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Oct. 22, 2010

GAMEDAY CENTRAL

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ON THE AIR
Regional TV: FSN
Play-by-Play: Rich Waltz
Analyst: Tim Couch
Sideline: Jenn Hildreth
Also available on ESPN3.com outside SEC markets

***CLICK HERE*** for information regarding the game broadcast for DISH Network subscribers

Gamecock Radio Network
Network Broadcast begins at 4 p.m. ET
Flagship: WNKT-FM 107.5 The Game
Play-by-Play: Todd Ellis
Analyst: Tommy Suggs
Sideline: Terry Cousin

Satellite Radio
XM Radio Channel (Vanderbilt Feed): 200
SIRIUS “Best of XM” Channel: 220

SportSouth Replay: 8 p.m., Oct. 24
(Replay of FSN Broadcast)

SETTING THE STAGE
• No. 19/20 South Carolina looks to get back on the winning track as the Gamecocks head out on the road for the second straight week, facing SEC Eastern Division foe Vanderbilt on Saturday, Oct. 23, at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. The game is set for a 7 p.m. ET kickoff with a regional broadcast on Fox Sports Net.
• The Gamecocks are 4-2 (2-2 SEC) after suffering a heartbreaking 31-28 defeat at the hands of Kentucky last Saturday in Lexington, Ky. Vanderbilt enters the contest at 2-4 overall (1-2 SEC) after failing to find the end zone in a 43-0 loss at Georgia last Saturday.

THE SERIES
• This marks the 20th game in the series between South Carolina and Vanderbilt that dates back to 1961. The Gamecocks lead the all-time series 15-4, including an 8-2 mark in games played in Nashville. South Carolina won the last meeting, 14-10, in Columbia after losing the previous two meetings with the Commodores.

THE COACHES

South Carolina: Steve Spurrier (Florida `67)

  • Overall: 181-70-2 (21st season)
  • at South Carolina: 39-30 (6th season)
  • vs. Vanderbilt: 15-2 (3-2 at Carolina)

Vanderbilt: Robbie Caldwell (Furman ’76)

  • Overall: 2-4 (1st season)
  • at Vanderbilt: Same
  • vs. South Carolina: First meeting

QUICK HITS
• Sophomore WR Alshon Jeffery leads the SEC and is third in the nation in receiving yards per game, averaging 115.0 yards per contest. He also leads the league with 6.7 catches per game. Jeffery needs 113 receiving yards to move into the all-time top-10 in career yardage at South Carolina.
• Junior QB Stephen Garcia became just the sixth player in South Carolina history to surpass the 5,000-yard career passing mark with a career-high 382 yards at Kentucky. His effort vs. the Wildcats was the eighth-best passing yardage game in Carolina history and the best since Blake Mitchell posted a 388-yard outing vs. Middle Tennessee on Nov. 18, 2006.
• Freshman RB Marcus Lattimore is on pace to become South Carolina’s all-time leader in single-season touchdowns. In six games this year, he has scored 12 times; the single-season record is 16 by Harold Green in 1987. Lattimore is eight touchdowns shy of the SEC record for freshmen, held by Tennessee’s Reggie Cobb, who scored 20 times in 1987.
• QB Stephen Garcia is second in the SEC and fifth in the nation with a pass efficiency rating of 171.0 (see chart, page 8).
• The Gamecocks lead the Southeastern Conference and are ranked No. 2 in the nation with 22 sacks (3.67 per game).
• South Carolina has scored on 21-of-23 red zone possessions this year, scoring touchdowns on 19 occasions. The Gamecocks lead the SEC in red zone offense and are 13th in the nation at 91.3%. On the same token, the Gamecock defense has allowed 16 scores in 24 tries by opposing offenses (66.7%), with only eight touchdowns. That number leads the SEC and ranks ninth in the nation as well.
• WR Alshon Jeffery and CB Stephon Gilmore were named Mid-Season All-Americans by Phil Steele.

