Vanderbilt at South Carolina Lines

This Saturday the 3-0 South Carolina Gamecocks host one of the biggest surprises of the young football season, the 3-0 Vanderbilt Commodores in SEC play.  Looking at the latest betting lines for the game, the Gamecocks are favored by 16 points and the total has been posted at an even 52 points.  South Carolina owns a 16-4 all-time record in the series, including a 21-7 victory last season.

Vanderbilt has already eclipsed their win total from last season, in which they finished just 2-10.  With a 30-7 win over Ole Miss last weekend, they’ve also matched their wins in SEC play from last season (1-7).  The point is, this is a much-improved football team.

The Commodores are averaging 33 points and 318.3 yards per game though their first three contest.  Most of their damage has been done on the ground, posting 177 rushing yards per game and averaging over five yards per carry as a team.

Vandy’s defense has also improved, giving up just 14 points and 250 total yards per game.  This unit was extremely opportunistic in the big win over Ole Miss last week, picking off five passes and recording a safety.

South Carolina has had some early-season scares (East Carolina and Army), but they’ve managed to pull together late and walk away with victories.  Their offense has been incredibly productive, averaging 41.7 points and 401.3 yards per game.  Running back Marcus Lattimore has been integral in all of the Gamecock’s victories, but was the hero last week against Army, turning in and amazing 246-yard three-touchdown performance.  Meanwhile, quarterback Stephen Garcia has been rather careless with the ball, tossing three interceptions so far this year to just two touchdowns, though it is worth adding that he has also contributed by running for three scores.

The Gamecocks will need to shore up their defense before they start serious SEC play.  They’ve given up 372 yards per game and over 30 points per game so far this season.  This unit has come up big when they’ve needed them to, but they must be more consistent on this side of the ball if they want to make a possible run at the SEC title.

Predictions

Vanderbilt’s start is a great story, but they are outmatched all over the field in this game.  South Carolina has certainly had some issues early in games, but they’ve now had three games to help jell units on both sides of the ball.  I think it’s time for Vandy to come back to reality.  The Gamecocks roll.

Final Score Prediction:  South Carolina 35, Vanderbilt 14