South Carolina has created a unique history with Vanderbilt over the past couple of decades. The Gamecocks and Commodores have been competing on the field annually since South Carolina joined the SEC in the 1990s.
Statistic history
The Gamecocks have defeated the Commodores in each of their last 10 matchups and are looking to secure their 11th consecutive win this Saturday.
South Carolina is 24-4 all time against Vanderbilt. The Gamecocks' average score is 26.2, while Vanderbilt's is an even 14 points.
After winning the first seven games of the series, South Carolina dropped two consecutive games to the Commodores in 1998 and 1999. The Gamecocks went on to win seven more games, but were eventually defeated again in 2007 and 2008.
Since beginning his head coaching journey at South Carolina in 2015, Will Muschamp has come face-to-face with head coach Derek Mason and the Commodores three times and is undefeated against Vanderbilt.
"Coach Muschamp is an extremely good coach," Mason said in a press conference preceding last year's South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt matchup. "Got a lot of respect for him, his program, what he's done."
Most recent matchup
Sept. 22, 2018, after an unexpected week off due to a game cancellation, the Gamecocks defeated the Commodores by a score of 37-14, securing their 10th straight win over Vanderbilt. This game had the largest scoring difference in over 10 years of the series.
With four touchdowns and three field goals, the Gamecocks' offense controlled the pace of the game.
"We dominated on the line of scrimmage, ran the ball extremely well, played the run extremely well defensively," Muschamp said in a postgame press conference.
The defense wasn't far behind. With 65 total tackles, two sacks and three turnovers, South Carolina had a successful night.
"That's probably our best game so far this year," said then-junior defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw, who recorded both sacks for South Carolina in that game.
Key players in the last few years
On both sides of the field, wide receivers play a big role in this SEC East matchup.
For South Carolina, Bryan Edwards has been a consistent weapon for the receiving corps. In his first three years as a Gamecock (2016-2018), Edwards recorded 163 receptions for 2,229 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Although former Gamecock wide receiver Deebo Samuel has graduated and moved on to the NFL, he played four seasons at South Carolina. Despite sitting out for some time as a result of injury, Samuel managed to record 148 receptions for 2,076 yards and 16 receiving touchdowns in just 30 games.
As for Vanderbilt, standout receiver Kalija Lipscomb is currently in the midst of his senior year. In his last three seasons and through the start of this season, he has recorded 183 receptions for 2,222 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Previously, the Gamecock defense often looked to Bryson Allen-Williams, who graduated last year. During his time at South Carolina, Allen-Williams had 111 solo tackles, 27.5 tackles for a loss of 113 yards and 6.5 sacks.
Now, the Gamecocks rely heavily on Kinlaw, who has 81 tackles and 9.5 sacks since 2017. Five of those sacks were recorded this season.
On Vanderbilt's defense, sophomore linebacker Dimitri Moore has recorded 135 total tackles since last season. Junior safety Tae Daley has 75 tackles and 1.5 sacks over the past three years.
The Gamecocks and Commodores will face off Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on SEC Network.