Can South Carolina’s defense shut down Diego Pavia for second straight season?
No. 11 South Carolina’s coaches are trying their darndest not to poke the bear. Going out of their away to avoid any phrase that may be taken as a slight to either Vanderbilt (2-0) or its quarterback, Diego Pavia.
Multiples times this week, Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer has said this is the best Vanderbilt team he’s coached against.
Which might be true.
What is also true: No teams should be feeling more confident about playing the Commodores in 2025 than South Carolina.
As Vanderbilt rose out of the pit of despair last season, leaning on Pavia en route to a 7-6 record, you surely think about the stunning upset of No.1 Alabama.
But Vandy also only lost to Missouri in double overtime. It came within three points of knocking off Texas. It lost to LSU by just a touchdown. Heck, it was even up double-digits on Tennessee before losing by 13.
There was no close call, however, against South Carolina. On a rainy day in Nashville, the Gamecocks left no hope for some Pavia miracle.
South Carolina beat Vandy 28-7. It was the fewest points the Commodores scored in any game last season.
And Pavia — Vanderbilt’s brash quarterback who was sensational in fourth quarters last year — was neutralized. Against USC, he threw the ball 31 times for 166 yards while running for 65 yards and a score.
So, as the Gamecocks (2-0) prepare to take on Vanderbilt Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium, the question is can South Carolina’s defense shut down Pavia and the Commodores offense again?
“Obviously they’re doing a really good job on offense,” said Gamecocks defensive coordinator Clayton White. “They’re very balanced. (Pavia) is a playmaker.” He’s also a talker.
Earlier this summer, the Vanderbilt quarterback was on the podcast, ‘Bussin’ With The Boys,’ and at one point said he had the South Carolina game circled in 2025.
It’s unclear why — perhaps because the Gamecocks handed Vandy its biggest beating of the season.
In any case, South Carolina’s players and coaches are aware of the quote. Whether they choose to use it as motivation is yet to be seen.
“We get motivated internally here,” White said. “We don’t need other things to get us going here.”
If the Gamecocks don’t need quotes to get juiced for this matchup, perhaps the Virginia Tech comparison will do it.
In the season-opener, South Carolina hung 24 points on Virginia Tech in Atlanta. A week later in Blacksburg, Vanderbilt rushed for over 260 yards in a 44-20 rout of the Hokies.
If you choose to strictly look results against common opponents, it would be easy to make an argument for Vanderbilt on Saturday.
But, then again, this is also a South Carolina defense that didn’t allow a single touchdown to the Hokies. That hasn’t allowed 200 rushing yards since 2013. That, over the past two years, has always met the moment and given USC a chance to win.
There’s no need to poke the bear with a track record like that.
This story was originally published September 11, 2025 at 8:15 AM.
