1st & 10 - South Carolina at Vanderbilt - Thursday 8pm ESPN Video via Quint Kessenich (1:00)
faculty soccer is finally here. And sure, Thursday nighttime's South Carolina-Vanderbilt video game might be the appetizer to Saturday's leading course. however's the lone SEC matchup of Kickoff Week, and pits two similar teams in need of an outstanding delivery to the season.
To get you able, here's a preview of Thursday nighttime's SEC showdown.
When South Carolina has the ball
We're under six hours to kickoff, and we still don't be aware of who the quarterback might be. Will it's the veteran Perry Orth? Or does Will Muschamp turn to one of his two genuine newbies, Brandon McIlwain or Jake Bentley? The surely state of affairs is that you will see at the least two diverse avid gamers below center the primary game. even with who takes the snaps, they will have a difficult time moving the ball towards a Vanderbilt defense that returns eight starters from a unit that accomplished among the many good 10 nationally in efficiency remaining season. The celebrity is linebacker Zach Cunningham, who even after main the group with 103 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss and four.5 sacks ultimate season may nonetheless be underrated in the SEC.
When Vanderbilt has the ball
There are not any final-minute choices at quarterback for the Commodores, who named sophomore Kyle Shurmur the starter throughout fall camp. however can he eventually provide this crew some steadiness under center? The decent information for Shurmur is that he has weapons with working back Ralph Webb and large receivers Trent Sherfield and Caleb Scott. Vanderbilt additionally gets returned receiver C.J. Duncan, who neglected all of remaining season on account of injury. On the other aspect, the South Carolina defense will appear rather just a little different now that Muschamp is in control, and that may still be a good element for the Gamecocks. There should be no Skai Moore, but between Bryson Allen-Williams, T.J. Holloman and Jonathan Walton, the linebacker corps should nonetheless be the power of the unit.
South Carolina X factor
Now that Pharoh Cooper is within the NFL, somebody has to trap passes for the Gamecocks. Cooper caught 55 p.c of the passes thrown to huge receivers last season. Who will fill that void this 12 months? One identify to retain a watch on is correct freshman Bryan Edwards. The ESPN 300 celebrity arrived early and made a splash in the spring game, catching two touchdowns. When South Carolina launched its depth chart this week, there become Edwards with the primary-team offense. He's going to get plenty of alternatives to make performs, and he would like nothing greater than to make a different splash in his collegiate debut Thursday nighttime.
Vanderbilt X component
no person is really sure where Oren Burks will line up this season. Burks, who all started all 12 video games at free protection remaining season, is moving to megastar -- a hybrid safeguard/linebacker place. What does that mean? smartly, it potential he might not have the identical defined function he is had, but despite no matter if you see him as greater of a security or greater of a linebacker, the 6-foot-three, 222-pound junior is one of the more suitable ordinary avid gamers on this Vanderbilt defense. And he won't be complicated to identify Thursday nighttime within the opener. He'll be the one making the entire plays.
Prediction
Neither team has a proven quarterback. each have query marks on the offensive line. And both are led by way of defensive-minded coaches. What does all that imply? It capacity that Thursday nighttime's online game is frequently an unsightly one, dominated by way of the defenses. The Commodores have greater journey lower back and they're taking part in at domestic, so i admire Vanderbilt, 21-13.
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