15 things you might have missed as South Carolina toppled Vanderbilt

1. The streak rolls on

The Gamecocks used a hot start in both halves to roll to the 37-14 victory after missing a game because of a hurricane. It runs South Carolina’s streak in the series to 10 games, and helped wash away the taste of a loss to Georgia.

2. The downhill lifestyle

After a contest when the USC ground game struggled, the Gamecocks line and backs got going in a big way. South Carolina ran for 273 yards, the most since an FCS game in 2016. Rico Dowdle led the way with 112 yards, while A.J. Turner added 64 yards and Ty’Son Williams had 48.

3. The up-and-coming receiver

Shi Smith showed flashes through his freshman season, and he tormented the Commodores. He caught passes of 38 (a touchdown) and 52 yards on the way to 119 of Jake Bentley’s 261 yards.

4. Kinlaw Kong

For stretches, Vanderbilt simply couldn’t block Gamecocks defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw. Twice he got to Vandy QB Kyle Schurmur and separated him from the ball. Throw in another tackle for loss and a batted pass for Kinlaw, and that’s without playing the fourth quarter following an injury scare (Will Muschamp said he should be fine).

5. The freshmen

South Carolina’s first road game meant bringing fewer freshmen. The group that traveled likely project as the core group that will play this season: R.J. Roderick, Josh Vann, Jaycee Horn, Israel Mukuamu, Kingsley Enagbare, Rick Sandidge. Redshirt freshmen that played were Jaylin Dickerson, Eric Douglas, Jordan Rhodes, M.J. Webb.

6. The missing stalwart

Top cornerback Rashad Fenton had a nice interception, but missed much of the game with what Muschamp called a deep thigh bruise. Jaycee Horn moved outside, and Jamyest Williams filled in at nickel.

7. The defensive performance

Shurmur completed only 47.3 percent of his passes on the day. South Carolina held three teams (Florida, Michigan, Missouri) to lower marks last season.

8. The crowd

South Carolina had a sizable majority of the 26,078 fans at Vanderbilt Stadium. That’s the smallest crowd the Gamecocks have played in front of since a 1983 game at Duke.

9. The injuries

Outside Fenton and Kinlaw, a few other Gamecocks got dinged up. Tailback Rico Dowdle had a shoulder stinger act up. K.C. Crosby hurt a finger. Eldridge Thompson was reportedly spotted in a sling at the end of the game.

10. The former starter

OrTre Smith started 10 games in 2017 in place on an injured Deebo Samuel. According to the participation chart, he didn’t play Saturday, the first time in his career he hasn’t played. Will Muschamp said Sunday he’s dealing with a genetic knee issue.

11. The lightning delay

A lightning strike delayed the game for 39 minutes in the middle of the third quarter. It hit at 5:29 p.m. CDT local time.

12. The captains

USC went with only three captains, instead of the usual four, with T.J. Brunson, Daniel Fennell and Bryan Edwards.

13. The first-time starter

Defensive tackle Kobe Smith made his first career start, as Keir Thomas moved outside to end for much of the game. The Gamecocks tried to get more size on the field against a Vanderbilt team that likes to run downhill.

14. The return

Running back Mon Denson played for the first time this season and scored a touchdown

15. The next step (and a different streak)

South Carolina now must turn its attention toward a Kentucky squad that has both taken the past four meetings and broke into the rankings this week. The Wildcats are 4-0 with a power-rushing offense led by Benny Snell (540 yards, seven touchdowns). They’re coming off an upset of ranked Mississippi State.

This story was originally published September 23, 2018 at 11:15 PM.