This is how you take care of business on the road. For the South Carolina Gamecocks, they saw all the hype about Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia ahead of this one. People were still talking about him powering his team over Hugh Freeze and Auburn not long ago.
Keep in mind this same No. 24 Vanderbilt team took down Alabama this campaign too. However, the Gamecocks traveled to Nashville and had no issues leaving town with a 28-7 win, putting forth an impressive performance on both sides of the ball. There's no question these two players and one coach stepped up for this team in a major way:
3. QB LaNorris Sellers
He might not be known as a stud quarterback in the SEC, but you've got to give props to signal-caller LaNorris Sellers for how he performed in this one. Sellers made some impressive throws against the Vandy defense, completing 14-of-20 pass attempts for 238 yards and two touchdowns. This was a terrific day at the office for Sellers, no doubt about that.
2. RB Raheim Sanders
For someone like Sellers, it's always going to help when there's a dependable ground game to work with. Such was the case against Vanderbilt, as standout running back Raheim Sanders looked fantastic whenever his number was called. Sanders paved the way with two rushing touchdowns, while adding 126 yards on 15 carries. Oh, and he added two receptions for 52 yards and a touchdown from Norris too. This was a head-turning performance from Sanders. What a talent.
1. DC Clayton White
Again, the hype around Pavia and the Vanderbilt offense has been quite high for a little while. However, defensive coordinator Clayton White came up with the perfect plan to contain the talented QB. White had his defense putting consistent pressure on Pavia, barely giving him any time to scan the field and look for his wideouts. Vanderbilt has scored plenty of points in 2024, but White made sure to prevent them from getting into a rhythm on Saturday night. He deserves a ton of praise following this convincing win for the Gamecocks.