South Carolina and Vanderbilt look to snap SEC losing streaks this weekend

In an SEC matchup, the Vanderbilt Commodores (2-4) will travel to take on South Carolina (3-3) on Saturday. Both schools will look to snap their losing streaks entering this game. Vanderbilt has dropped 15 consecutive SEC games, while South Carolina has lost nine SEC games in a row.

Both first-year head coaches will aim for a victory to get their teams back on the right track.

Vanderbilt Commodores

Last week, the Commodores suffered a 42-0 shutout loss against the Florida Gators. First-year head coach Clark Lea was disappointed with the game’s result but will take the loss as an opportunity to learn from their mistakes.

When the Commodores had chances against Florida, they could not follow through. Kicker Joseph Bulovas missed three field goals from 39, 41 and 33 yards out. Lea also commented on the team’s failure to finish offensive drives.

Lea and the Commodores are still looking to cultivate a team culture this season. To do so, Lea plans to stay disciplined and consistent while keeping long-term goals in mind. The process has been emotionally taxing due to a lack of results, but the team has been growing steadily toward their vision.

Building off of the Florida game, the Commodores will look to improve defensively ahead of this weekend. In order to hold off South Carolina’s rushing game, Vanderbilt’s defense will need to stay sharp and focused on details.

South Carolina Gamecocks

Last week, the Gamecocks fell to Tennessee 45-20. In this matchup, South Carolina faced struggles on offense with difficulties running the ball consistently. However, while the Gamecocks did not go down easy, they could not hold off Tennessee’s strong offense. The Gamecocks allowed for 35 unanswered points. Quarterback Luke Doty, and the South Carolina offense did not get on the board until the second quarter.

As a first-year head coach, Beamer is also looking to establish a team culture under his guidance.

Going into their matchup against Vanderbilt, the Gamecocks will look to finish offensive drives, testing the Commodores’ defense.

The Matchup

These SEC teams are no strangers, as South Carolina holds a 12-game win streak against Vanderbilt.

Both teams will look to improve their record, bouncing back from losses last week all while discovering their respective team cultures. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. The game will be televised on SEC Network.