Fairey Chevrolet Drive to Week Three: Everything you need to know ahead of South Carolina's SEC opener against Vanderbilt

This past weekend, South Carolina football moved to 2-0 on the season with a rain-delayed 38-10 victory over SC State.

This weekend, South Carolina fans will make the short drive to George Rogers Boulevard for the second time this season. At 7:45 p.m., Williams-Brice Stadium will host the Gamecocks’ first SEC contest of the year, a primetime matchup against the Vanderbilt Commodores.

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Here’s what you need to know heading into week three. (GamecockCentral will release a Vanderbilt preview later in the week.)

The resumes

• South Carolina is ranked No. 11 in the AP poll and No. 10 in the USA Today coaches poll. Vanderbilt appeared in the “also receiving votes” section of both rankings.
• According to ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI), South Carolina is the No. 21 team in college football, and Vanderbilt is No. 28. The Commodores boast the No. 4 offense in America in the FPI’s efficiency metrics through two weeks.
• Last season, South Carolina went 9-4 and 5-3 in the SEC. Vanderbilt went 7-6 and finished with a 3-5 mark in SEC play. So far this year, both the Gamecocks and Commodores are 2-0.
• The Gamecocks put quarterback LaNorris Sellers, EDGE Dylan Stewart, and DB Jalon Kilgore on the preseason All-SEC squad. Vanderbilt’s Eli Stowers was a preseason first-team All-SEC selection at tight end.

Recent news

• South Carolina knocked off SC State last week by a score of 38-10.
• Vanderbilt beat Virginia Tech (in Blacksburg), 44-20.
• For the second week in a row, Vicari Swain was the co-SEC Special Teams Player of the Week. He took two punts back for touchdowns, including one that was partially blocked by Maurice Brown.
• Vanderbilt linebacker Nick Rinaldi was co-SEC Defensive Player of the Week after logging six tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and a sack against Tech.
• South Carolina has moved into the top 10 in the coaches poll for the first time since the preseason top 25 ahead of the 2014 season.

Updates from the coaches

• South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer spoke to the media this week.
  • During Beamer’s press conference, he revealed a few things:
    • He shared that USC expects all of the newly-injured players to be ready to go this weekend against Vanderbilt, with the possible exception of tight end Brady Hunt.
    • Beamer said the offensive players’ claims that they couldn’t hear play calls on Saturday were “concerning.”
    • He said his team had a good day of practice on Tuesday and that the energy level looks more ready for SEC play than it did on Saturday.
    • Beamer also shouted out the fans and student section for sticking with the Gamecocks through the long weather delay and slow start against SC State.
    • You can see everything Beamer said here.
• The Gamecock coordinators also will speak to the media. This story will update with their comments on Wednesday.
• Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea also spoke to the media this week. This story will update with his comments later on Wednesday.
• Nearly three weeks ago, South Carolina defensive line coach Travian Robertson was involved in a car accident. In a section of last week’s official University-issued game notes titled “Prayers to Travian,” USC said, “Defensive line coach Travian Robertson was injured in a serious car accident on Aug. 22. He is recovering but is not currently with the team.” Head coach Shane Beamer said last week that Robertson would return “soon.”
  • Jordan Dove has stepped into Robertson’s place in the interim. The Gamecocks also have Kevin Hubbard listed as a defensive line assistant, and former Georgia Tech head coach and long-time defensive coordinator Geoff Collins is on staff, too. Assistant strength coach Jamil Walker has also helped out with the position group on game day.
  • Beamer updated Robertson’s status a bit on Tuesday, saying that he has been more involved via Zoom and that the defensive line coach is “eager” to return.
• South Carolina has a new offensive coordinator this season. Mike Shula, who was an analyst and assistant quarterbacks coach in 2024, has taken over for Dowell Loggains, who is now the head coach at Appalachian State. Vanderbilt has a new defensive coordinator, as the ‘Dores promoted former secondary coach and co-defensive coordinator Steve Gregory to the full-time position this year.

