The South Carolina Gamecocks stayed alive in the SEC East race with a win over Vanderbilt.

The Gamecocks still face an uphill battle and remain a long shot to take down the Georgia Bulldogs. Still, a loss to Vanderbilt would have all but ended South Carolina’s chances of getting to Atlanta. A win kept their thin hopes alive in what is turning out to be another crazy and unpredictable year in college football.

It turned into a bit of a shootout between the two teams, and the Gamecocks were able to survive behind the performances of QB Jake Bentley and RB A.J. Turner.

On the other hand, Vanderbilt has now fallen to 3-5 overall and is still looking for its first SEC win of the season. The Commodores have lost five straight after starting the season with three straight wins.

What I liked

  • The performance of Vanderbilt QB Kyle Shurmur. Shurmur completed 27 of 49 passes for 333 yards, 4 TDs, and an interception. His work through the air kept the Commodores in the game all afternoon long after losing star RB Ralph Webb to injury.
  • Turner’s work on the ground for the Gamecocks. Turner finished with 15 carries for 121 yards and a touchdown and allowed South Carolina to control the game in the second half. It was Turner’s second career game with 100 yards rushing. He also added four catches for 24 yards.
  • Bentley’s leadership with the offense. Bentley completed 19 of 29 passes 174 yards and a TD while adding 47 yards and two more touchdowns on the ground. His ability to not turn the ball over while contributing through the air and on the ground was huge for South Carolina.
  • The versatility of Vanderbilt’s Kalija Lipscomb. The sophomore receiver had seven catches for 128 yards and a TD and recorded one carry for 11 yards. It was Lipscomb’s first career 100-yard receiving game, and the seven catches establishes a new career high.

What I didn’t like

  • Kicking struggles for both teams. Vanderbilt’s Tommy Openshaw had a PAT blocked following the Commodores second touchdown of the while South Carolina’s Parker White missed from 47 yards out.  He did make two field goals, but White is now 9 for 17 on the year with five misses from 40 or more yards out.
  • The loss of Webb for Vanderbilt. It was unclear what exactly happened to Webb, but he was forced to leave and unable to return. He had six carries for 31 yards before his injury. The Commodores did a nice job of adjusting to his absence, but it would be a big blow if Webb misses more time.
  • More targeting confusion. Vanderbilt wound up losing two defenders, Zaire Jones and Charles Wright, to targeting calls, but the call on Wright drew a lot of criticism as it appeared to be a clean hit. A later play in the game that was not flagged saw a Vanderbilt defender lead with his shoulder to the helmet of a sliding Bentley. Player safety is extremely important, but it is equally important for officials to get these targeting calls accurate.

The Commodores will return home next Saturday to take on Western Kentucky. Kickoff is set for 12 pm EST on ESPNU.

South Carolina will travel to Athens next Saturday to take on the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs. Kickoff is set for 3:30 pm EST on CBS.