South-Carolina
Vanderbilt vs. South Carolina by the numbers
Vanderbilt (2-8, 0-6) at South Carolina (3-6, 1-5)
11 a.m. CST Saturday (SEC Network)
Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina
0 Teams in the nation have played a tougher schedule so far this season than South Carolina has, according to the NCAA ratings. The Gamecocks’ NCAA FBS opponents have a collective winning percentage of .726 against their NCAA FBS opponents in 2023.
8 Teams in the nation have averaged fewer rushing yards per game than Vanderbilt, which has averaged 93.5. One of those teams is South Carolina, which has averaged 86.4 rushing yards per game in 2023. The Vanderbilt defense ranks last in the SEC this season by allowing an average of 180.0 rushing yards per game. South Carolina has allowed 146.9 rushing yards per game in 2023.
8 Consecutive Vanderbilt games have included at least 30 points for the Commodores’ opponent, the longest such streak in SEC history. By losing to Auburn 31-15 last week, the Commodores moved past seven-game streaks by Vanderbilt in the 1978 season and Tennessee in the 2012 season. Before losing to Auburn, the Commodores lost to Wake Forest 36-20, UNLV 40-37, Kentucky 45-28, Missouri 38-21, Florida 38-14, Georgia 37-20 and Ole Miss 33-7.
8 TD receptions for Vanderbilt WR Will Sheppard this season. Sheppard had nine TD receptions in the 2022 campaign. No Vanderbilt player has had nine or more TD receptions in more than one season. Sheppard is among seven Vanderbilt players who have had at least nine TD receptions in a single season.
12 TD passes in four home games and two TD passes in five away games for South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler this season. In 2023, Rattler has completed 93-of-115 passes for 1,345 yards with 12 TDs and two interceptions at home and 119-of-189 passes for 1,171 yards with two TDs and four interceptions in five games away from Williams-Brice Stadium. The Gamecocks have played Furman, Mississippi State, Florida and Jacksonville State at home, Georgia, Tennessee, Missouri and Texas A&M on the road and North Carolina in Charlotte, North Carolina. Rattler has an .809 completion percentage and a 210.07 passing-efficiency rating in home games and a .630 completion percentage and a 114.27 passing-efficiency rating away from home this season.
14 Consecutive victories for South Carolina in games against Vanderbilt. The Gamecocks haven’t lost to the Commodores since a 24-17 setback on Sept. 4, 2008, and South Carolina leads the series 28-4 overall, its best record against any NCAA FBS program that it has played at least 10 times. The run against Vanderbilt is South Carolina’s longest winning streak against an SEC opponent.
27 Receiving yards are needed by South Carolina WR Xavier Legette to become the fourth player in the Gamecocks’ SEC era with 1,000 in a season. Legette has 50 receptions for 973 yards and five TDs in 2023. Sidney Rice in 2005 and 2006, Alshon Jeffery in 2010 and Pharoh Cooper in 2014 have recorded 1,000 receiving yards in a season since South Carolina joined the SEC in 1992. Before the Gamecocks joined the SEC, they had one 1,000-yard receiving season by Sterling Sharpe in 1986.
49 Solo tackles have been made by South Carolina LB Debo Williams this season, the most in the SEC.
88 Yards on an interception return by South Carolina MLB Stone Blanton during the Gamecocks’ 38-28 victory over Jacksonville State last week. Blanton’s return is the longest in the SEC this season and came with 2:02 left to play to seal the victory over JSU.
12,449 Career punting yards for Vanderbilt P Matthew Hayball, more than any other active player in any of the NCAA’s four divisions of football. Hayball’s average of 48.6 yards on 43 punts this season ranks second in the nation to the 49.8 on 38 punts by Boise State’s James Ferguson-Reynolds.
FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE SEC, GO TO OUR SEC PAGE
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
South-Carolina
Former South Carolina wide receiver finds transfer portal landing spot
On Sunday, former South Carolina wide receiver Tyshawn Russell signed with the Syracuse Orange. On3’s Pete Nakos reported the news.
