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Raise your hand if you thought at beginning of the season that Vanderbilt at South Carolina would be a marquee matchup in Week 7. History will be made in Columbia when the Gamecocks play their first contest since 2004 without Steve Spurrier at the helm.
Here are five players/coaches to keep an eye on when the Gamecocks (2-4, 0-4 SEC) play host to the Commodores (2-3, 0-2):
1. Former South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier: It’s impossible not to mention the Head Ball Coach here. By all accounts, South Carolina and Vanderbilt aren’t making the postseason, meaning the first game in Columbia without Spurrier is essentially the biggest moment and story line of the Gamecocks’ year. Spurrier is the George Washington equivalent on South Carolina’s Mount Rushmore and his absence certainly will be felt. The beginning of the Shawn Elliott era means that Spurrier’s final win as a Gamecock came against Central Florida on Sept. 26, the same program he beat for his first victory on Sept. 1, 2005. Spurrier was 86-49 during his time at South Carolina. He finished 5-4 in bowl games, but won his final four postseason matchups. It will seem strange Saturday in Columbia without Spurrier around.
2. South Carolina interim coach Shawn Elliott: Elliott takes over as the Interim Ball Coach after serving as the team’s co-offensive coordinator specializing in the offensive line. The former Appalachian State coach was in charge of the Gamecocks running backs from 2010-12 — a period that saw Marcus Lattimore rush for 2,677 yards. South Carolina has struggled at times this year to establish the run, but the Gamecocks offensive line is better than perceived. Elliott’s group is third in the SEC in adjusted line yards, a statistic that aims to separate a running back from the offensive line. A score of 100 is considered average. South Carolina has a 120.8 score. By comparison, Vanderbilt’s line clocks in at 87.6, second-worst in the SEC. Elliott has experience running the ball, which will be critical considering the Gamecocks’ struggles in the air this season.
“I was very excited,” Gamecock senior OT Mike Matulis said upon hearing of Elliott’s hire, via gamecocksonline.com. “I have a lot of respect for coach Elliott. He brings such passion to the team, as you guys can see every Saturday. You can see it in his eyes that he’s just as fired up as anyone else. He brings that passion and fire to everybody on the team.”
3. South Carolina DE Marquavius Lewis: Lewis finally registered the big game the Gamecocks had been waiting for from the Hutchinson Community College-transfer. The junior defensive end led South Carolina with 9 tackles and a quarterback hurry in Week 6 against LSU and also recorded his first sack. Lewis is the fourth Gamecock to lead the team in tackles this season, joining LB Skai Moore, SPUR T.J. Gurley and SS Jordan Diggs. For Lewis, he’s racked up at least 8 tackles in each of the past two games after making only 7 tackles total in his first four games.
4. Vanderbilt QB Johnny McCrary: McCrary has a bit of a flair for the dramatic, with several late-game flourishes this season. The Commodores haven’t always come out on the winning end, but McCrary and Vandy have shown some fight. McCrary is fifth in the SEC in passing with 1,251 yards this season, fifth-most in Vanderbilt history for a sophomore. McCrary and the offense have posted 400-plus yards in three of their five games. South Carolina has given up 220.3 YPG in the air this season. Mccrory, a redshirt sophomore, likes to spread the ball around, connecting with at least seven different receivers in all five games. His favorite target is Trent Sherfield. The duo has combined for 465 yards, third-most in the SEC, and two touchdowns — the first which came in the final seconds of Vanderbilt’s season-opener against Western Kentucky. Unfortunately, the Commodores missed the game-tying 2-point conversion and lost.
5. South Carolina special teams: Special teams continue to be a strength for the Gamecocks. Elliott Fry continues to move up the South Carolina record books. The place-kicker hit a 21-yard field goal and 3 PATs against LSU in Week 6 to move into third on the program’s all-time scoring list with 248 points, three behind former kicker Ryan Succop. Fry’s next PAT will give him 117 for his career and tie him with Scott Hagler (1983-86) for the most in school history. Only a junior, Fry has a chance to come back next season and put some distance between himself and a long list of quality Gamecock kickers.
Rashad Fenton scored the longest touchdown of the year for South Carolina with a 96-yard scoring scamper against LSU. It was the longest kickoff return for a touchdown since Matthew Thomas took one 95 yards at Virginia on Sept. 7, 2002. The freshman cornerback Fenton finished the game with two returns for 118 all-purpose yards to lead the team.
Chris Wuensch is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers South Carolina and Tennessee.
