South Carolina cruises against Vanderbilt

The Vanderbilt Commodores entered tonight’s game against the South Carolina Gamecocks riding high from their upset win over Missouri. Carolina came in reeling from two consecutive conference losses. Starting out, it looked like these trajectories would continue after Vandy scored on the opening drive of the game, which concluded with a 26 yard touchdown pass from Riley Neal to Cam Johnson. Following this play, however, the tone took a complete 180.

Neal would leave the game after this drive with an injury that still hasn’t been disclosed. The Commodore offense left the field as well as this was their last score of the game.

The rest of the night saw the Gamecocks dominate in all facets and resulted in 24-7 for the home team. Ryan Hilinski had an efficient game, finishing 24/31 passing for 235 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman running back Deshaun Fenwick broke the century mark on the ground with 102 yards on 18 carries. But the star of the night for Carolina was without a doubt, Bryan Edwards. Edwards tied the South Carolina single-game reception record with 14. These 14 receptions amassed 139 yards and included a 25 yard TD grab.

When all was said and done, South Carolina out gained Vanderbilt 440 to 189. It was a pretty cut and dry evening in Williams-Brice Stadium as the Gamecocks extended their winning streak in this series to 11.

Next up for Vandy, it’s another challenging affair, this time a road trip to face a Florida team fresh off of a cocktail party loss. South Carolina welcomes Appalachian State to Columbia next week for a game that certainly won’t be a cake walk. Getting to a bowl game will still require at least a Herculean effort from Carolina and a miraculous one from Vandy.