Notes on week three

• South Carolina will play its first SEC game of the year on Saturday.
• Like every contest on the Gamecocks’ home schedule, season tickets have been sold out for USC-Vandy. On Tuesday, the University announced that the game is now completely sold out.
• Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia revealed this offseason that the South Carolina contest was the one he and his teammates had circled on their calendars for 2025.
• Offensive lineman Bryce Henderson also guaranteed a victory this week, saying to the media in Nashville, “I think after we go in there and show these guys what’s what, I think people are going to open their eyes up a little bit…We know that we can beat them and we’re gonna go in there and do it.”
• The Gamecocks whipped the Commodores in Nashville last season, 24-7.
• Shane Beamer’s team has not lost in the regular season in nearly 11 months, dating back to a road game against Alabama last October.
• The Gamecocks have not lost to Vanderbilt since 2008, a span of 16 meetings.
• South Carolina has not gone 3-0 to start a season since 2012. Vanderbilt has not done so since 2017.

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History

• South Carolina holds a 30-4 all-time record against Vanderbilt. That is the best SEC-vs.-SEC mark in conference history for any teams that have met more than 20 times.
• The Gamecocks won in 2024 by a score of 24-7, the third in a row in the series that USC won by a double-digit point margin.
• Vanderbilt’s last win in the series came in 2008, the second of back-to-back Commodore wins.

Injuries

• During South Carolina’s game against South Carolina State, several players got hurt. Brandon Cisse left the game earlier, and others like Vicari Swain, Brady Hunt, Josiah Thompson, and Jaquel Holman wound up leaving the game, too.
• Judge Collier, JT Geer, and Jalon Kilgore did not dress for the SC State contest.
• EDGE players George Wilson, Kobby Sakyi-Prah, and Jaylen Brown have long-term injuries. So do defensive back Zahbari Sandy, offensive lineman Ryan Brubaker, and defensive lineman Caleb Williams.
• The Gamecocks must release an SEC-mandated “availability report” later this week.

Depth chart movement for the Gamecocks

• South Carolina posted another depth chart this week. You can check it out here.
  • Like last week, the depth chart simply mirrored the players who played in the most recent game. The only exception to this “rule,” is that several known products (Judge Collier and Jalon Kilgore as starters and JT Geer as a rotational EDGE) slotted in despite not playing against SC State.
  • Again, bucking his historical trend, Shane Beamer did not utilize any “OR” designations on this depth chart.
  • The only movement from last week’s depth chart is that Donovan Murph is a starter at wide receiver (he was a backup behind Nyck Harbor last week, and Vandrevius Jacobs has now moved from the starting lineup to Murph’s vacated reserve position), and Shed Sarratt is the starter at left guard (he was the backup on the depth chart last week after dealing with an injury; he switched spots with RJ Newsom).

How to watch/listen

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Television/Streaming

The Gamecocks and Commodores will play on SEC Network this weekend. The ESPN app will make the contest available via streaming, as well.

The ESPN crew will include Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (analyst), and Cole Cubelic (sideline reporter).

Radio

Nationally, Elite Media Radio will have former Gamecock voice Mike Morgan (play-by-play) and Chuck Oliver (analyst) on the call. Sirius XM will also have the game available on channel 161 or 190.

Locally, Todd Ellis (play-by-play), Tommy Suggs (analyst), and Chet Tucker (sideline reporter) will be on the call on 107.5 The Game.

Fans can also stream the radio broadcast on the 107.5 The Game app.

Local radio affiliates include:

Aiken/Augusta, GA WYBO-FM 92.9
Allendale WDOG-FM 93.5
Asheville, N.C. WZGM-AM 1350
Asheville, N.C. WZGM-FM 96.1
Camden WCAM-AM 1590
Charleston WTMZ-FM 98.9
Chesterfield WVSZ-FM 107.3
Columbia WNKT-FM 107.5
Florence WFRK-FM 95.3
Gaffney WZZQ-AM 1500
Gaffney WZZQ-FM 104.3
Greenville WROO-FM 104.9
Greenwood WCZZ-AM 1090
Marion, N.C. WBRM-AM 1250
Marion, N.C. WBRM-FM 103.9
Myrtle Beach WSEA-FM 100.3
Newberry WKDK-AM 1240
Rock Hill/Lancaster WRHM-FM 107.1
Spartanburg WSPG-AM 1400
Spartanburg WSPG-FM 98.3
Sumter WIBZ-FM 95.5
Union WBCU-AM 1460
Union WBCU-FM 103.5

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