Vanderbilt football suffers worst blowout of season, loses 15th straight to South Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Vanderbilt football extended the country's longest losing streak to nine and continued to struggle against South Carolina, a team it has now lost to in 15 consecutive seasons.

Unlike its last trip to Williams-Brice Stadium, the Commodores (2-9, 0-7 SEC) failed to even make the score competitive against the Gamecocks (5-6, 3-5). The offense could get nothing going, while the defense allowed several chunk plays to Spencer Rattler. Wet, slippery conditions also led to sloppy play on both sides, including three fumbles by Vanderbilt (two lost) and a blocked punt.

The Commodores also mustered their worst offensive output of the season in terms of points and second-worst by yardage, while also suffering their worst blowout of the year, 47-6, on Saturday.

With just one game left, against rival Tennessee after an open week, Vanderbilt has failed to turn its season around.

Wet and sloppy

Rainy weather in Columbia had a significant impact on the game, as both teams had multiple bad snaps and dropped passes.

That caused significant problems for the two worst rushing offenses in the SEC, who had trouble effectively throwing the ball at times.

That was especially true for quarterback Ken Seals who was 13-for-28 passing for 104 yards and one touchdown.

Fourth down troubles

With the struggles of kicker Jacob Borcila and the wet conditions, Vanderbilt frequently opted to attempt fourth-down conversions instead of trying field goals.

But the Commodores were unsuccessful on those conversions, failing on fourth-and-8 in the second quarter and fourth-and-5 in the third quarter.

The Rattler and Anderson show

Rattler and running back Mario Anderson provided the majority of the Gamecocks' offense. Anderson provided a dagger with a 72-yard run late in the third quarter, breaking and spinning through tackles.

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Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on Twitter @aria_gerson.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt football loses to South Carolina in worst blowout of the season