College Football
Preview
South Carolina at Vanderbilt
When: 4:15 PM ET, Saturday, November 9, 2024
Where: FirstBank Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

South Carolina will look to build on its momentum Saturday afternoon when it visits Vanderbilt for a Southeastern Conference matchup in Nashville, Tenn.

The Gamecocks (5-3, 3-3) totaled 530 yards in a 44-20 home upset of then-No. 10 Texas A&M last week.

Vanderbilt (6-3, 3-2), meanwhile, clinched bowl eligibility for the first time since 2018 with a 17-7 win at Auburn.

Now, the Commodores will try to snap their 15-game losing streak in their annual series with the Gamecocks.

Vanderbilt scored at least 27 points in its first five games this season but hasn't eclipsed 24 in its last four. That said, the Commodores have won three of those games.

"They're doing the things that teams have to do in order to win football games," South Carolina coach Shane Beamer said of the Commodores. "I know they're leading the league in time of possession, so they're keeping the ball. They're second in the SEC in turnover margin. They're leading the league in not turning it over. They're the least-penalized team in the SEC. So they're doing a great job of not losing football games, playing winning football, finding ways to get games to the fourth quarter, and then finding a way to win it in the fourth quarter."

The physicality of SEC football has started to take a toll on quarterback Diego Pavia and running back Sedrick Alexander. Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said he's scaled practice back accordingly.

"I thought our team played really hard in the game (against Auburn) ... the passion, the effort, all if it was there," Lea said of Saturday's win. "I was really proud of that. But I also saw a team that you could just sense the lag effect of a really physical season."

South Carolina presents plenty of physical challenges, too.

That starts with a star-studded defense, including defensive ends Kyle Kennard and Dylan Stewart, linebacker Demetrius Knight, safety Nick Emmanwori and defensive back Jalon Kilgore for a unit that ranks 16th nationally in total defense (304.6 yards per game).

Defending 6-foot-3, 242-pound Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers can be a headache, too. The redshirt freshman has improved as a passer and ran for a career-high 106 yards and a touchdown vs. Texas A&M.

The Gamecocks also received a season-best game from Raheim Sanders, who had 236 yards from scrimmage on 25 touches (20 rushes, five receptions) last Saturday.

--Field Level Media

Stats and Records
Team Comparison
  W‑L Strk PF PA Home Away Grass Turf Conf
South Carolina 5-3 W2 30.5 18.9 3-2 2-1 5-3 0-0 3-3
Vanderbilt 6-3 W1 30.3 21.0 4-1 2-2 2-0 0-1 3-2
Last Meeting
South Carolina Vanderbilt
Date Away Home Tot Rus Pas Tot Rus Pas
11/11/23 VAN 6 SOCAR 47 487 136 351 250 146 104
Player Stats
Previous Matchup
Passing Player COMP % YDS TD INT
South Carolina S. Rattler 77.8 351 3 1
Vanderbilt K. Seals 46.4 104 1 0
Rushing Player CAR YDS AVG TD
South Carolina M. Anderson Jr. 9 102 11.3 1
Vanderbilt W. Taylor 6 39 6.5 0
Receiving Player REC YDS AVG TD
South Carolina X. Legette 9 120 13.3 0
Vanderbilt L. Humphreys 3 33 11.0 0
Touchdowns Player TD
South Carolina M. Anderson Jr. 1
Vanderbilt Q. Skinner Jr. 1
Season
Passing Player COMP % YDS TD INT
South Carolina L. Sellers 60.5 1212 7 4
Vanderbilt D. Pavia 62.0 1677 15 3
Rushing Player CAR YDS AVG TD
South Carolina R. Sanders 116 570 4.9 8
Vanderbilt D. Pavia 146 563 3.9 4
Receiving Player REC YDS AVG TD
South Carolina J. Simon 24 317 13.2 4
Vanderbilt E. Stowers 38 516 13.6 4
Touchdowns Player TD
South Carolina R. Sanders 8
Vanderbilt S. Alexander 6
Quickchart Matchup
South Carolina South Carolina Off vs  Vanderbilt Vanderbilt Def
South Carolina 369.8 yards
Vanderbilt 337.7 yards
South Carolina 4 yards/rush
Vanderbilt 3.7 yards/rush
South Carolina 7.6 yards/attempt
Vanderbilt 7.4 yards/attempt
Vanderbilt Vanderbilt Off vs  South Carolina South Carolina Def
Vanderbilt 337.7 yards
South Carolina 304.8 yards
Vanderbilt 3.8 yards/rush
South Carolina 2.9 yards/rush
Vanderbilt 8.1 yards/attempt
South Carolina 6.5 yards/attempt