A SOUTH CAROLINA WIN OVER VANDERBILT WOULD…

  • Snap a seven-game losing streak in SEC road games (last win was at Kentucky in 2008).
  • Improve Steve Spurrier’s all-time record against Kentucky to 16-2 (4-2 at Carolina, 10-0 at Florida, 2-0 at Duke).
  • Move South Carolina to 5-2 for the third straight year.
  • Give South Carolina a 3-2 record as a ranked team this season, the best mark since 2007.
  • Give Steve Spurrier his 40th win as South Carolina head coach, making him just the fourth coach in school history to reach that total (Rex Enright, Jim Carlen, Paul Dietzel).

THIS WEEK’S OPPONENT: VANDERBILT
The Vanderbilt Commodores, at 2-4 overall and 1-2 in the Southeastern Conference, are in their first year under head coach Robbie Caldwell. Caldwell was named head coach in July after the retirement of Bobby Johnson, under whom Caldwell had served as an assistant for eight seasons. Last year, Vanderbilt finished 2-10 overall, 0-8 in SEC play.

GAMECOCKS AND COMMODORES
•This is the 20th all-time meeting between Vanderbilt and South Carolina, with the Gamecocks holding a 15-4 edge, including an 8-2 mark in games played in Nashville and a 7-2 edge when facing VU in Columbia.
• South Carolina won last season in Columbia after losing two in a row to the Commodores in 2007 and 2008.
• The teams first met in 1961, the only meeting between the schools before South Carolina joined the SEC prior to the 1992 season. The Gamecocks won that meeting at Nashville’s Dudley Field, 23-7, and proceeded to win the first seven meetings between the schools. Vanderbilt won in 1998, 1999, 2007 and 2008.
• Of Division I FBS opponents against whom the Gamecocks have at least 10 all-time meetings, Carolina has its best winning percentage against Vanderbilt at .789.

TIES WITH VANDERBILT
• South Carolina has no players from the state of Tennessee, but Vanderbilt has four from the Palmetto State – DE Teriall Brandon (Spartanburg), OG Kyle Fischer (Columbia), PK Ryan Fowler (Taylors) and OL Logan Stewart (Boiling Springs).
• Four Vanderbilt coaches are South Carolina natives. Head coach Robbie Caldwell is a native of Pageland, tight ends/special teams coordinator Ted Cain is a native of Aiken, offensive coordinator Jimmy Kiser is from Rock Hill, and running backs coach Des Kitchings hails from Wagener.

SPURRIER VS. VANDERBILT
South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier owns a 15-2 all-time record against Vanderbilt, including a 3-2 mark as head coach at South Carolina. He was a perfect 10-0 against the Commodores while head coach at Florida from 1990-2001, and bested Vanderbilt twice in 1987 and 1988 while head coach at Duke.

SPURRIER VS. CALDWELL
This is the first meeting between Steve Spurrier and Robbie Caldwell as head coaches. The two have been on opposite sidelines before, with Spurrier as head coach at Duke (1987-89) and Caldwell as an assistant at North Carolina State (1986-1999). Spurrier was 1-1-1 against the Wolfpack while at Duke, falling 47-45 in 1987, fighting to a 43-43 tie in 1988 and winning 35-26 in 1989 en route to the ACC Championship.

OPENING STATEMENT
South Carolina has been at its best in the first half, outscoring opponents 128-48 in the first two quarters, including a 70-16 edge in the opening stanza. This is a stark contrast from last season, when the Gamecocks were outscored 162-134 in the opening half, including an 81-65 deficit in the first quarter. In 2009, the Gamecocks’ best quarter was the third as they held an 87-39 scoring advantage; this year, the Gamecocks have controlled the third quarter by a 34-29 count.

