South Carolina vs Vanderbilt: An Early Look
South Carolina travels to Nashville on Saturday to take on a Vanderbilt team that has been the surprise of the conference. Both teams come into the matchup fresh off a win and looking to extend that streak.
Vanderbilt has seen an emergence this season. For a team that had two SEC wins between 2021-2023 (2-22 overall), this season they have three conference wins and two losses decided by a total of six points. South Carolina can become bowl eligible with a win on Saturday. To do that, here are the early keys to watch out for:
Deigo Pavia
The New Mexico State transfer has played a major role in Vanderbilt success this season. Pavia has completed 62% of his passes for 1,677 yards, but the best mark of his season comes in the touchdown-to-interception ratio as he has 15 touchdowns to 3 interceptions. He leads all QBs in the SEC in rushing yards (563), good enough for 8th overall in the conference. South Carolina is no stranger to playing dual threat QBs, but to win on Saturday Pavia must be contained.
Taking Advantage of Vanderbilt's Secondary
LaNorris Sellers and the Gamecocks' passing offense has gotten better as the season progressed. He's been more confident and his pass catchers have started to emerge. Vanderbilt has been leaky on the back end as they give up an average of 225.9 yards per game to opposing passing attacks. Vanderbilt has allowed 14 passing touchdowns this season and forced 8 interceptions. South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer said Tuesday that the team expects to have Mazeo Bennett Jr. back for this game.
You Might Also Like:
- Exclusive: Five-Star Jared Smith on SC's Win Over A&M, Sets Visit Date; Plus Ryan Mosley's Reaction
- What's Next for South Carolina?
- South Carolina Gamecocks Land Commitment from Josh Smith
Join the community:
- Follow Fisher Brewer on Twitter: @USCTalk
- Follow Alex Joyce on Twitter: @AlexJoyceSI
- Follow Matthew Peavy on Twitter: @TheMattPeavy
- Follow Isaiah Collins on Twitter: @IsaiahCEC
- Follow Joseph Griffin on Twitter: @JosephGriffinJG
- Follow Luke Brumm on Twitter: @lukebrummcfb
- Follow USCTalk on YouTube for more video-based content: USCTalk YouTube
You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to follow us on X at @GamecocksDigest and on Facebook!