The SEC’s second-leading receiver, Trent Sherfield (465 yards, 2 TDs), will be on display when the Vanderbilt Commodores play the South Carolina Gamecocks. While this season hasn’t gone as hoped for Vanderbilt (2-3), they have shown signs of life in recent weeks, winning two of their last three. The game will begin Saturday, Oct 17 at 4:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on SECN.
South Carolina was blown out by LSU 45-24 last week. Pharoh Cooper had a big game in the loss, totaling seven receptions for 105 yards and one TD. Vanderbilt is hoping for another victory like its last game, when it beat Middle Tennessee 17-13. Ralph Webb had an outstanding performance on the ground for the Commodores, rushing for 155 yards and one TD on 25 carries. Trent Sherfield finished with 63 receiving yards on six receptions.
The Gamecocks, a seven-point favorite, will be looking to defend their home field when Vanderbilt visits. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is currently unavailable.
Heading into Week 7 of the college football season, the Gamecocks are 2-4 for both Straight Up (SU) and Against The Spread (ATS). When it comes to defending the pass, South Carolina is one of the best in the country, only giving up 10.5 yards per passing attempt. One of the keys to the game will be whether the Gamecocks can take advantage of Vanderbilt’s knack for throwing picks. They rank 119th in the nation in interceptions thrown with 1.6 per game. Don’t anticipate many blunders or oversights from South Carolina. The Gamecocks are one of the least penalized teams in Division I (17th), averaging only 4.7 penalties per game.
Across the field, the Commodores are a good bet so far, with a respectable record of 3-1-1 ATS. Their SU record, 2-3, hasn’t been quite as good. The Commodores like to keep the ball in the air. On average, they pass 39.2 times per game. Switching gears to the Vanderbilt defense, it has some favorable matchups that it may be able to take advantage of as well. Vanderbilt’s 20th-ranked run defense has given its competition difficulty. Opponents have only run for 107.6 yards per game against this intimidating unit. Vanderbilt tends to control the time of possession during games, averaging a time of 33:07 for 18th in the country.
Predictions: SU Winner – Vanderbilt, ATS Winner – Vanderbilt
Notes
South Carolina is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games.
South Carolina is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of South Carolina’s last 10 games.
South Carolina is 20-5 SU in its last 25 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of South Carolina’s last 6 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of South Carolina’s last 8 games when playing Vanderbilt.
South Carolina is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Vanderbilt.
South Carolina is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Vanderbilt.
South Carolina is 1-4-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt is 1-1 SU when leading at halftime this season.
Remarkably, South Carolina is winless (0-2 SU) in games where it comes out ahead in the turnover battle, yet undefeated (2-0 SU) when losing the turnover battle.
According to national passing ranks, Vanderbilt has an advantage on both offense and defense. Its passing attack (ranked 37th in the nation) will face the 65th-ranked pass defense of South Carolina, while its 59th-ranked pass defense will look to limit the 107th-ranked passing game of the Gamecocks.
