Final thoughts, prediction for South Carolina’s road trip to Vanderbilt
Pack your cowboy hats and flip on some George Strait — it’s Vanderbilt week, y’all.
South Carolina (5-3, 2-3 SEC) heads to Nashville on Saturday (7:30 p.m., SEC Network) to take on a much-improved Vanderbilt team (3-5, 0-4 SEC) following last week’s dismal home loss to Missouri.
Head coach Shane Beamer insists his team is moving forward after being dropped from The Associated Press Top 25 one week after it re-entered for the first time in four years.
Beamer spent the bulk of the week, and rightfully so, answering questions about the offense, its inability to find consistency and the potential future of offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield.
The Gamecocks turned in the second-worst yardage of the Beamer era last week vs. the Tigers. Running back MarShawn Lloyd’s bruised thigh that forced him to miss the second half of the contest and has him questionable for Saturday’s contest was a big reason why.
Lloyd has been one of the few consistent presences on a South Carolina offense that is anything but. He averaged almost 115 yards per game over USC’s four-game win streak. His nine rushing touchdowns also rank second among running backs in the Southeastern Conference, behind only Ole Miss’ Quinshon Judkins.
South Carolina could also stand to get a big game from quarterback Spencer Rattler.
Rattler hasn’t been a complete bust, but he has yet to really show the talent that made him one of the most sought-after players in the transfer portal over the previous cycle. He’s completing just 64% of his passes and his nine interceptions are the most among SEC quarterbacks averaging at least 15 throws per game.
Don’t be surprised if Rattler finds at least a few targets for do-it-all tight end Jaheim Bell, either. Bell played only nine snaps a week ago against Missouri, drawing scrutiny of how one of the Gamecocks’ most dynamic playmakers has, or hasn’t, been used this season.
The USC defense should also have its hands full against a Vanderbilt offense that has vastly improved in its second year under head coach Clark Lea. Freshman AJ Swann has supplanted incumbent starter Mike Wright during the season and figures to start, if he’s healthy.
Swann, a fringe four-star prospect in the class of 2022, was initially committed to Maryland before siding with Vanderbilt. He’s largely avoided any egregious mistakes and has an 8-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio through seven appearances.
The Commodores do still rank last in the SEC in total offense, but are averaging 30 more yards per game than a year ago and nearly a full yard more per play.
South Carolina has dominated the annual series of SEC East foes, owning a 27-4 edge all-time. Last year’s meeting necessitated a last-second touchdown pass from Zeb Noland to Xavier Legette for the Gamecocks to escape with a win. Besides that, USC averaged a 24.6-point margin of victory the previous three meetings.
Questions swirled all week whether Satterfield might be stripped of his play-calling duties after another wayward effort in two seasons’ worth of them. If the Gamecocks don’t show up Saturday, Beamer may not have any other choice than an immediate shift — though he’s pretty clearly indicated any staffing decisions will come after the season.
South Carolina blew a chance at bowl eligibility and capitalizing on a month of momentum last week. It can’t afford a slip-up on Saturday — and I’ll give Beamer and his staff the benefit of the doubt.
Giddy up.
— Prediction: South Carolina 28, Vanderbilt 18 —
This story was originally published November 5, 2022 at 7:00 AM.