Russell entered the transfer portal earlier this month after not factoring into the receiver room with the Gamecocks this year. He played a decent amount in 2023 before dropping in the pecking order ahead of the 2024 campaign. Russell will join a Syracuse team that finished 9-3 this fall.
During his time with the Gamecocks, Russell logged five catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. His one score came on a 50-yard bomb from LaNorris Sellers in 2023. However, he flashed more promise than those numbers might indicate. Thanks to a redshirt this season, he will have three more years of eligibility remaining.
South Carolina Transfer Portal Resources:
Russell was not the only receiver to leave Columbia via the transfer portal this offseason. Fellow second-year players CJ Adams and Elijah Caldwell also hit the portal. Neither Adams nor Caldwell have committed to new programs yet. True freshman Debron Gatling also entered the transfer portal, but he has since committed to Georgia Tech.
South Carolina has been in on several wide receiver targets in the transfer portal, though, they have already filled those vacated scholarship spots with true freshmen Malik Clark, Jordon Gidron, Brian Rowe, Jayden Sellers, and Lex Cyrus. The Gamecocks have five wideouts signed in the class of 2025 and could have a sixth coming soon if Donovan Murph picks USC during the Under Armour All-American Game in January.
South-Carolina
Gamecocks Motivated About Citrus Bowl Opportunity
As South Carolina prepares for its Citrus Bowl matchup against Illinois, the message from players is clear: this team isn’t just happy to be in Orlando.
The No. 15 Gamecocks (9-3) have their sights set on a historic tenth win, which would mark only the eighth time in program history the team has reached double-digit victories. Despite the disappointment of missing the expanded College Football Playoff, players emphasized their focus has shifted entirely to ending the season on a high note against the Fighting Illini (9-3).
“It’s just another chance to play with my teammates. All of them are like my brothers, even the coaching staff,” said defensive lineman Boogie Huntley, who confirmed earlier this week that he will play in the bowl game. “It’s just another opportunity to go out and have fun, show the nation and the world who South Carolina is.”
The Gamecocks enter the December 31 matchup at Camping World Stadium riding high after their victory over rival Clemson, a game that produced several players’ favorite moments of the season. Linebacker Debo Williams cited quarterback LaNorris Sellers’ game-winning touchdown run against the Tigers as his top memory, while Demetrius Knight Jr. still possesses the ball from his crucial interception to seal the rivalry win.
Sellers, whose heroics in the Clemson game have made him something of a campus celebrity, has maintained his focus despite the increased attention. “I trust him,” Sellers said of his relationship with coach Mike Shula, who was officially confirmed as the team’s new offensive coordinator earlier this week. “He’s coached a lot of guys and has a history with a lot of guys in the NFL. It’s about him trusting me and us continuing to have a great relationship from here on out.”
The defense, which has been a strength all season, appears motivated to finish strong. Safety Nick Emmanwori emphasized the team’s desire to approach this game differently than other teams who missed the playoff. “We want to come with a different mental approach,” Emmanwori said, noting the team is using the playoff snub as motivation.
For seniors like Tonka Hemingway, who recently won the Ray Tanner award, the bowl game represents one final opportunity to represent the school. “I’m really excited to put on the Garnet and black one more time and just leave it all out there,” Hemingway said.
South Carolina enters the game as an 9.5-point favorite against an Illinois team led by former Ole Miss quarterback Luke Altmyer, who has thrown for over 2,500 yards and 21 touchdowns this season. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. on ABC, as the Gamecocks seek to close out what has already been a memorable season with one more victory.
South-Carolina
One dead in Orangeburg Co. Saturday night crash
ORANGEBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) – The South Carolina Highway Patrol says one person has died in an Orangeburg County crash from Saturday night.
Sgt. Tyler Tidwell says this accident happened at approximately 7:05 p.m. on Redmond Mill Road near Magenta Drive. This is about four miles east of the Town of North.
Tidwell says a Hyundai sedan was traveling west on Redmond Mill Road when they went off to the road to the left and struck a tree. They were the only person in the car and the only vehicle involved.
The Orangeburg County Coroner’s Office has not yet identified the victim.
Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.
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