The South Carolina Gamecocks (5-3, 3-3 SEC) will be looking to become bowl-eligible this week when they travel to Nashville, Tenn. for a battle with the #24/25 Vanderbilt Commodores (6-3, 3-2 SEC). Game time is set for 4:15 pm ET (3:15 pm CT) at FirstBank Stadium (28,934).
OVER THE AIRWAVES: This week’s contest will be televised on the SEC Network. Dave Neal will handle the play-by-play with Aaron Murray providing the color commentary. Ashley ShahAmadi will patrol the sidelines. The Gamecock Sports Radio Network features a pair of Gamecock Great quarterbacks in play-by-play voice Todd Ellis (33rd season) and analyst Tommy Suggs (52nd season). Chet Tucker returns for his second year as the sideline reporter.
HOW WE GOT THIS FAR: The Gamecocks are 5-3 overall and own a 3-3 mark in SEC play. All three of South Carolina’s losses have come to ranked opponents with two of setbacks not decided until the game’s final play. They opened the campaign with a hard-fought 23-19 win over Old Dominion, then dominated Kentucky in the SEC opener, winning by a 31-6 count in Lexington. The Gamecocks were unable to hold onto a 17-0 first half lead in a heartbreaking 36-33 setback to No. 16/17 LSU, then bounced back with a convincing 50-7 rout of Akron to improve to 3-1. The Gamecocks dropped their next two contests to highly-ranked opponents, coming up on the short end of a 27-3 decision to No. 12/11 Ole Miss in Columbia, then suffering another gut wrenching defeat in a 27-25 loss at No. 7/7 Alabama in Tuscaloosa. They have responded with back-to-back wins, first a convincing 35-9 dismantling of Oklahoma in Norman then, after an off week, scoring the game’s final 27 points in a 44-20 win over No. 10/11 Texas A&M.
THEY CALL IT A STREAK: The Gamecocks have won each of the last 15 contests with the Commodores, a streak that started in 2009. South Carolina has outscored Vanderbilt 430-220, or an average of 29-15 during that stretch, including a convincing 47-6 win in Columbia last season.
ROAD WARRIORS: The Gamecocks have logged a pair of impressive road wins this season, posting a 31-6 victory at Kentucky and winning in a 35-9 rout at Oklahoma. They are in search of their third conference road win of the season, something they have not accomplished since 2011 when they won at Georgia, Mississippi State and Tennessee en route to an 11-2 mark overall and a 6-2 SEC record.
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