COLUMBIA --- South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier doesn't have to do much to make sure the No. 23 Gamecocks don't take Vanderbilt lightly this weekend -- just slip in the tape of the past two times the teams have played.

"They outplayed us the last two years. That's why they've beaten us, simple as that. They've outplayed us, outcoached us, outhit us," Spurrier said Tuesday.

And he has some other words that might make Gamecocks fans cringe. After all, the Commodores have been considered the doormat of the Southeastern Conference long before South Carolina joined 17 years ago.

"We all know that as close as our teams are, one or two plays determines it," Spurrier said.

Defensive tackle Ladi Ajiboye said the Gamecocks took Vanderbilt lightly the past two years, a costly mistake for a team that's never had a lot of room for error.

"Every time we lose to them, I feel like we go downhill," Ajiboye said.

South Carolina is just now climbing out of a tailspin the Commodores sent them in to in 2007. Back then, the Gamecocks came into the Vanderbilt game 6-1 and ranked No. 6 in the country. They lost 17-6, beginning a five-game losing streak to end the season without even a bowl bid.

The teams played in the SEC opener the next season, and Vanderbilt's 24-17 win was the Gamecocks sixth loss in seven games and in an up-and-down season that ended with a loss to Iowa in the Outback Bowl.

But things seem to be returning to normal this year in a series where the Gamecocks have won 14 of 18 games. Vanderbilt has yet to win an SEC game this season.

- Spurrier said Alabama used some tape trickery to spot field goals and extra points last weekend and is asking the Southeastern Conference if that is legal. While reviewing video of the Gamecocks' 20-6 loss, Spurrier said Tuesday it looked like the Crimson Tide holder put a small piece of white tape on the ground to spot PATs and field goals. The NCAA football rulebook (Rule 6-3; Article 10; subsection d) says:

"Any device or material used to mark the spot of a scrimmage place kick or elevate the ball makes the kick illegal." The penalty is five yards.