FYN Football Forum: South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt Preview

Opinion

The college football season is now just hours away from officially kicking off, which makes this the perfect time to debut FYN’s football forum. The forum’s main focus for the season will be to give the readers a close look into Southeastern Conference football, which will include previews and reviews of the week’s biggest conference games along with breaking news concerning any of the fourteen members of the conference.

This week’s game to watch is the first conference game of the season featuring the Vanderbilt Commodores and the #9 South Carolina Gamecocks. Before we breakdown the actual matchup that fans will see at 7:00 p.m. Thursday on ESPN, let’s take a look at some of particulars of this meeting.
History: South Carolina has won 3 of the last 5 meetings and holds a 17-4 record all-time against Vanderbilt. Last year’s game saw the Gamecocks prevail 21-3.

Location: Vanderbilt Stadium (39,773 capacity)

Now on to what factors will decide whether the Gamecocks move a step closer to making some noise on the national level or if the Commodores pull off a huge Week 1 upset.

Key matchup: Vanderbilt’s O-Line vs. South Carolina’s D-Line. The Gamecocks’ defensive line shined last season, as they were an integral part of a defense that recorded 31 sacks and gave up just 268 yards per game—good enough for third in FBS. While this unit has lost Marvin Ingram and Travian Robertson, it will be interesting to see if superstar sophomore JaDaveon Clowney and the rest of the line has any issues bull-rushing past a ‘Dores line that gave up a little over two sacks per game last year.

Key player: Jordan Rodgers, Vanderbilt QB. It can’t be easy being the little brother of Mr. Discount Double Check himself, but Rodgers has shown from time to time that Aaron’s play-making ability may run in the family. Jordan’s major issue during his time at Vandy has been throwing interceptions, as he threw ten INTs last year compared to just nine TDs in his first season as signal caller last season. South Carolina is not the kind of team that will let you get away with many—if any—mistakes, and if Rodgers throws more than one interception in this one you can bet that the ‘Dores’ chances of winning will be sunk.

Game Prediction

Vanderbilt will come out fired up at the start of this game, as they will get the ball to start the game and finish off the opening drive of the season with a touchdown via a 16 yard pass from Rodgers to wide receiver Jordan Matthews. The Gamecocks soon respond with a touchdown drive of their own, piecing together a 12-play, 83 yard drive that is captivated with a 6-yard touchdown scamper by recovered running back Marcus Lattimore.

The next drive will prove to be the game-decider for the Commodores, as a fumbled snap is recovered by South Carolina, which leads to a quick 36-yard drive that ends with an eight yard touchdown pass from Gamecocks QB Connor Shaw to tight end Justice Cunningham.

The next Vanderbilt possession stalls out after three plays, and another touchdown drive by South Carolina gives the Gamecocks the momentum, something they never relinquish in this one. The Commodores keep fighting, but it just isn’t enough against the SC squad.

Final Stats Prediction

Passing
Connor Shaw finishes the game with 16 completions on 24 attempts with 180 yards passing and 2 TDs.
Jordan Rodgers has a bit of a tough game to start the year, competing 14 passes on 27 attempts for 128 yards with 2 INTs.

Rushing
Marcus Lattimore shows everyone that the injury that sidelined him last season has healed and that he’s better than ever, as he racks up 112 yards on 15 carries in the victory.
Although he won’t get as much recognition as his halfback adversary, Zac Stacy has a respectable day, finishing the game with 17 carries for 92 yards.

Receiving
Ace Sanders leads the Gamecocks in receiving in this one, racking up seven catches for 72 yards.
Jordan Matthews helps the Commodores avoid getting blown out, coming down with 9 receptions for 81 yards and two touchdowns.

FINAL SCORE Vanderbilt 17, South Carolina 31

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