Oct. 28, 2017
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Vanderbilt at South Carolina
Postgame Notes
Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017
Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C.
Pregame Notes
– Vanderbilt is in its 128th year of organized football.
– The Commodores wore gold helmets, white jerseys and black pants for the road contest against South Carolina.
– Vanderbilt won the toss and elected to receive the first possession.
– Attendance was 78,992.
– Vanderbilt captains for the game were running back Khari Blasingame, linebacker Oren Burks and safety Ryan White.
Team Notes
– With the loss, the Commodores fall to 3-5 overall, and 0-5 in Southeastern Conference play.
– Vanderbilt also suffered their ninth straight loss to the Gamecocks dating back to a 24-17 home victory in 2008. It was the
– It marked Vanderbilt’s first defeat this season after it put the first points on the scoreboard. The Commodores entered the game 3-0 when scoring first.
– The Commodores were hurt by penalties before intermission, with nine infractions totaling 90 yards. The Gamecocks’ second touchdown came five plays after a 15-yard personal foul that came on a South Carolina punt.
Individual Notes
– Junior Andrew Rector earned his first career start at linebacker against the Gamecocks.
– Three redshirt freshmen – Drew Birchmeier, Zaire Jones and Cameron Tidd – earned their first career starts on the Commodore defense. Birchmeier and Tidd were started on the defensive line while Jones started art strong safety.
– Frank Coppet (R-Fr., safety) earned his first action as a Commodore, participating on special teams.
Offensive Notes
– Vanderbilt went 75 yards for a touchdown on its first series. The six-play drive, capped by a 9-yard pass from quarterback Kyle Shurmur to running back Khari Blasingame, was the team’s first touchdown on its opening possession since the Alabama A&M game. Shurmur was 3-of-3 for 34 yards on the drive.
– Sophomore wide receiver Kalija Lipscomb made a remarkable one-handed catch in the second quarter, hauling in a deep sideline pass from Shurmur that went for 36 yards. The catch, initially ruled incomplete, was changed by upon review. Three plays later, the Commodores scored their second touchdown, an 8-yard toss from Shurmur to Duncan.
– When Shurmur connected with Lipscomb on a 47-yard touchdown with 8:55 remaining in the third quarter, it marked the first time since the Middle Tennessee game that the Commodores tallied a touchdown on their first possession of the second half.
– Shurmur played well for the Commodores, completing 27 of 49 passes for 333 yards and four touchdowns. He now has 18 touchdowns on the year, the fourth highest single-season total in team history and the most since Jay Cutler threw 21 touchdowns in 2005. Shurmur’s 32 career touchdown passes is fifth on the team’s all-time charts.
– Shurmur matched his single-game career high with four touchdown passes. His yardage total was the second highest of his Commodore career.
– Lipscomb became the first Commodore wide receiver this year to surpass 100 receiving yards in a game. He finished with 128 yards on a career-high seven catches. Lipscomb also had two superb catches, including an acrobatic 47-yard touchdown reception that was the longest of his career.
– C.J. Duncan posted a career high with eight catches, good for 80 yards and a touchdown.
– Senior running back Ralph Webb earned his 45th consecutive start, the most of any active Commodore. He finished with 31 rushing yards on six carries before leaving late in the first half. Webb now has 3,781 rushing yards in his career, 14th all-time in the SEC.
– Trent Sherfield also contributed 59 receiving yards.
Defensive Notes
– Linebacker Oren Burks topped the Commodore defensive effort with nine total tackles, including seven solo stops.
– Safeties LaDarius Wiley and Ryan White added eight and six tackles, respectively.
– Linebacker Jordan Griffith contributed a 7-yard loss to help force a Gamecock punting situation in the second quarter.
– Defensive end Dare Odeyingbo contributed the team’s only quarterback sack among three tackles.
Special Team Notes
– Sam Loy punted four times for an average of 34.5 yards.
– Vanderbilt’s streak of 93 consecutive extra point conversions came to an end in the second quarter.
– Jamauri Wakefield averaged 26.0 yards on two kick returns.
– Lipscomb had three punt returns for 21 yards, including a18-yarder in the fourth quarter.
