Gamecocks look for dominant performance against Vandy
Before the season, South Carolina's offense was billed as the team's saving grace, slated to compensate for a patchwork defense and lead the Gamecocks to victory.
At times this year, the offense has done just that. But South Carolina hasn't managed to blow anybody out this season, and Saturday against Vanderbilt could be the chance to do just that.
"We didn't look too good when we were up there last time," redshirt senior quarterback Dylan Thompson said. "And we're trying to go up there and put on a good show."
There's no way to sugarcoat how the Commodores have looked through three games this season. They've been just plain bad.
Vanderbilt has allowed 109 points in its first three outings, good for 85th in the nation in total defense. And the Commodores' porous defensive unit could open the door for a breakout performance from any number of Gamecocks.
Thompson has quietly amassed the 16th-most passing yards in the country this year with 903, tacking on eight touchdowns in the process. But his eye-popping stats have been masked by the Gamecocks' tendency to take games down to the wire.
After the season-opening loss to Texas A&M and a relatively close battle with East Carolina, Thompson's critics came out of the woodwork, calling for a change. The first-year starter sent many of those naysayers back from whence they came with a three-touchdown performance through the air last week against Georgia, but a statement win against Vanderbilt could propel Thompson back into the good graces of the fans completely.
Thompson could be primed a big night against Vanderbilt, but other signs point to a part-time quarterback having a field day in Nashville, instead.
Sophomore wide receiver Pharoh Cooper has seen action under center this year in the Gamecocks' version of the "wildcat" formation, all part of a concerted effort to get the speedster the ball more often.
"He's an excellent runner with [the ball], as we all know," head coach Steve Spurrier said. "We're still trying to find some ways to get the ball in his hands a little bit more."
With Cooper's combined rushing, receiving and returning stats, the all-purpose man has collected 150 yards total and two touchdowns this season.
"Pharoh's a good player. He can do a lot of things, and it's tough to do it at this level, I think," Thompson said. "He could line up at quarterback — really, at running back and then receiver, too."
The South Carolina offense is filled with established position players. Thompson is the QB-1, Mike Davis and Brandon Wilds will share the load at running back and Shaq Roland, Nick Jones and Rory Anderson will catch the passes.
But Cooper brings a different element to the unit, and he could be exactly what South Carolina needs to turn in that elusive dominant performance against the Commodores.
And the way Thompson sees it, whichever way the Gamecocks get the job done Saturday night — he'll be satisfied as long as the scoreboard is tilted in South Carolina's favor in the end.
"If we've got to run the ball 60 times to win, and I have 50 yards passing, and we win, I'm happy," he said. "At the end of the day, we want to win the SEC East, and this is a big step towards doing that this week."