South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt: After Further Review

South Carolina's win over Vanderbilt on Saturday night was a blend of bright moments offensively mixed with some porous moments defensively.

After South Carolina suffered a surprisingly lopsided loss to the Missouri Tigers last weekend, they were questions throughout the entirety of last week leading into the Vanderbilt contest about how South Carolina would adjust and respond to the unexpected result.

Regarding that response, the Gamecocks sufficiently answered the bell on one side of the football but left a little to be desired on the other side of the ball, and I went back and watched the Vanderbilt game to figure out what led to this being the case.

Message Sent And Received

The story of the Gamecocks' offense this past week surrounded the perceived lack of utilization of tight end Jaheim Bell, a star playmaker who, oddly enough, hadn't seen the field consistently all season long. Head coach Shane Beamer admitted they had to get Bell the ball more after the Missouri loss. Subsequently, the Gamecocks needed to emphasize getting the ball to all of their playmakers more often.

The message was heard as ten different Gamecock skill players touched the ball. Offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield called quick hitches, run-pass options, reverse sweeps, and a flea flicker. Bell touched the ball 19 times for 83 yards, quarterback Dakereon Joyner saw snaps at quarterback for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, and wide receiver Josh Vann recorded a season-high three receptions, one of which was a 19-yard touchdown reception.

Satterfield caught a lot of flack in the seven days leading into this game, and while some of it was justified, you must also applaud him when he calls a good game like he did Saturday night.

Defense Struggles To Find Consistency

South Carolina's defense was a little more of a rollercoaster ride in this matchup than their offensive counterparts. Starting with the highs, it's always good when you can get the ball from your opponent on four different occasions, two of which lead to 10 first-half points and the last one effectively ending the contest. South Carolina's edge defenders, especially Jordan Burch, could also bring constant pressure to Vanderbilt's quarterbacks on multiple instances in pass rush.

The defense, however, struggled in one particular facet of this SEC east battle that they'll need to correct fast and in a hurry, rush defense. Both poor tackling fundamentals by multiple defenders and the various run-blocking schemes called by Vanderbilt lead to chunks of yards after contact and some extended drives for the Commodores.

While the defense did enough against Vanderbilt, they'll need to fix these lapses in rush defense as they enter the home stretch against much tougher competition.

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