Vanderbilt Commodores at No. 12 South Carolina Gamecocks
Saturday, 9/24/11, 7:00 PM EST, TV:  ESPN2
Opening Point Spread:  South Carolina -15
Current Betting Line:  South Carolina -15.5
Opening Total:  51.5
Current Total:  51.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

Vanderbilt will be seeking its first four-game win streak in more than two years when heading off to face South Carolina this Saturday inside Williams-Brice Stadium.  The Commodores have posted a perfect 3-0 against-the-spread and straight-up record thus far, but will be venturing outside of Nashville for the first time.  “Obviously being on the road is going to create some issues,” commented Commodores first-year coach James Franklin.  It’s important to note that Vanderbilt is the only team in America that has surpassed its 2010 win total through the first three games of 2011.  Vanderbilt is 0-8 SU and 2-6 ATS when playing a team with a winning record the last two-plus seasons.

The Commodores 30-7 when over the Ole Miss Rebels last week served as the highest margin of victory in SEC for the school since 1971.  Vanderbilt is relying heavily on creating turnovers, currently leading the SEC and ranking 10th nationally in turnover margin.  It will need to do the same in hopes of snapping a two-game losing streak against South Carolina.  A rushing attack that gained 281 yards versus the Rebels will also need to continue knocking opponents back.  Running back Zac Stacy has 262 rushing yards this year and is averaging 9.0 yards per carry.

South Carolina has spotted opponents leads this year by scoring just a single touchdown in the first quarter in its first three games, but is still 3-0 straight-up on the season.  The Gamecocks picked up a 24-21 win over Navy last week, but dropped to 1-2 ATS due to failing to cover as 15-point home favorites.  Running back Marcus Lattimore was the star of the show, and leads the nation with 534 rushing yards through three weeks of action.  He carried the ball 37 times for a career-high 246 yards versus the Midshipmen.  South Carolina is 7-10 ATS as a favorite the last two-plus campaigns.

The Gamecocks lead the all-time series, 16-4, including a 4-2 mark during the Steve Spurrier era.  South Carolina will likely try to get Lattimore a breather and exploit the Commodores through the air, as senior quarterback Stephen Garcia completed 31-of-39 passes for 355 yards in last year’s 21-7 win in Nashville.  Offensively, the team racked up a total of 484 yards, while the defense limited Vanderbilt to just 250.  Garcia is still erratic at times, but has tallied a 19-13 record in 32 career starts.

Bettors will likely back the Commodores due to their 15-4 ATS mark as a road underdog of 10.5 or more points, while the Gamecocks are 0-3-1 ATS when playing host in the series.

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