Gamecocks to face more conventional offensive scheme against Vanderbilt
Unusual offensive schemes have been the norm instead of the exception among South Carolina's opponents so far this season, and they have stretched the defense to its limit. The Gamecocks needed a last-minute interception last week to overcome Navy's triple-option offense, which kept them off balance for much of the game.
"We always can do better. We could have done better last week," said defensive line coach Brad Lawing. "We held them to 150 [rushing] yards below their average. There were seven possessions, and they had three scores. You always look to do better than what you did."
But now that ship has sailed, and Carolina will play its first of seven consecutive Southeastern Conference games against a Vanderbilt team that balances a threatening running game and a strong pass offense.
"They're running the ball well right now, and their quarterback is a capable passer," Lawing said. "They're playing good football. From Week 1 to Week 2 to this past week, they've made drastic improvement. They do a lot of stuff formation-wise and create a lot of confusion."
The cornerbacks, hardly a factor against Navy, will have a much bigger role to play this week to contain Vanderbilt quarterback Larry Smith. No receiver has averaged more than 35 yards per game for the Commodores, but redshirt freshman Chris Boyd has led his team with three touchdown receptions in the first three games.
"They've got great receivers. I remember some of their receivers from last year," corner Stephon Gilmore said. "They have a great quarterback. We just have to challenge them at the line of scrimmage. They throw the ball a little bit more [than last year]. We have to be ready for them."
Gilmore has not played up to his potential so far in the season, recording 16 tackles but missing some critical plays.
"I expect more from him, and he expects more from himself," defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward said of Gilmore. "I think he'll be better. We're starting to get into the meat of the schedule now with conventional offenses, and people are going to challenge us and see if we can play pass defense."
The Gamecocks will gain additional depth at cornerback with the return of redshirt freshman Victor Hampton, who was serving a suspension after being dismissed from the team in June. He was reinstated a week later.
"Vic [Hampton] will play," Ward said. "Vic has shown that he can challenge people, which we're trying to get all the defensive backs to do. I expect him to play a lot. He's been working on the defensive side of the ball to help us show the offense. He's a tremendous talent, and he's got great speed. We used him in a lot of situations last week and the week prior. He's really helped us try to prepare on defense."
USC will focus on improving its third-down defense after allowing the Midshipmen to convert nine of 14 times. The Commodores, in turn, have struggled offensively on third downs, converting only 10 of 41 this season.
"We've got to get better on third downs as a defense," Lawing said. "Vandy does a lot of screens. They do a lot of different things — it's not just turning it loose and running up the field all the time. We have to play within the scheme of our defense. It'll be a lot different than this past week."
Many of USC's defensive leaders will maintain their roles in this week's game. Antonio Allen, who made the critical interception that sealed the Gamecocks' win against the Midshipmen, will continue to play at Spur with Damario Jeffery as his backup.
DeVonte Holloman, who had switched from Will linebacker to Spur in the offseason, is slated to play on the perimeter after tackling well last week. Jimmy Legree, who had a disappointing game against Navy, will be the backup to D.J. Swearinger at free.
The Gamecocks will look to build on key stops against the Midshipmen to contain the Commodores' conventional, if threatening, offense. Although this week marks the beginning of a critical stretch of conference games, this matchup as important as any other for the USC defense.
"Every game should be the same," Lawing said. "You only get so many opportunities to play. We're one-fourth of the way through our season right now. You only get so many opportunities, and they all matter."