2025 Vanderbilt Football Opponent Preview, Game 3: South Carolina
Last season’s matchup between Vanderbilt and South Carolina did not go the way the Commodores wanted to say the least. The Gamecocks went into Nashville and beat the Dores 28-7 one week after Vanderbilt went on the road to Auburn and won.
Vanderbilt could only muster 274 total yards that night and was outgained 452 yards to 274. It was a one score game midway through the third quarter until South Carolina pulled away with two second half touchdowns to secure a 21-point victory. The Commodores entered the game ranked No. 24 in the AP Poll, but little did they know, that was the last time they would be ranked the rest of the season.
Whether you chalk it up to a bad night or an off day for the team, Vanderbilt had just ran into a red hot South Carolina team. Starting off last season 3-3, the Gamecocks rallied off six consecutive wins to finish the regular season, just missing the College Football Playoff by perhaps one win short.
South Carolina ended up falling to Illinois in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl and finished 9-4, but if the second half of last season told fans anything, it was that South Carolina football had a return to relevancy and placed itself back into the postseason conversation.
With a returning coach, coordinators and quarterback, South Carolina is poised to get to an even better position in postseason play than last season. One step toward doing that would be to shut down Vanderbilt once again, this time in the Gamecocks SEC opener.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. or 6:45 p.m. CT on September 13, 2025 and will be streamed on ESPN or SECN. While South Carolina has dominated the series between these two schools, September’s matchups should be a fun one. Here’s a look at Vanderbilt’s third opponent of the season.
Offense
Quarterback LaNorris Sellers returning for South Carolina was certainly a big help for the offense for the upcoming season. The dual-threat quarterback poses a threat to opposing SEC defenses and can lead the Gamecocks to wins.
South Carolina also kept running back Raheim “Rocket” Sanders for its ground game. From the portal, it got Utah State wide receiver transfer Rahsul Faison to help down the field.
Defense
The South Carolina defense was fourth in the SEC last season in total defense. The issue now is the amount of defensive production that was lost.
EDGE rusher Kyle Kennard and safety Nick Emmanwori are both gone as well as both starting linebackers and three of the four starters on the defensive line.
Luckily for the Gamecocks, they bring back defensive lineman Dylan Stewart, who had 6.5 sacks last season, and Jalen Kilgore, who led the secondary with five interceptions last season.
Schedule
South Carolina does not have an easy schedule, but that is to be expected when a part of the conference like the SEC. The Gamecocks also challenge themselves out of conference with a neutral site game to start the season against Virginia Tech and then hosting its annual rivalry game against the Clemson Tigers to finish the season off. In conference play, South Carolina will be challenged with various hostile environments such as traveling to LSU, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. In addition to hosting Vanderbilt in SEC play, the Gamecocks will play host to Kentucky, Oklahoma and Alabama. Anything similar or better to the season it had a year ago would be impressive considering the schedule.
Outlook
Coming off a season with a 9-4 record and just missing out on the playoff spot, Shane Beamer with his returning quarterback in LaNorris Sellers is going to do all he and the rest of his coaching staff can to get South Carolina over the top and into the playoff bracket this season. The Gamecocks definitely have the capability to get to nine wins again.
The Game
Date: September 13, 2025
Time: 6:00 or 6:45 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN or SECN
Location: Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, South Carolina
The Team
Head coach: Shane Beamer (Fifth season)
Offensive coordinator: Dowell Loggains (Third season)
Defensive coordinator: Clayton White (Fifth season)
2024-2025 record: 9-4
2024 rankings: Finished No. 19 in the final AP Poll of the 2024-2025 season
The School
Location: Columbia, South Carolina
Founded: 1801
Enrollment: 28,470 (Fall of 2023)
Nickname: Gamecock
School colors: Garnett and Black
Mascot: Cocky
The Program
Series history: 30-4 South Carolina
Last conference championship: 1969 (played in the ACC)
Playoff Appearances: None
The Schedule
August 30: vs Virginia Tech (In Atlanta)
September 6: vs South Carolina State
September 13: vs Vanderbilt
September 20: at Missouri
September 27: vs Kentucky
October 11: at LSU
October 18: vs Oklahoma
October 25: vs Alabama
November 1: at Ole Miss
November 15: at Texas A&M
November 22: vs Coastal Carolina
November 29: vs Clemson
Vanderbilt Commodores On SI:
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Graham Baakko is a writer for Vanderbilt Commodores On SI, primarily covering football, basketball and baseball. Graham is a recent graduate from the University of Alabama, where he wrote for The Crimson White, WVUA-FM, WVUA 23 as he covered a variety of Crimson Tide sports. He also covered South Carolina athletics as a sportswriting intern for GamecockCentral.