Preparations are complete and after a long wait, South Carolina is finally ready to take the field again traveling to face the Vanderbilt Commodores with kickoff set for 4 p.m. on the SEC Network. Here, our staff gives our final predictions on the game. You can also see Tony Morrell's score prediction in his Five Keys to Victory story. John Del Bianco: For the first time in a long time it feels like Vanderbilt, not South Carolina, has more momentum heading into the annual head-to-head matchup between these two SEC East schools. The Gamecocks were beat down two weeks ago against No. 2 Georgia and have had to deal with that bad taste in their mouth for a week longer thanks to Hurricane Florence. Vanderbilt is coming off a loss too, but a close contest that could have been different if not for costly turnovers on the road against No. 8 Notre Dame. The Gamecocks have had time to correct mistakes and spend more time self-evaluating as they will look to produce balance on offense they could not find against Georgia. Led by senior quarterback Kyle Shurmur and a scoring defense of 13 points per game, the Commodores host a game that has been decided by a touchdown or less that last two meetings. I predict another close one, but the Gamecocks win the turnover battle, feature Deebo Samuel and extend their streak of wins against Vanderbilt to ten in a row. Prediction: South Carolina 27 – Vanderbilt 20 Hale McGranahan: That was the score in 2017. It will be the score in 2018. Take it to the bank. Bet the farm. Empty your savings account. If you can get odds on these teams finishing with the exact same score, do it. What do you have to lose? A lot of money – OK, so that’s probably not a wise bet to take, especially because it’s still early in the season. But this game will be high-scoring, and the Gamecocks will cover the 2.5-point spread. These guys are ready to move past the Georgia game. They’ve had to stew on that disappointing loss for two weeks. South Carolina’s ready to get back into the win column in SEC play. The Gamecocks will get back into the win column in SEC play. And it certainly helps that the 2017 victory over Vanderbilt featured a running attack that saw A.J. Turner go for more than 100 yards. It was one of South Carolina’s best run game performances of the season. That, paired with the desire to be more stubborn on the ground, could lead to another 200-yard rushing outing against the Commodores. Plus, there’s nothing wrong with playing keep away from Vanderbilt quarterback Kyle Shurmur. He threw for 333 yards and four touchdowns last season against South Carolina. The best defensive game plan against him might be to keep him on the sideline. Prediction: Carolina 34 - Vanderbilt 27 John Whittle: Through the first two games, I’m just not so sure how much we’ve learned about the Gamecocks, other than this team is clearly behind Georgia. The Gamecocks faced one of the best teams in the FBS and one of the worst, and it’s hard to draw a firm conclusion on just how good this team is right now. I do feel like this team is better than Vanderbilt, regardless of South Carolina’s performance against the Bulldogs and the Commodores’ showing against Notre Dame. The Commodores pitched the ball around the park against the Fighting Irish, but they’re known more as a running team. I think they’ll get back to those roots this weekend, even though that may not be the best way to beat the Gamecocks. This SEC East showdown has been tight each of the last three seasons, including a late field goal win for the Gamecocks two years ago. I think this is a two score game though. Prediction: Carolina 30 - Vanderbilt 21<doc-sep>Nashville, TENN. -- The Vanderbilt Commodores will take on the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday at 3 p.m. central. The game will be played at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville. The game is being televised on the SEC Network with Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (color analyst) and Kris Budden (field reporter) on the call, and is available on the radio via both Sirius Radio (Channel 106) and XM Radio (Channel 210). The Vanderbilt radio broadcast