After last week’s embarrassment against Georgia, who would have thought that the Commodores’ matchup against the South Carolina would have significant consequences in the SEC East race?
Due to the widespread attrition in the first few weeks of conference play, the winner between the 19th-ranked Gamecocks and the Commodores will be in first place in the SEC East and the only team in the division with just two conference losses.
For South Carolina fans, that second SEC loss came far earlier than expected. After knocking off the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide at home two weeks ago, the Gamecocks squandered an 18-point second half lead in Lexington last weekend, falling 31-28 to Kentucky and losing superstar freshman tailback Marcus Lattimore to an ankle injury.
Quarterback Stephen Garcia has had an up-and-down career in Columbia. However, Garcia is beginning to respond to offseason pressure placed upon him by head coach Steve Spurrier, throwing for eight touchdowns over the last three games. Garcia has completed 93-of-133 passes (81 percent completion rate) for 1,326 yards and 10 touchdowns with a passer-efficiency rating (171.0) that is fifth-best in the nation.
Garcia, although he is not being used as much in the run game this year as in years past, knows how to break down a defense with his legs. Over his career, he has 429 yards rushing and eight rushing touchdowns. Vanderbilt has had a significant amount of problems containing running quarterbacks, allowing Northwestern’s Dan Persa to run for 82 yards and Mississippi’s Jeremiah Masoli to rush for 104 yards and a touchdown. The key for Garcia is to get into a rhythm early, as he tends to get a bit flustered by slow starts, and to protect the football. Garcia has thrown five interceptions on the year, with two of them coming last week against Kentucky.
His main target on Saturday will be 6-foot-4-inch sophomore wide receiver Alshon Jeffrey. Jeffrey has made several good cornerbacks look bad this year, shredding the Auburn secondary for 192 yards and two touchdowns and the Alabama secondary for 127 yards and two touchdowns.
Despite last week’s struggles against Georgia’s wideouts, the Vanderbilt secondary has been tremendous. Junior Casey Hayward shares the SEC lead with four interceptions and tops the conference with eight defensed passes. Hayward will be asked to lock down the dangerous Jeffrey, who is averaging seven catches and 115 yards per game. Overall, the Commodores' pass defense ranks 31st in the nation, allowing a mere 187 passing yards per game.
Part of the reason for Garcia’s solid year is the addition of a very strong rushing attack. Sophomore Kenny Miles was South Carolina's leading rusher a season ago with 626 yards. Miles has only rushed in two games this year, and both appearances were in the fourth quarter of blowout victories. Despite Lattimore’s projected absence, the Commodores can’t sleep on the rushing game, as Miles put up 102 yards on the ground in last year’s meeting between the two teams, a 14-10 South Carolina victory.
If Vanderbilt wants to keep this game close, they must shut down the rushing game and, for the first time all season, put Garcia in a situation where he doesn’t have a top running back to lean on and must carry the team.
If the Commodores fail to run the ball well themselves, it will only be a matter of time before defensive end Devin Taylor (4.5 sacks) and his teammates have Larry Smith on his back. Vanderbilt’s commitment to the run will be tested by South Carolina’s defense, which has been stout against the run, ranking 14th in the nation. Smith should be able to use play action to take advantage of the same young Gamecock secondary that allowed Kentucky’s Mike Hartline to throw for a career-high 349 yards last weekend. If the Commodores follow this game plan and execute, then they have a shot at being competitive entering the fourth quarter.
