South Carolina Gamecocks at Vanderbilt Commodores
· NCAA - FootballRaheim Sanders scores 3 TDs as South Carolina beats No. 24 Vanderbilt 28-7
He didn't need to worry.
Raheim Sanders ran for 126 yards and two touchdowns and scored a 43-yard TD catch as South Carolina thumped No. 24 Vanderbilt 28-7 Saturday for the Gamecocks' second straight win over a Top 25 team.
South Carolina (6-3, 4-3 SEC) is bowl eligible with the win, and Beamer said he was really proud of his team.
“This ain't an easy place to play for a lot of reasons,” Beamer said.
“Everyone thought there'd be a letdown coming off last week and for our guys to come in here and know it's going to be a tough gritty hard game just because of the way Vanderbilt plays football is really satisfying for us as a football team.”
The Commodores (6-4, 3-3) now have lost 16 straight to their former SEC Eastern Division rival. Worse, this was their biggest loss this season after losing their first three games by a combined 10 points — two of those to teams ranked inside the Top 10.
Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea called the loss a “three-phase (expletive) kicking" by a more physical team.
“Obviously I’m frustrated ... coming up short in the game, frustrated also with the feeling that we didn’t represent ourselves the way that we wanted to ... and playing to an identity,” Lea said. "And that’s probably the part of it that hurts the most for me.”
LaNorris Sellers helped South Carolina control possession against a Vanderbilt offense leads the SEC in time of possession. Sellers threw for 238 yards and two TDs. He gave the Gamecocks a 7-0 halftime with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Joshua Simon.
South Carolina went up 14-0 to start the third after Sellers escaped a would-be sack and found Jared Brown for a 51-yard completion. Sanders ran 33 yards for the TD and the double-digit lead.
Diego Pavia, the AP’s top first-year transfer in the SEC halfway through the season, tried to rally Vanderbilt after a 17-yard TD run in the third to pull within 14-7.
Sanders' 1-yard TD late in the third and 43-yard TD catch with 7:55 left put the game on ice.
Pavia threw for 166 yards and added 65 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He was hurt with about 6:40 left on a 28-yard completion wiped out by offensive pass interference.
Lea said Pavia still was being evaluated after the game and he would have an update in the coming days.
“Keep crapping on us,” Beamer said. “That's the way we like it as well. Don't rank us this week. We're good where we are.”
Vanderbilt: Pavia's ability to slip and slide past defenders has been a key to the Commodores' success this season, but the Gamecocks kept him contained for most of the game.
“That's what makes this league special is the fact that LSU can have a frickin' tiger at their stadium tonight, but we can't bring Sir Big Spur,” Beamer said.
How To Watch
How can I watch South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Vanderbilt Commodores?
- TV Channel: Gamecocks at Commodores 2021 College Football, week 11, is broadcasted on SEC Network.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
Matchup Prediction
Scoring Summary
TD | 2nd Period 13:11 | Joshua Simon 17 Yd pass from LaNorris Sellers (Alex Herrera Kick) | |
TD | 3rd Period 13:22 | Raheim Sanders 33 Yd Run (Alex Herrera Kick) | |
TD | 3rd Period 8:08 | Diego Pavia 17 Yd Run (Brock Taylor Kick) | |
TD | 3rd Period 4:07 | Raheim Sanders 1 Yd Run (Alex Herrera Kick) | |
TD | 4th Period 7:55 | Raheim Sanders 43 Yd pass from LaNorris Sellers (Alex Herrera Kick) |
Statistics
SC | VAN | |
---|---|---|
25 | 1st Downs | 17 |
9-12 | 3rd down efficiency | 6-13 |
0-0 | 4th down efficiency | 0-2 |
452 | Total Yards | 274 |
238 | Passing | 166 |
14/20 | Comp/Att | 16/31 |
11.9 | Yards per pass | 5.4 |
214 | Rushing | 108 |
43 | Rushing Attempts | 28 |
5.0 | Yards per rush | 3.9 |
6-50 | Penalties | 5-57 |
1 | Turnovers | 1 |
1 | Fumbles lost | 1 |
0 | Interceptions thrown | 0 |
30:59 | Possession | 29:01 |
College Football News
Can Wisconsin cover the spread against No. 1 Oregon?
Pamela Maldonado explains why Wisconsin could be a good bet against the spread as an underdog against No. 1 Oregon.
How fans are showing their passion for college football in death
Andrea Adelson joins "The Paul Finebaum Show" and details her recent story on ESPN.com about college football fans having their ashes spread at their favorite stadiums.
No. 7 BYU can take another step toward Big 12 championship game with a victory over Kansas
— After suffering several close losses earlier this season, Kansas is finally resembling the team that was expected to be a Big 12 contender after last year’s nine-win campaign.
No. 19 Washington State aims for fifth straight win as Cougars face resurgent New Mexico
— Washington State would seem to have an enormous advantage over New Mexico on Saturday, especially when it comes to motivation.
Nebraska, USC both making big changes on offense in effort to turn around disappointing seasons
Nebraska (5-4, 2-4 Big Ten) at Southern California (4-5, 2-5), Saturday, 4 p.m. EST (FOX)