The South Carolina football team beat the Vanderbilt Commodores 28-7 Saturday night at FirstBank Stadium, giving the Gamecocks bowl eligibility after missing a bowl game in 2023.
Turnover struggles were still at hand on the Gamecock offense with a fumble caused by lack of ball control by redshirt freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers in the first quarter, putting Vanderbilt in the Redzone. The Gamecocks were able to recover a fumble of its own two plays later, when fifth-year edge rusher Kyle Kennard recovered a fumble from Vanderbilt graduate student quarterback Diego Pavia.
The only points scored in the first half were by the Gamecocks two minutes into the second quarter with Sellers throwing a 17-yard touchdown pass to fifth-year tight end Joshua Simon.
To start off the second half, two plays in, Sellers threw a 51-yard pass to redshirt junior wide receiver Jared Brown after facing heavy pressure in the pocket. This play set up fifth-year running back Raheim Sanders with a 33-yard rushing touchdown.
With eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, Sanders got a 43-yard screen pass which resulted in a touchdown. Sanders finished with three touchdowns during the night, the most he has scored in a game this season.
Time of possession was going to be a challenge for the Gamecocks since Vanderbilt was leading the SEC in time of possession, but head coach Shane Beamer said the team had a game plan regarding getting Vanderbilt off the field.
“We talked about it that we need to stay on the field," Beamer said. "This is going to be critical ... we can’t be putting these guys back on the field.”
South Carolina gained bowl eligibility with this win, and the last time the team was bowl eligible was when it played against Vanderbilt in 2021.
“I’d say it’s extra special," Beamer said. "Just coming off the season that we had last year, and very few people ... certainly didn’t have us winning six games.”
Versatile rushing attack
The Gamecocks started off with a strong run game, with multiple players involved. Sanders, sixth-year running-back Oscar Adaway III and Sellers all contributed to the early success of the running game. Sanders ended with 126 yards rushing, with two of his three touchdowns coming on the ground.
Adaway had solid contributions of his own, rushing for 34 yards on eight attempts, including an impressive 11-yard carry to give South Carolina momentum in the second quarter. Sellers also showed some dynamic rushing of his own, rushing for 38 yards on 13 carries.
Passing game led to a strong two-way attack
South Carolina's passing game also displayed its strength. Sellers ended the night with 238 yards passing on only 14 attempts with two touchdowns. His ability to extend plays led to many wide-open passes.
Sellers was able to find a variety of different receivers during the game. Sanders, Brown, Simon and sophomore wide receiver Nick Harbor all had at least 40 yards receiving in the air, while senior wide receiver Gage Larvadain had 34 yards receiving of his own.
Beamer said he was relieved in getting a screen pass touchdown and doing well with screen passes.
“We knew we needed to get better at our screen game," Beamer said. "It was good to see us finally pop one tonight.”
Defense faced adversity with strong depth
The South Carolina defensive line stepped up due to Kennard and fifth-year defensive tackle Tonka Hemingway going down with four minutes left in the first quarter. They were able to come back, but were substituted out consistently during the game. Freshman edge rusher Dylan Stewart went down later in the game as well.
Beamer said, compared to last season, the defense had more depth, allowing its members to rotate throughout the game with little issue.
“Kudos to our guys to be able to step up," Beamer said. "We knew that was an issue last year ... just a lack of depth on the defensive line. We knew we needed to get more depth, and we did."
The Gamecocks' defensive line stopped Vanderbilt’s quarterback, Diego Pavia, ability to extend plays. The South Carolina defense ended with two sacks, eight pass breakups and a forced fumble.
What's next?
South Carolina (6-3, 4-3 SEC) will continue conference play on Nov. 16 at home in Williams-Brice Stadium against the Missouri Tigers at 4:15 p.m.