NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Steve Spurrier has a nice little streak working against Vanderbilt. The coach has not lost to the Commodores while at Duke, Florida and now South Carolina, not once in 13 games.
He knows a win this time won't come easily.
"I look at Vanderbilt, and that team is so different from where they used to be. They're as good as anyone in this league," Spurrier said.
His Gamecocks had to score last in pulling out a 35-28 victory last year in Columbia. Now the Commodores (3-4, 1-3 Southeastern Conference) are coming off a 24-22 victory over then-No. 16 Georgia, snapping a 49-game skid to ranked opponents.
Georgia beat South Carolina 18-0 in September.
The Commodores, whose three SEC losses have been by a combined 12 points, are feeling pretty confident going into today's homecoming game.
"We feel like we can beat anybody in the conference, anybody in the nation," left tackle Chris Williams said. "We feel like we're a good football team (that can) line up and play every Saturday. We'll play anybody."
South Carolina (4-3, 2-2) has won six in a row over Vanderbilt and has dominated the series by winning 13 of 15 games.
This is a must-win for the Commodores who want to become bowl-eligible for the first time since 1982, while a South Carolina victory would keep the Gamecocks' fleeting hopes for a share of the SEC Eastern Division title alive.
Offensively, both teams rely on athletic, first-year starters at quarterback who seem to be coming into their own.
Vanderbilt's Chris Nickson completed 11 of 13 passes and rushed for 49 yards before missing the second half against Ole Miss with an injury two weeks ago. A healthier Nickson accounted for 249 yards of offense against Georgia last week, leading a late-fourth quarter drive against the Bulldogs that set up Bryant Hahnfelt's game-winning field goal.
"They spread it out, throw it around, the quarterback can run," Spurrier said. "They are playing the latest version of college football."
Gamecocks quarterback Syvelle Newton might want a little revenge since he tore his Achilles tendon on a fourth-quarter touchdown run against Vanderbilt last season.
"Syvelle did an excellent job rehabbing and doing what the doctors asked him to do. He is very close to where he was last year," Spurrier said.
Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson tried to recruit Newton to Vanderbilt. He's similar to Nickson in that he also makes plays with his feet and his arm. Newton accounted for 270 yards of offense in South Carolina's 24-17 victory at Kentucky on Oct. 7. He also threw for 240 yards and ran for 44 in a 24-17 loss to Auburn.
Vanderbilt has lost their past three homecoming games to Navy, Florida, and Georgia. The Gamecocks promise not to take them lightly.
"They just beat a good Georgia team," Gamecocks defensive tackle Nathan Pepper said. "It's going to be tough for us."
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