SEC Nation crew shares picks for South Carolina-Vanderbilt

It’s game day in Columbia. No. 11 South Carolina will look to remain unbeaten as SEC play begins against Vanderbilt on Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium.

Kickoff will be at 7:45 p.m. on SEC Network. Earlier in the day, the SEC Nation crew, live from Baton Rouge for Florida-LSU, shared some of their thoughts and predictions for the Gamecocks’ matchup with the Commodores.

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Jordan Rodgers, a former Vanderbilt quarterback from 2010-12, had the chance to talk with South Carolina offensive coordinator Mike Shula about LaNorris Sellers. He’s, of course, well aware of the expectations placed on Sellers’ shoulders. Shula told Rodgers that Sellers has similarities to Cam Newton and Josh Allen, two quarterbacks he coached in his time in the NFL.

“Those are big shoes to fill. Now, when I look at this matchup, I think the biggest question mark for LaNorris filling those big shoes is the receivers around him,” Rodgers said. “Nyck Harbor is kind of a downfield Olympic speed guy. That’s about it right now. They need the youth to develop. … They have a bunch. They had six true freshmen.

“Two guys to keep an eye on: Donovan Murph, a true freshman, and Brian Rowe, is going to be getting the start at slot this week. He’s a guy that you get the ball in his hands, good things can happen. They need true freshmen to develop quickly around LaNorris Sellers so they can achieve their goals of making a College Football Playoff run, and so LaNorris Sellers can live up to the expectations that everybody set.”

Tim Tebow, another SEC quarterback who played at Florida from 2006-09 and won the Heisman Trophy in 2007, knows what Sellers is going through. He explained that Sellers doesn’t need to make the big play every time.

“There’s been six or eight times in the first couple of games he’s had a check down,” Tebow said. “Take your check down and see what happens next. I think that is really important.”

Roman Harper, who actually played for Shula at Alabama in the mid-2000s, said this game will come down to whether Vanderbilt can tackle Sellers.

“When LaNorris Sellers makes guys miss, that’s when big plays happen,” Harper said. “… All of a sudden, when these plays happen, it’s the off-schedule stuff. The game changes, the momentum changes.”

South Carolina-Vanderbilt Predictions

Lainey Wilson (guest picker): Vanderbilt

Why Wilson picked Vanderbilt: “Vandy let me play on a flatbed trailer about 10 years ago in front of their stadium. Literally nobody was there to listen. They were all walking by, like, ‘Who’s this chick on the flatbed? Let’s go, Vandy.”

Tim Tebow: Vanderbilt

Why Tebow picked Vanderbilt: “When Lainey is on this show, I’m gonna agree with her. Plus, I love this offense. I love what they’re doing. I think Vanderbilt goes to South Carolina. ‘Sandstorm’ is going to be playing like crazy tonight. I think Vandy gets the upset tonight.”

Roman Harper: Vanderbilt

Paul Finebaum: South Carolina

Why Finebaum picked South Carolina: “I’m going with South Carolina. You guys have forgotten where this game is.”

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