IT’S BEEN A WHILE
The Gamecocks seek to snap a seven-game losing streak at SEC road venues, dating back to the 2008 season. That year, Carolina lost its final road SEC game at Florida, then went winless at Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Arkansas in 2009. This year, the Gamecocks are 0-2 away from home, falling at Auburn and Kentucky. The last road win in conference play for the Gamecocks came on Oct. 11, 2008, with a 24-17 victory at Kentucky’s Commonwealth Stadium.

SEEING RED
South Carolina has been the best in the league in the red zone, ranking first in the SEC in both red zone offense and defense. Offensively, the Gamecocks are 21-for-23 in red zone opportunities, scoring 19 touchdowns along with two field goals. Conversely, the Gamecock defense has allowed just 16 scores in 24 opportunities, with eight of the 16 being field goals. South Carolina was the last team in the country to allow a red zone touchdown this season.

GAMECOCKS AS A RANKED TEAM
Under Steve Spurrier, the Gamecocks have been a ranked team heading into 20 contests. Carolina is 9-11 in those opportunities when appearing in the national rankings. In home games, Carolina is 8-3 when ranked under Spurrier, including a 5-0 mark at home over the last two seasons. Carolina is 1-8 in road contests as a ranked squad.

  • 2010 (3-2)
  • Sept. 11 – #24 Carolina 17, #19 Georgia 6 (Columbia)
  • Sept. 18 – #13 Carolina 38, Furman 19 (Columbia)
  • Sept. 25 – #14 Auburn 35, #12 Carolina 27 (Auburn)
  • Oct. 9 – #19 Carolina 35, #1 Alabama 21 (Columbia)
  • Oct. 16 – Kentucky 31, #10 Carolina 28 (Lexington)
  • 2009 (2-2)
  • Oct. 10 – #25 Carolina 28, Kentucky 26 (Columbia)
  • Oct. 17 – #2 Alabama 20, #22 Carolina 6 (Tuscaloosa)
  • Oct. 24 – #23 Carolina 14, Vanderbilt 10 (Columbia)
  • Oct. 31 – Tennessee 31, #21 Carolina 13 (Knoxville)
  • 2008 (0-2)
  • Sept. 4 – Vanderbilt 24, #24 Carolina 17 (Nashville)
  • Nov. 15 – #3 Florida 56, #24 Carolina 6 (Gainesville)
  • 2007 (4-4)
  • Sept. 15 – #17 Carolina 38, S.C. State 3 (Columbia)
  • Sept. 22 – #2 LSU 28, #12 Carolina 16 (Baton Rouge)
  • Sept. 29 – #16 Carolina 38, Miss. State 21 (Columbia)
  • Oct. 4 – #11 Carolina 38, #8 Kentucky 23 (Columbia)
  • Oct. 13 – #7 Carolina 21, North Carolina 15 (Chapel Hill)
  • Oct. 20 – Vanderbilt 17, #6 Carolina 6 (Columbia)
  • Oct. 27 – Tennessee 27, #15 Carolina 24 (OT) (Knoxville)
  • Nov. 3 – Arkansas 48, #23 Carolina 36 (Fayetteville)
  • 2006 – Not ranked
  • 2005 (0-1)
  • Nov. 19 – Clemson 13, #19 Carolina 9 (Columbia)

THE LAST TIME THEY MET: OCT. 24, 2009
Stephen Garcia threw two touchdown passes and No. 23 South Carolina ended Vanderbilt’s two-game series win streak – barely – with a 14-10 victory at Williams-Brice Stadium. The Gamecocks (6-2, 3-2 Southeastern Conference) played as flat as they did the past two years against Vanderbilt (2-6, 0-5). Only thanks to Garcia and his young receivers, this time it didn’t cost them the win. Garcia connected with freshman Alshon Jeffery on a 43-yard TD pass with 12:51 remaining for the winning score. Earlier, freshman D.L. Moore caught a 35-yard touchdown from Garcia. The Commodores got the ball one last time with 4 minutes left and drove to South Carolina’s 25. However, quarterback Larry Smith was called for intentional grounding on 3rd down, then did not get close to the necessary yardage on fourth-and-32.

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