Five Predictions For The Vanderbilt Game
posted by Scott Hood, Saturday, October 24, 2009
1. USC Will Win The Time Of Possession Battle By At Least Five Minutes: Because of it’s ineffective offense, Vanderbilt has held the ball for just 26:33 per game, almost seven minutes less than the opposition. The Commodores average yards per drive (25.40) and average time of possession (2:03) is last in the SEC. They don’t have a single scoring drive of more than five minutes this season. Meanwhile, USC is fourth in the SEC with a possession time of 30:54 per game. USC is averaging two more first downs per game than the Commodores and their average drive lasts 2:33, 30 seconds longer than Vandy. Calculate that out over an entire game and its adds up.
2. Vanderbilt Will Have Less Than 225 Total Offensive Yards: Vanderbilt abused Div. I-AA Western Carolina for 620 yards in the season opener. Yet, they are 11th in the SEC in total offense with an average of 330.1 ypg. In four SEC games, the Commodores’ offense has been practically non-existent with an average of 225.8 yards and 7.2 points per game. Vanderbilt has failed to reach 100 yards passing in two of their four conference games with a high of 174 yards against Georgia in last week’s 34-10 loss. In their other three SEC games, Vandy averaged 93.7 passing yards. Since USC has a pretty good pass defense (third in SEC), they should be able to shut down the Commodores’ passing game and render them on-dimensional.
3. USC Will Have At Least Four Sacks: USC has only one sack in the last three games, none by Eric Norwood. Vanderbilt has allowed 17 sacks in seven games for an average of 2.4 per game. Even though the pass rush has slowed in recent games, this game might present a good opportunity for Eric Norwood and the rest of the Gamecock defense to bring the heat from the edge and harass Vanderbilt QB Larry Smith into multiple throwing mistakes. Each of Vandy’s first four SEC foes have at least two sacks, topped by the four registered by Ole Miss in their 23-7 victory over the ‘Dores in Nashville on Oct. 3.
4. USC Will Commit Fewer Than Two Turnovers: The outcomes of the last two USC-Vandy games have been largely attributable to careless turnovers by the Gamecocks. Vanderbilt is plus-five in turnover margin after seven games but they were plus-three against both Western Carolina (4-1) and Rice (4-1, four INT), meaning they’re minus-1 in their other five games, four of which have been against SEC opponents. USC has been much more diligent taking care of the football this season with nine turnovers, an average of just over one per game. As a result, they’re plus-four in turnover margin. Stephen Garcia has thrown four interceptions in seven games, a reasonable number. USC has rushed the ball 236 times with five fumbles lost, an averge of one per every 47.2 attempts.
5. The 1984 Team Will Get The Biggest Ovation Of The Night: As I’ve often said, college football is as much about the past as it is about the present and the future. And no team in USC history is beloved more than the 1984 ‘Black Magic” team that went 10-2 and reached No. 2 in the national polls, a season that included a thrilling 22-21 victory over Clemson. As a result, tonight’s pre-game ceremony honoring both the ’84 and 1969 ACC championship teams on the 25th and 40th anniversaries of their seasons, respectively, should be special for everybody involved. The ovation for the 1984 team should be deafening.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
South Carolina squares off with Vanderbilt Saturday night at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia. Here are five things I predict will happen in the game:
1. USC Will Win The Time Of Possession Battle By At Least Five Minutes: Because of it’s ineffective offense, Vanderbilt has held the ball for just 26:33 per game, almost seven minutes less than the opposition. The Commodores average yards per drive (25.40) and average time of possession (2:03) is last in the SEC. They don’t have a single scoring drive of more than five minutes this season. Meanwhile, USC is fourth in the SEC with a possession time of 30:54 per game. USC is averaging two more first downs per game than the Commodores and their average drive lasts 2:33, 30 seconds longer than Vandy. Calculate that out over an entire game and its adds up.
2. Vanderbilt Will Have Less Than 225 Total Offensive Yards: Vanderbilt abused Div. I-AA Western Carolina for 620 yards in the season opener. Yet, they are 11th in the SEC in total offense with an average of 330.1 ypg. In four SEC games, the Commodores’ offense has been practically non-existent with an average of 225.8 yards and 7.2 points per game. Vanderbilt has failed to reach 100 yards passing in two of their four conference games with a high of 174 yards against Georgia in last week’s 34-10 loss. In their other three SEC games, Vandy averaged 93.7 passing yards. Since USC has a pretty good pass defense (third in SEC), they should be able to shut down the Commodores’ passing game and render them on-dimensional.
3. USC Will Have At Least Four Sacks: USC has only one sack in the last three games, none by Eric Norwood. Vanderbilt has allowed 17 sacks in seven games for an average of 2.4 per game. Even though the pass rush has slowed in recent games, this game might present a good opportunity for Eric Norwood and the rest of the Gamecock defense to bring the heat from the edge and harass Vanderbilt QB Larry Smith into multiple throwing mistakes. Each of Vandy’s first four SEC foes have at least two sacks, topped by the four registered by Ole Miss in their 23-7 victory over the ‘Dores in Nashville on Oct. 3.
4. USC Will Commit Fewer Than Two Turnovers: The outcomes of the last two USC-Vandy games have been largely attributable to careless turnovers by the Gamecocks. Vanderbilt is plus-five in turnover margin after seven games but they were plus-three against both Western Carolina (4-1) and Rice (4-1, four INT), meaning they’re minus-1 in their other five games, four of which have been against SEC opponents. USC has been much more diligent taking care of the football this season with nine turnovers, an average of just over one per game. As a result, they’re plus-four in turnover margin. Stephen Garcia has thrown four interceptions in seven games, a reasonable number. USC has rushed the ball 236 times with five fumbles lost, an averge of one per every 47.2 attempts.
5. The 1984 Team Will Get The Biggest Ovation Of The Night: As I’ve often said, college football is as much about the past as it is about the present and the future. And no team in USC history is beloved more than the 1984 ‘Black Magic” team that went 10-2 and reached No. 2 in the national polls, a season that included a thrilling 22-21 victory over Clemson. As a result, tonight’s pre-game ceremony honoring both the ’84 and 1969 ACC championship teams on the 25th and 40th anniversaries of their seasons, respectively, should be special for everybody involved. The ovation for the 1984 team should be deafening.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
Previous Blog Entries
Scott Hood. Since February of 2005, Scott has covered the South Carolina football, men's basketball and baseball programs for GamecockCentral. He may be reached by email at scottblog(at)gamecockcentral.com. Replace (at) with @.