucky — 252 vs. LSU — 398 vs.
Ole Miss — 313 at Alabama —374 at Oklahoma — 254 vs. Texas A&M — 530 For two months, South Carolina’s offense had proved itself to be a unit that struggled to keep its quarterback upright with a so-so run game and sometimes a complete lack of a passing game. Then it plays one of the best of the best defenses in the SEC and its offense looks the best it has in two years.
What gives? South Carolina certainly tweaked its offense during the bye week, really zoning in on what it does best. Its offensive tackles move well in space, so offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains added schemes that got them moving. And then there was quarterback LaNorris Sellers, for the first time in his career.
Now, Sellers has picked up 100 rushing yards in a game before — but they were always offset by a plethora of sacks. Against A&M, though, he wasn’t sacked. He somehow wiggled his way out of constant trouble and managed to bolt into open space.
Before the game, Loggains told his quarterback that South Carolina had no chance of winning the game being cautious, being passive. He needed to attack. “We’re not trying to ease into this thing,” Loggains said.
“You don’t do that. You can’t do that if you don’t trust your quarterback.” 2.
Beware of Diego magic Diego Pavia is not the best quarterback in the SEC. Perhaps, though, he is the most valuable quarterback in the SEC. Vanderbilt went 2-10 last season.
Head coach . Then the Commodores brought in this 6-foot transfer from New Mexico State, and all of a sudden Vandy is bowl-eligible for the first time in six years while Here’s the thing, though: Pavia hasn’t been great over the last three games. He’s thrown for under 150 yards twice and hasn’t had a completion percentage over 60%.
But, man, he does just enough to keep Vanderbilt in games. Against Auburn last week, he completed just nine passes but Vandy scored 10 points in the second half and hung on for the victory. The game before, against Texas, he threw for only 143 yards but led the Commodores on a late-game drive to pull within a touchdown.
Pavia just has this knack for pulling games out. Loggains compared him to Johnny Manziel, whom he coached with the Cleveland Browns. That’s not exactly a fun guy to face.
3. A loss wouldn’t really be a letdown This feels like a trap game because, well, it’s Vanderbilt and South Carolina is coming off its electric But Vanderbilt is good. Losing to a Top 25 team on the road should not be considered a terrible thing.
There’s something I’ve seen and heard from a lot of South Carolina fans — that the Gamecocks often disappoint when hope and expectations are the highest. Anecdotally, that might be true, but it’s been years since a true letdown. Over the last 14 football seasons, South Carolina has beaten eight top-10 teams (including Texas A&M).
In its following contest, the Gamecocks are 4-3 with all the losses coming against ranked teams. The last time South Carolina beat a top-10 team and followed it up with a loss was 2010, when it knocked off No. 1 Alabama then fell at Kentucky seven days later.
That was a letdown. A loss Saturday wouldn’t be. 4.
Did the offensive line turn a corner? I was a tad surprised to see South Carolina come out of the bye week — ranking second-to-last nationally in sacks allowed — and roll out the same offensive line it has all season. Coming out of the game, even though the Gamecocks ran for 286 yards and didn’t allow a single sack, it’s still hard to know how to feel about the offensive line. On the rushing part: The coaches seemed to gush over the perimeter blocking more than anything, and running back Rocket Sanders looked as healthy as he’s been all season.
And then there’s the sack total. If Sellers wasn’t Houdini, he might have gone down seven times. He was constantly under duress.
Some of the offensive linemen spoke about playing with renewed confidence. About the continuity of the starting OL paying off. About all the individual growth through months of reps showing itself.
Told this, South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer laughed. “I wish they’d said that before game ,” he said. Here’s the other thing: the Gamecocks were given their lowest pass-blocking and run-blocking rating of the season for Saturday’s game.
Worse than the Old Dominion game. Worse than the Ole Miss game. So, it begs the question: Did the offensive line get better or just everyone else around them? 5.
Gamecocks narrowing down their wide receivers Some teams start four wide receivers. Against Texas A&M, South Carolina played just four wide receivers the entire game. It almost seems impossible, especially when noting that one of those wide receivers — Mazeo Bennett — and didn’t return.
Even down a wide-out for the entire second half, South Carolina decided to just use its tight ends and running backs more. Granted, Beamer said that WR Vandrevius Jacobs “wasn’t 100%.” But even playing five wide receivers would have been a low number.
To Beamer, though, it was about putting the best blockers on the field. “We were utilizing our receivers a lot in the run game,” Beamer said. “And I’d also say: Practice matters.
You have to practice well. If you don’t, it’s gonna be hard to put you in the game.” PREDICTION: South Carolina 31, Vanderbilt 20.
