South Carolina football grades vs Vanderbilt: Gamecocks deserve overall A for dominant win
COLUMBIA — South Carolina football kept its bowl eligibility hopes alive with a 47-6 win over Vanderbilt at Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday.
The victory over Vanderbilt (2-9, 0-7 SEC) was the first SEC win for the Gamecocks (4-6, 2-5) since they beat Mississippi State in Week 4 and their largest margin of victory in the conference this season.
The Gamecocks kept the Commodores scoreless until early in the fourth quarter, giving up their only points on a 19-yard touchdown pass. South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler led the offense with one of his biggest passing performances of the season logging 351 yards and three touchdowns on 78% completion.
Here's how we graded the Gamecocks' performance:
Offense: A-
The Gamecocks had some ugly moments that can be largely attributed to the rain, and their overall performance was consistent. Rattler threw for more than 300 yards for the fifth time this season, and Xavier Legette became just the sixth wide receiver in program history to log over 1,000 receiving yards in a single season.
It was also a decent performance for the run game, mostly thanks to a 72-yard touchdown from Mario Anderson. The offense finished with 136 yards on the ground.
Defense: A
Vanderbilt is the first opponent South Carolina's defense has held under 20 points all season. The Gamecocks recovered two fumbles after a long turnover drought ended last week and held the Commodores to fewer than 150 yards both rushing and passing.
Though the unit still struggled to generate negative plays with one sack and two TFLs, it also had six quarterback hurries and eight pass breakups.
Special teams: A-
Mitch Jeter missed two extra points, but it ultimately didn't hurt the Gamecocks. Keenan Nelson Jr. scored the team's first special teams touchdown of the season on a blocked punt returned 18 yards to the end zone, and Kai Kroeger had one of his better days punting with two of three attempts inside the 20-yard line.
Coaching: A-
The coaching staff left Rattler in the game a little too long for comfort with a 20-plus point lead, but otherwise there were no critical errors. The Gamecocks were aggressive on third and fourth down despite the weather, and their faith in the passing game paid off even after some early drops.
Overall: A-
It wasn't the prettiest win, but South Carolina needed a dominant victory over a lesser opponent. In sloppy conditions, you couldn't ask for much more.
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This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina football grades vs Vanderbilt: Dominant win deserves A
