Five things we learned from South Carolina’s win over Vanderbilt
South Carolina football took care of business this Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium, defeating Vanderbilt 24-7 to move to 4-5 on the season and 3-4 in the SEC. With three games remaining on the schedule, the Gamecocks’ bowl hopes remain slim but alive, though injuries against the Commodores could play a role moving forward. With all of that in mind, here are five things we learned from USC-Vandy.
Ryan Hilinski is solid
For all the angst surrounding South Carolina’s passing game over the past few weeks, freshman quarterback Ryan Hilinski has quietly put together an impressive streak — 167 pass attempts without an interception, the longest active streak in the nation and 10 off the school record held by Connor Shaw.
Taking care of the ball alone would mean Hilinski is doing solid work, but he also put together a strong passing night against Vanderbilt, including a check at the line to connect with Bryan Edwards for a 25-yard touchdown and an easy pitch-and-catch with fellow freshman Xavier Legette for a score. With a renewed focus on short and medium routes that he could connect on, Hilinski completed 77.4% of his attempts, his highest rate since Charleston Southern.
Bryan Edwards drives the Gamecock offense
Of Hilinski’s 31 passes and 24 completions, the majority went to one man — senior receiver Bryan Edwards, who tied the school record with 14 grabs that he took for 139 yards and a score. With No. 2 option Shi Smith out to start the game and targets Nick Muse and Josh Vann leaving partway through, Hilinski went to Edwards again and again, and Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason even admitted the Commodores knew that’s where the ball was going. They just couldn’t stop him.
With much of the focus on Edwards’ pursuit of South Carolina’s career receiving records, it shouldn’t be forgotten that he’s also on pace to have one of the top individual seasons a wide receiver has ever had at USC. While Muschamp and Hilinski still search for options to complement him, Edwards can just about carry the load all by himself.
D-line, run defense step up
With Vanderbilt relying on third-string quarterback Deuce Wallace for most of Saturday’s game, USC’s pass defense put up some gaudy numbers — two interceptions, 76 yards allowed, 3.62 yards per pass attempt.
But shutting down a third-stringer, which the Gamecocks struggled to do last weekend against Tennessee, should be the norm. What was really impressive was how Carolina held Vandy’s top playmaker, senior running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn, in check. He finished the night with 87 yards on 20 attempts, by no means completely shut down, but handled well enough.
All told, Vanderbilt generated 113 rushing yards, the fewest by a South Carolina opponent in six games. Junior Aaron Sterling also had two sacks.
Finishing drives is a struggle
With an average starting field position of their own 39-yard line, the Gamecocks were set up to succeed on Saturday — three drives actually started in Vanderbilt territory. But time and time again, South Carolina failed to take advantage, with the end result being a seven-point lead going into the fourth quarter that could have been much bigger and more secure.
Coach Will Muschamp didn’t mince words describing his team’s short-yardage offense, calling it “abysmal,” and it’s been a problem throughout the year. The Gamecocks rank 93rd nationally in red zone offense and 116th against FBS competition. All those points left on the field wound up not mattering against Vandy, but they could be critical over the next three games.
Injuries reaching critical point
As mentioned above, No. 2 wide receiver Shi Smith missed the game with a hamstring injury. Offensive linemen Jaylen Nichols and Dylan Wonnum and running back Rico Dowdle also did not suit up, and tight end Nick Muse, receiver Josh Vann and running back Tavien Feaster all missed time during the game.
On Sunday, Muschamp announced that Muse had torn his ACL and Vann had broken a bone in his hand, ruling them out for the forseeable future. He also said he expected to get back Smith, Wonnum, Dowdle and senior running back A.J. Turner, among others, for next week’s game against Appalachian State.
Just as concerns about Ryan Hilinski’s health have faded, the Gamecocks are dealing with ailments to every position group around him on the offense. Assuming Muschamp does get back all the players he expects, the Gamecocks will be in decent shape. But if even one or two can’t go, things quickly become dicey.
