USC-Vanderbilt report card: Gamecocks efficient while facing attrition in spots
South Carolina football earned a much-needed 24-7 win against the Vanderbilt Commodores in Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday. With the Gamecocks moving to 4-5 on the season, it’s time to grade the Gamecocks.
Quarterbacks: Two guys got in. Ryan Hilinski hit 77 percent of his passes. There wasn’t much in the way of plays longer than 20 yards, but considering the attrition at receiver and tight end, it was pretty good. Grade: A-
Running backs: Deshaun Fenwick delivered a 100-yard game and Kevin Harris got work after missing much of the season following ligament surgery. Tavien Feaster battled through a groin issue for a modest day. A Mon Denson fumble was a bad mark against the group. Grade: B+
Wide receiver: Bryan Edwards matched the program record for catches and had 139 yards, plus lost a few more plays because of penalties. Xavier Legette got more work without Shi Smith and Josh Vann had one nice play. Grade: B+
Tight end: Nick Muse made one nice play and was lost for the game. Kyle Markway had one good catch but also a penalty that wiped out a nice gain. Grade: B-
Offensive line: The rushing numbers overall weren’t top flight, but USC gave up one hurry and no sacks despite a third-string right tackle, which generally feels like a solid outcome. Grade: B
Defensive line: The Gamecocks usually got penetration and kept a lid on the best part of the Vandy offense, Ke’Shawn Vaughn. Aaron Sterling also contributed a pair of sacks. Grade: A-
Linebackers:: Ernest Jones had a quiet night, though he did get a get third-down pressure. T.J. Brunson snagged his first career interception and Sherrod Greene and Daniel Fennell were solid. Grade: B+
Secondary: This group had two drive extending penalties on the opening TD march for Vandy, and there were a few dicey moments that didn’t hurt USC in the end. That said, they allowed 76 yards on 21 passes which is deeply absurd. Grade: A-
Special teams: Bryan Edwards broke off a couple nice punt returns. Shi Smith was hurt so the kick return game didn’t do much. Not too much was asked of the kickers. Grade: C+
Coaching: The offense got all sorts of funky as it played mismatch with available talent. The defense got its act together after a rough start, albeit against a not great opponent. Grade: B+
Overall: South Carolina needed to take care of business. It wasn’t pretty, but it wasn’t a win without much stress. Grade: B