can be found locally on WLAC 1510-AM with the voice of the Commodores Joe Fisher, color analyst Norman Jordan and sideline reporter Mitch Light on the call. Vanderbilt enters its SEC opener with a 2-1 record after nonconference victories against Middle Tennessee (35-7) and Nevada (41-10) and a loss at Notre Dame (22-17). South Carolina will be playing its second SEC game of the season after dropping the league opener against No. 2 Georgia at Williams-Brice Stadium in Week 2. The Gamecocks did not play in Week 3 after the game against Marshall was canceled due to weather concerns from Hurricane Florence. Follow along with Vandy247 and join the discussion on The Black Sea message board as we provide live updates, scores and highlights of the Commodores' SEC opener against South Carolina. FIRST QUARTER -- South Carolina win the coin toss and elects to receive. Vanderbilt will kickoff to begin the game. -- TOUCHDOWN SOUTH CAROLINA: The Gamecocks strike quick on 38-yard TD pass from Jake Bentley to Shi Smith. XP is good. 3 plays, 75 yards, 55 seconds. South Carolina 7, Vanderbilt 0. -- "First down, first down, first down... touchdown" is not an ideal start to the game. Vandy DB Allan George got beat deep on the touchdown pass. -- After earning just two carries at Notre Dame in Week 3, Jamauri Wakefield earn the Week 4 start at running back for Vanderbilt. -- Vanderbilt's first drive, which featured neither Khari Blasingame nor Ke'Shawn Vaughn, ends in a punt from Parker Thome. South Carolina takes over at its own 25 with 11:21 remaining in the first quarter. -- FIELD GOAL SOUTH CAROLINA: Parker White connects on a 33-yard field goal to complete a 13-play, 59-yard drive that took 5:36 off the clock. South Carolina 10, Vanderbilt 0 with 5:45 remaining in 1st quarter. -- Vanderbilt turns it over on its second possession on a deep pass attempt from Kyle Shurmur to C.J. Bolar. Intercepted by Rashad Fenton. -- South Carolina receiver Bryan Edwards had to be helped from the field after landing on his shoulder after a hit by LaDarius Wiley. Potential ramifications for the Gamecocks offense if he's unable to return. -- Vanderbilt forces South Carolina to punt on its third drive after scoring on its first two attempts. The Commodores will take over at their own 28 with 3:22 remaining in the quarter. -- Ke'Shawn Vaughn makes his first appearance of the game on Vanderbilt's third drive, but it ends in a punt from the Commodores 43. South Carolina will take over at its own 20 after a touchback. -- Dare Odeyingbo intercepts Jake Bentley on the final play of the 1st quarter. Batted the pass up in the air and caught it himself. Vanderbilt will take over on the South Carolina 23. End of 1st quarter: South Carolina 10, Vanderbilt 0. End of 1st quarter: South Carolina 10, Vanderbilt 0. Here are the stats after one quarter of play: pic.twitter.com/t4JK2xmzxs — Nick Cole (@NickColeSports) September 22, 2018 SECOND QUARTER -- Vanderbilt decides to go for it on 4th-and-1 from the South Carolina 14 and Kyle Shumur gains three yards on a quarterback sneak. -- TOUCHDOWN VANDERBILT: Ke'Shawn Vaughn spills into the end zone on a 2-yard run. XP from Ryley Guay is good. South Carolina 10, Vanderbilt 7 with 11:40 remaining in 2nd quarter. -- Alim Muhammad gets beat deep without safety help. Jake Bentley to Shi Smith for 52 yards give the Gamecocks 1st-and-goal from the Vanderbilt 2. Derek Mason calls a timeout to settle the Commodores defense. -- TOUCHDOWN SOUTH CAROLINA: 2-yard run by Rico Dowdle caps a 4-play, 65-yard drive for the Gamecocks. XP is good. South Carolina 17, Vanderbilt 7 with 10:22 remaining in the second quarter. -- TOUCHDOWN VANDERBILT: Kalija Lipscomb scores on a 2-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Shurmur. Play was ruled incomplete on field, but replay revealed he did get a foot in bounds. XP good. Scoring drive was 11 plays and 75 yards. South Carolina 17, Vanderbilt 14 with 5:23 remaining in 2nd quarter. -- FIELD GOAL SOUTH CAROLINA: Parker White connects on a 35-yard field goal as time expires. Gamecocks will take a 20-14 lead to the locker room. End of 2nd quarter: South Carolina 20, Vanderbilt 14. Halftime: