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WHAT TIME DO THE GAMECOCKS PLAY TODAY?
Who: Vanderbilt (2-5, 1-3) at South Carolina (3-5, 2-4 SEC)
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Williams-Brice Stadium (80,250)
TV: SEC Network (Tom Hart, play-by-play; Jordan Rodgers, analysis; Cole Cubelic, sideline)
Radio: 107.5 FM (Todd Ellis, play-by-play; Tommy Suggs, analysis; Jamar Nesbit, sideline) ... See all the radio affiliates around the state here.
Stream: WatchESPN
Line: South Carolina by 15
Series history: South Carolina leads the all-time series 24-4. The Gamecocks have won 10 in a row in the series, and have only lost twice to the Commodores since 1999.
Weather: Mostly clear. Calm wind. Temperature 55 degrees at kickoff, 50 at game’s end.
Things are bad after the loss to Tennessee, with the idea of a bowl now only a faint glimmer. Lose to this troubled outfit and it’s much worse for the Gamecocks.
If the Gamecocks were to lose here, the specter of a coaching change can go from idle chatter to something far more vivid. Defeat makes 3-9 suddenly very possible, and that’s the kind of thing that can swing a program to make a change.
After a loss to UNLV, Vandy coach Derek Mason is likely on the way out. A win in Columbia might not save him, but it could help.
SOUTH CAROLINA PLAYERS TO WATCH
1. Quarterback Ryan Hilinski continues his season fraught with ups and downs, highs and lows. He threw more than 50 passes and gained more than 300 yards for the second time this season.
2. Running back Tavien Feaster was the centerpiece of a ground game that had trouble getting moving in Knoxville. He had only 80 yards in that game, and has 572 yards and five scores on the season.
3. Linebacker T.J. Brunson will have a hand in trying to slow Ke’Shawn Vaughn, who put up more than 1,200 yards last season. USC held him to only 30 yards in 2018. Brunson has 60 tackles and three pass break-ups this season.
VANDERBILT PLAYERS TO WATCH
1. Vanderbilt has lacked offensive explosion all season, but the Commodores still pose a threat on the ground with Vaughn. The senior from Nashville entered last week second in the SEC with just over 100 rushing yards a game. An Illinois transfer, Vaughn scored one of Vandy’s two touchdowns against South Carolina last season.
2. After seeing Kyle Shurmur each of the past three seasons, Vanderbilt is in a new era under center. Four different Commodores have thrown passes this year, but it was Mo Hasan who excelled with his last chance. The redshirt junior completed seven of 11 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown in the Missouri win, before leaving in the third quarter with a head injury. If healthy, Hasan will start against the Gamecocks. If not, expect Riley Neal.
3. Perhaps the most notable performance in the Missouri win — Vandy’s first over a ranked opponent since 2016 — went to Harrison Smith. The punter was named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week having three of his six attempts downed inside the Mizzou 20-yard line. He’s averging over 44 yards a punt this season.
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