Vanderbilt Top Offensive Stars to Watch Against South Carolina Gamecocks
The Vanderbilt Commodores will look to win their first season since 2013 this weekend by defeating the South Carolina Gamecocks.
The Commodores (6-3, 4-3 in SEC) are coming off a vital win against the Auburn Tigers, which helped the program clinch its first bowl-eligible season since 2018.
Vanderbilt's offense has been a big factor in the drastic improvement from a season ago. The team finished 2023 with a 2-10 record, including 0-8 in the conference. The addition of some top contributors from the transfer portal went a long way for Commodores head coach Clark Lea.
The Gamecocks (5-3, 3-3) are coming off a strong victory over the tenth-ranked Texas A&M Aggies. As they look to reach bowl eligibility for the first time since 2022, they will rely on their strong offense, which has no problem putting up points this season.
Led by head coach Shane Beamer, South Carolina is averaging 30 points per game this season. A win would most likely move them back into the polls, as they were just a few spots away in the latest AP Top 25.
Here are the offensive players to watch for both teams entering Saturday’s game.
Vanderbilt
QB Diego Pavia
Vanderbilt hit the jackpot in the transfer portal as Pavia has been everything the program needed since transferring from New Mexico State. The Commodores genuinely rely on their star quarterback, and it’s no surprise. He has been a dual threat this season in both the run and the pass for Vanderbilt. If he is on, so is the offense. His 1,677 yards in the air and 15 touchdown passes are only one side of the story for the dangerous Vandy threat. Pavia also leads the team in rushing with 563 yards and four scores on the ground.
RB Sedrick Alexander
The sophomore running back is coming off a rough week against Auburn as he was only held to 28 yards on the ground across 10 carries, but he still remains one of the most underrated pieces to the Commodores offense. He is over 70 yards away from surpassing his rushing totals from his freshman season. Something he could definitely get with a big performance on Saturday.
TE Eli Stowers
Stowers, a prime candidate for the Mackey Award at season’s end is the programs top receiver this season. The senior tight end has made a name for himself across the landscape of college football. Also coming to Vanderbilt from New Mexico State, the Denton, Texas native has 516 yards receiving on 38 catches with four touchdowns. He leads the team in all three of those categories.
South Carolina
QB LaNorris Sellers
The Gamecocks have a dual-threat quarterback of their own in freshman signal caller Sellers. The Florence, South Carolina native is coming off his best game of the season where he rushed for 106 yards and threw for 244 while accounting for three total touchdowns. Although still raw in some aspects of his game, he is quickly growing and adapting as a top SEC quarterback. Sellers threw four interceptions across the first five games of the season. However, he has limited his mistakes and has not thrown a pick in his last two contests.
RB Raheim Sanders
The senior running back joined the Gamecocks this season after transferring over from the Arkansas Razorbacks. Since then, he has been the top rusher for South Carolina as they have relied on him, especially in top ranked matchups. Last week against Texas A&M, Sanders picked up his second 100 yard game on the ground after rushing for 144 yards and two touchdowns.
TE Joshua Simon
The sixth-year senior is in his second year in the South Carolina program after coming over from Western Kentucky. Like Sanders, Simon had a big game last week against their SEC rival A&M with 132 yards receiving on four catches and picked up two touchdowns. It was only the second time in his collegiate career that he surpassed 100 yards in a game, and first since his first season during the 2019 SERVPRO First Responder Bowl.
