Gameday Guide: South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt game details, TV info, depth chart

South Carolina hits the road again for a tilt against the Kentucky Wildcats aiming to break a four-game skid. Here’s what you need to know about the game:

Game info

Who: South Carolina (2-1, 1-1 SEC) at Kentucky (4-0, 2-0)

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: Kroger Field (39,790)

Series history: South Carolina leads 23-4. The Gamecocks have won nine in a row but rarely by large margins.

TV: SEC Network (Taylor Zarzour, play-by-play; Matt Stinchcomb, analysis; Kris Budden, sideline)

Radio: 107.5 FM (Todd Ellis, play-by-play; Tommy Suggs, analysis; Langston Moore, sideline) ... See all the radio affiliates around the state here.

Satellite radio: Sirius 106/XM 384

Line: South Carolina by 2 1/2

Weather: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Cloudy, with a high near 78. North wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent.

What’s at stake

The Gamecocks will be looking to bounce back after taking a bad loss to Georgia and then having an extra week to stew about it because Hurricane Florence canceled the Marshall game.

Games in this series have been inconsistent, but it might be a chance to see the USC offense get on track after some struggles against the Bulldogs.

For Vanderbilt, this might be a chance to prove they’re not the team of last season. The Commodores almost beat Notre Dame last week, but a season ago watched a promising start come apart with a 2-7 finish.

The teams, by the numbers

South Carolina players to watch

1. Gamecocks tailback Rico Dowdle took some flack for the way things went against Georgia, as USC’s run game was stonewalled and Will Muschamp called out his backs several times. This will be the first time he’s faced the Commodores and a chance to perhaps see him get into a rhythm.

2. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel was projected to be a big-time game-changing force for the Gamecocks this season. Thus far, he’s got 89 yards on 13 receptions in two games and hasn’t shown the explosiveness he’s capable of.

3. Cornerback Rashad Fenton is in a bit of a revenge spot. A season ago, he was on the wrong end of several of Kalija Lipscomb’s seven catches for 128 yards in Columbia. Lipscomb is back and still the top Commodore target, while Fenton has five tackles and one interception this season.

Vanderbilt players to watch

1. Vanderbilt quarterback Kyle Shurmur produced modest numbers (428 yards, four touchdowns) during Vandy’s 2-0 start, but it all came without a turnover. Faced with his biggest challenge of the season, Shurmur’s steady play continued against Notre Dame (26 of 43, 326 yards, TD, INT). The four-year starter is as experienced as any QB in the SEC.

2. Shurmur’s favorite target is Kalija Lipscomb. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound junior leads the SEC with 25 receptions, including an 11-grab, 89-yard performance against the Fighting Irish.

3. Vandy linebacker Charles Wright was ejected for targeting Jake Bentley in last season’s game. The SEC’s co-leader in sacks through the 2017 regular season is still looking for his first sack in ‘18. The Commodore defense is allowing just 12.7 points per game.

South Carolina depth chart

This story was originally published September 20, 2018 at 10:32 AM.