Vanderbilt Commodores at No. 12 South Carolina Gamecocks (-16), Total 51 |
Vanderbilt comes in with a perfect 3-0 ATS and straight-up record, including a 30-7 win over the Ole Miss Rebels as 2.5-point home underdogs in its SEC opener. The Commodores will now head out on the road for the first time this season.
“Obviously being on the road is going to create some issues,” stated Commodores first-year head coach James Franklin. “We’re going to have the South Carolina fight song at practice extremely loud.”
The Commodores will be seeing their first four-game win streak in more than two years, coming off a 23-point victory against the Rebels, which was the largest margin of victory for the school against an SEC opponent since 1971.
Winning the turnover battle has been critical for this team, ranking as the top team in the SEC in the category and 10th nationally. It proved to be a difference maker in the program’s 7-6 season of 2008, as it posted a plus-nine turnover margin. During last year’s disappointing 2-10 season, it finished minus-four in the category.
Running back Zac Stacy has been the play maker offensively, rushing for 262 yards and averaging 9.0 a carry, which has led the team to average 177 yards on the ground through three games.
Sportsbooks players will find that the Commodores are 6-12 ATS as an underdog over the last two-plus seasons, including a 3-7 ATS mark when getting 10.5 to 21 points.
South Carolina is off to a 3-0 start for the third time under head coach Steve Spurrier. The last time the Gamecocks opened up with a 4-0 record was during the 2001 campaign, starting 5-0, only to finish 9-3 under Lou Holtz.
Saturday will serve as the 21st all-time meeting in the series, with the Gamecocks holding a 16-4 advantage, including a 7-2 mark when playing in Columbia. Of the Division I opponents in which the Gamecocks have at least 10 all-time meetings, South Carolina has its best winning percentage (.800) against Vanderbilt.
Spurrier has had no problems against the Commodores, posting a 16-2 all-time mark, but both of the losses have occurred during his time in Columbia.
Quarterback Stephen Garcia may have his breakout game of the 2011 campaign, as he completed 31-of-39 passes for 355 yards in last year’s 21-7 win, as the team finished with a 484-250 advantage in total yards.
It might be a good idea to feature the pass, as running back Marcus Lattimore is likely worn down from carrying the ball 37 times for a career-high 246 yards last week against Navy.
After three contests, the Gamecocks have scored 125 points, averaging 41.7 per game. Those numbers are good enough to rank second in the SEC and 16th nationally.
One of the important stories moving forward is the offensive line, as all five members have played in each of the three games to start the season. The group and offensive unit seems to get stronger as the game goes along, scoring just one time in the first quarter this season.
The Gamecocks have scored 80 of their 125 points after halftime.
college football betting fans will find that the Commodores are 20-5-1 ATS in September, while the Gamecocks are 1-6 ATS as home favorites. Might be a good idea to lay money on the underdogs to cover the first half in this betting prediction.