South Carolina 20, Vanderbilt 14. Here's a look at the stats from the first half: pic.twitter.com/hb2my8dFrY — Nick Cole (@NickColeSports) September 22, 2018 THIRD QUARTER -- After sitting out the entire first half, Khari Blasingame gets his first carry of the game on the opening drive of the half for the Commodores. -- Vanderbilt's opening drive ends with a punt from its own 45. Thome sends it through the end zone for a touchback. South Carolina will start from its own 20. -- FIELD GOAL SOUTH CAROLINA: Parker White makes his third field goal of the day, this one from 36 yards out to cap a 10-play, 61-yard drive to open the half for South Carolina. South Carolina 23, Vanderbilt 14 with 10:16 left in 3rd quarter. -- Vanderbilt fails to respond, going three-and-out with its next possession, which included a fumble by Kyle Shurmur that was recovered by Vanderbilt offensive guard Bruno Reagan. -- Kyle Shurmur fumbles again, this time South Carolina recovers. The Gamecocks will have 1st-and-goal from the Vanderbilt 6 after the return. -- Vanderbilt outside linebacker Charles Wright had to be helped off the field. Walked gingerly under his own power. -- TOUCHDOWN SOUTH CAROLINA: The Gamecocks take advantage of a Kyle Shurmur fumble, scoring from one yard out on a run by Mon Denson. 6 yards in 2 plays. South Carolina 30, Vanderbilt 14 with 4:06 remaining in the 3rd quarter. -- The game between Vanderbilt and South Carolina was delayed due to lightning in the area at 5:29 p.m. central. The area must be clear of lightning for 30 minutes before the game can be resumed. -- Players are returning to the field at Vanderbilt. There will be a 10-minute warm-up period. Restart is scheduled for 6:08 p.m. -- We have resumed play in Nashville. Vanderbilt trails South Carolina 30-14 with 3:03 remaining in the third quarter (just in case you forgot). -- Vanderbilt turns the ball over on downs at the South Carolina 32. Kyle Shurmur had a hard time handling a wet snap on 4th-and-6, throwing the timing off on that pass attempt. End of third quarter: South Carolina 30, Vanderbilt 14. End of 3rd quarter: South Carolina 30, Vanderbilt 14. Here's a look at the stats through three quarters: pic.twitter.com/wZi1VXXGLy — Nick Cole (@NickColeSports) September 22, 2018 FOURTH QUARTER -- Vanderbilt announces attendance of 26,078 for its SEC opener against South Carolina. -- Vanderbilt freshman wide receiver Cam Johnson was helped to the locker room at the end of the third quarter. -- South Carolina RB Rico Dowdle fumbles at the Vanderbilt 1 yard line. Dayo Odeyingbo forced a fumble that was recovered by Dare Odeyingbo. Brothers working together on the goal line. -- South Carolina defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw had to be helped off the field and to the locker room after an apparent lower body injury suffered while rushing the passer. -- Vanderbilt did not convert that turnover into points. A Commodores punt gives the ball back to South Carolina on its own 33 with 11:41 remaining. -- Zaire Jones recovers another South Carolina fumble that was caused by Allan George. First down for Vanderbilt at their own 25. -- After converting on two fourth down attempts and moving down to the South Carolina 22, the Commodores turn the ball over on downs after a bad snap left them with a 4th-and-39 scenario. 5:54 remaining in the game, South Carolina leads 30-14.<doc-sep>Who's Playing Vanderbilt Commodores (home) vs. South Carolina Gamecocks (away) Current records: Vanderbilt 2-1; South Carolina 1-1-1 What to Know South Carolina is packing up and heading on the road for the first time this season. They face off against Vanderbilt on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. The neutral point spread forecasts another close matchup for the team. You win some, you lose some -- and sometimes you tie some, too. That's exactly what happened last Saturday between South Carolina and Marshall, who ended their contest at a 0-0 deadlock. Meanwhile, after soaring high against Nevada two weeks ago, Icarus fell to the ground. Vanderbilt didn't finish too far behind, but the squad still lost 17-22 to Notre Dame. South Carolina will no doubt be looking for a more decisive result in this contest. We'll see soon whether or not they like it. How To Watch When: Saturday at 4:00 PM ET Saturday at 4:00 PM ET Where: Vanderbilt Stadium, Tennessee Vanderbilt Stadium, Tennessee TV: SEC Network SEC Network Follow: CBS Sports App Prediction The Gamecocks are a slight 2.5 point favorite against the Commodores. Last season, Vanderbilt were 4-6-1 against the spread. As for South Carolina, they were 8-3-1 against the spread Series History South Carolina have won all of the games they've played against Vanderbilt in the last 4 years.<doc-sep>
