Oct. 16, 2007
Visit Commodore Gameday Central | View South Carolina’s Game Notes
Vanderbilt will look to end a two game losing streak and pick up its fourth win of the season when the Commodores (3-3, 1-3 SEC) travel to No. 6 South Carolina (6-1, 4-1) on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. CST.
Get to Know South Carolina:
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Head Coach Steve Spurrier:
Spurrier is in his third season as the South Carolina head coach. While at USC, he has compiled a record of 21-11. Before arriving in Columbia, S.C., he was the head coach of the Washington Redskins for two seasons and was 12-20 overall. Spurrier spent 13 seasons at the University of Florida from 1990-2001 and won six outright SEC titles (1991, 1993-1996, 2000) and one national title (1996). A graduate of Florida, he won the Heisman Trophy in 1966. Spurrier has never lost to Vanderbilt as a head coach, with a career record of 14-0 against the Commodores.
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QB #7 Chris Smelley (6’2″ 216 lbs Fr.):
Smelley is 4-0 as a starter this season for the Gamecocks. Last week vs. North Carolina, he completed 17-26 passes for 172 yards and a career-high three touchdowns. His career high in passing yardage came against Mississippi St. when he threw for 279 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
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TB #3 Cory Boyd (6’1″ 217 lbs. Sr.):
The starting tailback for South Carolina, Boyd leads the team with 482 yards rushing. He has also scored four touchdowns on the ground. Earlier this season vs. South Carolina St., Boyd rushed for a career-high 132 yards on 11 carries. He is only the fourth player in school history to amass 1,000+ career rushing yards (1,846) and 90+ receptions (99).
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TB #25 Mike Davis (5’9″ 215 lbs. Jr.):
Davis has been a solid backup for the Gamecocks, averaging 4.9 yards per carry while also scoring five rushing touchdowns. For the season, he has 411 yards on the ground. For his career, Davis has rushed for 1,551 career yards.
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WR #11 Kenny McKinley (6’0″ 177 lbs. Jr.):
McKinley leads South Carolina with 37 receptions for 446 yards and six receiving touchdowns. He caught seven passes for 102 yards against Georgia and four passes for 107 yards vs. Mississippi St. McKinley has scored five touchdowns in the last five games and ranks eighth in school history in career receptions (113).
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DE #40 Eric Norwood (6’0″ 258 lbs. So.):
In 2007, Norwood has five sacks, good for fifth in the SEC, 10 tackles for loss, ranking him fourth in the SEC, and is second on the squad with 41 tackles. A Freshman All-American last season, Norwood is tied for ninth in school history in career sacks with 12.
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FS #21 Emanuel Cook (5’10” 216 lbs. So.):
One of the surest tacklers on USC, Cook missed the season opener after being sidelined with an appendectomy, but returned just two weeks later to play against Georgia. Despite the injury, he leads the team with 46 tackles, including 36 solo stops. He has at least seven tackles in each of his five starts, including a team-high 11 at LSU.
Talking Points:
MLB #52 Jasper Brinkley, an All-SEC caliber performer, is out for the season after sustaining an injury earlier this year against LSU. Brinkley was arguably the team’s best defensive player and has been one of the best in the SEC over the last several years.
PK/P #14 Ryan Succop is one of the best kickers in the nation and is on both the Lou Groza Award, given annually to the nation’s top place kicker, and Ray Guy Award, given annually to the nation’s top punter, watch lists. This season, he has made 7-10 field goal attempts and averages 41.7 yards per punt.
QB #12 Blake Mitchell, the starting QB for the Gamecocks the last two seasons, has moved to the backup role but could see some playing time Saturday. Mitchell is 13-7 as a starter, including three starts this season. Mitchell ranks seventh in Gamecock history with 4,636 passing yards, seventh in school history in pass attempts (607), sixth in school history in pass completions (371), and fifth in school history in passing touchdowns (31).
LB #32 Marcus Davis is the team’s oldest player (28) and is believed to be the oldest Division I football player in the country this season.
Steve Spurrier is one of only 14 Division I-A head coaches who also calls his team’s offensive plays.
South Carolina is currently ranked sixth in the BCS Standings.
South Carolina is ranked eighth in the SEC in scoring offense at 27.86 points per game.
The Gamecocks average 127.71 yards on the ground (11th in the SEC) and 221.14 pass yards (6th in the SEC) per game.
The Gamecock defense allows only 16.57 points per game (3rd in the SEC; 14th nationally).
The pass defense has been significantly stringent, allowing only 149.14 yards per game (1st in the SEC; 3rd nationally).
