Nashville, TN – The South Carolina Gamecocks proved to have Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia’s number in this game to defeat the Commodores for their 16th meeting in a row, 28-7. Their defense impressively held him to 166 passing yards and only 65 rushing yards. The Gamecocks provided tight pass coverage throughout. They recorded eight defended passes and allowed only 5.4 yards per pass attempt. Two sacks and six tackles for losses (TFLs) netted the Commodores only 108 yards on the ground. They bottled up the No. 1 Transfer Player of the Year.
On offense, Raheim Sanders rushed for 126 yards on 15 carries and scored two TDs. His two pass receptions resulted in 52 yards and another TD. QB LaNorris Sellers threw for 238 yards and two scores. The Gamecocks balanced out their offensive scheme very effectively.
South Carolina and Vandy start scoring after first period
A missed South Carolina field goal and offensive exchange of fumbles by both QBs on consecutive series parlayed into no first quarter scores. The Gamecocks broke the stalemate early in the second. Sellers connected with WR Josua Simon for a 17-yard pass over the middle for a 7-0 lead. Neither team scored again before halftime.
As good as Nostalgia gets at Vanderbilt
At halftime, Vanderbilt introduced its 1974 Peach Bowl team. They finished 7-3-2 with a 6-6 tie against Texas Tech. Funny, their SEC record came in at 2-3-1. Only six of 11 regular season games played within the conference even back then. Things haven’t changed much since. The SEC still loads up on three or four non-conference foes among 12 games to assure they achieve bowl eligibility. That bowl team became Vandy’s last until 1982 when they lost to Air Force in the Hall of Fame Classic.
Finally, the Dores won their next bowl game achieved in 2008. We attended that one – our first Music City Bowl. With a 6-6 record, they defeated Boston College (9-4), 16-14. Coincidentally, that year marks the last time they defeated South Carolina. From 2011 under James Franklin until 2018, they qualified for five bowls going 2-3. With a 6-4 record this season, they became bowl eligible to already. Back to the Music City? More on that later.
Adjustments made by South Carolina evident after halftime
The Gamecocks started the scoring early in the third period. Sellers connected with WR Jarrett Branch for 51 yards to the Commodore 33. Sanders burst through the line from there to give the Gamecocks a 14-0 margin. Vanderbilt woke up. They drove 75 yards capped by Pavia’s 17-yard TD run. Could the Dore’s overcome the tight defense the Cocks demonstrated since the beginning of this game? They now trailed, 14-7.
The Gamecock offense continued to generate more scoring on its next series. Converting four first downs on an errorless drive, Sanders took it over at the one. Leading, 21-7, the South Carolina defense didn’t let up. They forced the Commodores to turn the ball over on downs on their next two possessions. Vandy gave up the football at the Gamecock 36 and 39 respectively. Following the latter, with 7:55 to play, Sellers rifled a pass to Sanders over the middle to streak for a 43-yard TD. South Carolina led, 28-7.
South Carolina defense outstanding!
VU could not respond. They punted from their 17 after losing nine yards on three plays. USC ran 5:46 off the clock to take a 28-7 win back to Columbia, SC. Their aggressive, defensive performance turned out to be the best we’d seen all season. Their win earned them to jump into the Associated Press poll ranked No. 23. The Commodores loss to 6-4 dropped them from the Top 25.
Our 2024 Season starts to wind down
Vanderbilt visits No. 21 LSU (6-3) after their 42-13 shellacking from Alabama on November 23rd. After that, the Dores will finish up at home in front of a packed house against cross-state rival, No. 6 Tennessee (8-1). Sounds like a Music City Bowl bid to us unless Pavia returns to form. He left the game in the final period with about six minutes to play. He suffered a lower extremity injury seen limping into the medical tent. As of Monday, no update on his injury has been released.
USC hosts No. 24 Mizzou (7-2) next. After that, they’ll traditionally pad their record and stats hosting FCS Wofford. Looks like Mizzou and their season finale against their cross-state rival at No. 17 Clemson will determine Carolina’s final bowl destination and ranking. Despite these challenges, HC Shane Beamer seems to have his Gamecocks playing well on both sides of the football. They look ready for anybody.
Collegefootballfan.com games heat up
We return to MACtion this Wednesday evening when Eastern Michigan (5-4, 2-3) appears on our slate for only the second time ever. They visit the Ohio Bobcats (6-3, 4-1) who are in a four-way tie for first in the Mid-American. This marks our first trip to OU’s Peden Stadium in Athens, Ohio.
On Saturday our adventure brings us to our 705th game at Wisconsin’s Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin for our first game there. It just so happens that the Badgers (5-4, 3-3) will be hosting the No. 1 Oregon Ducks (10-0, 7-0). Wisconsin got crushed by Iowa two weeks ago. Oregon comes away from a 39-18 win at Maryland. Upset in the making? Can’t imagine, but we will be there for the Saturday night match-up for our first experiences with the Camp Randall “Jump Around” and hopefully a fun Fifth Quarter after the game! To compliment these traditional collegiate experiences, we also booked a tour on Sunday at Lambeau Field while the Green Bay Packers play at Chicago.
Ed. by Steve Koreivo Member of Football Writers Association of America and Author of Fifty Years of Tailgate Tales: The Good, the Fun and the Ugly. Click on the title to get your copy from Amazon.com and submit a book review for us. Thanks!