The concerns about Vanderbilt’s defense manifested themselves early as the Commodores gave up chunks of yardage. South Carolina, meanwhile, got back on track after being off for two weeks following Hurricane Florence. The Gamecocks playmakers, from Rico Dowdle to Shi Smith, played like they’d been kept inside too long. The adjustments came, and South Carolina seemingly focused more on the passing game as Vanderbilt crawled back in the game. After a weather delay, and despite two late turnovers, South Carolina outlasted Vanderbilt 37-14 on Saturday in Nashville. The Gamecocks got off to a fast start as Dowdle crossed the 50-yard rushing mark with eight minutes left in the first quarter. They averaged 7.3 yards per rush on their first three possessions. And on defense, Javon Kinlaw disrupted the Vanderbilt offensive line with two tackles for a loss and a pass breakup on the same drive. But a turning point came late in the third quarter when Kinlaw sacked Kyle Shurmur and forced a fumble inside the Vanderbilt 10-yard line. That setup a Mon Denson touchdown as South Carolina pulled ahead 30-14. Not long after that sequence, dark clouds entered the area and a weather delay began with 3:03 left in the third quarter. A lightning strike reportedly happened within eight miles of Vanderbilt Stadium. Fans were evacuated and the delay lasted for 40 minutes. The Gamecocks win wasn’t without a struggle, though. The offensive line had four of the first five penalties. And early in the fourth quarter as South Carolina looked to go ahead by three scores, Dowdle fumbled near the goal line. Then on the next Gamecocks possession, A.J. Turner fumbled. Also late in the game, Kinlaw suffered a leg injury and was helped off the field by medical staff. But Vanderbilt, which was 2-for-11 on third down conversions into the fourth quarter, struggled to make the Gamecocks pay. A week after Vanderbilt yielded 245 rushing yards to Notre Dame, improvement was difficult to find as South Carolina had more than 200 yards early in the fourth quarter. After a pass interference flag on South Carolina, Vanderbilt lost 32 yards on third down, and an incomplete pass on fourth down appeared to be its last chance. Early on, though, it looked like a South Carolina rout. On the same drive wide receiver Deebo Samuel picked up his 100th career reception on the second play from scrimmage, Shi Smith scored a 38-yard touchdown less than a minute in the game. Smith later had a 52-yarder in the first half that setup a Dowdle touchdown from the 2-yard line. At one point, South Carolina had 136 yards to Vanderbilt’s 12. But by the end of the first quarter, South Carolina quarterback Jake Bentley was intercepted by defensive lineman Dare Odeyingbo. The Commodores then answered with a Ke’Shawn Vaughn touchdown to cap a six-play scoring drive with 11:40 left in the second quarter, to trim the deficit to 10-7. Vanderbilt bounced back again after trailing 17-7 when Shurmur threw a fade pass to the edge of the end zone to Kalija Lipscomb on third and goal. It was initially called incomplete but was reversed on replay review with 5:23 left in first half and Vandy trailed 17-14. South Carolina grabbed the momentum again on a drive where Vanderbilt fans booed because officials ruled Edwards inbounds while replay appeared to show Edwards was out of bounds on reception. The Gamecocks marched about 30 more yards, and with one second left, kicked a field goal to lead 20-14 at halftime. South Carolina will travel to Kentucky next week, while Vanderbilt will play host to Tennessee State.