South Carolina preparing for 'more multiple' Vanderbilt offense

After failing to put efficient pressure on Missouri quarterback Brady Cook last week, South Carolina is already emphasizing doing just that as it prepares for Vanderbilt.

While the two teams don’t have identical offensive schemes, Shane Beamer said there are certainly some similarities between the fast-paced, motion-heavy Missouri offense and Vanderbilt’s offense.

“It’s a challenge. Missouri did a good job of getting the ball out quickly, running the ball, and moving the pocket…They wanted to protect the quarterback for sure,” Beamer said. “He took some hits against Vanderbilt..that’s the way Vandy plays in a lot of ways as well.”

Beamer said Vanderbilt does a good job of utilizing star wideout Will Sheppard in RPO situations, and that South Carolina will have to put pressure on the quarterback to throw off the rhythm of the Commodore offense.

Sheppard is one of the more consistent wide receivers in the SEC this year. He’s third in the conference with 45 catches, second in touchdowns with eight, and sixth with just over 65 yards per game.

“They get the ball to him in a lot of ways,” Beamer said. “A lot are RPOs where he hands it off and takes it and throws it up in one-on-one coverage…you have to force them into passing situations for sure and find ways to affect the quarterback.”

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Defensive coordinator Clayton White said Vanderbilt’s use of multi-tight end sets this year has helped them improve on offense, and it’s something that could cause some trouble for defenses.

“Guys got to be on their P’s and Q’s and we got to stay ahead of the motions and make sure we’re not caught off guard on any types of new gadgets or motions,” White said.

Though South Carolina’s pass rush has seen improvement over the past few weeks, it faltered again against Missouri. Zacch Pickens knows that he and the rest of the defensive line will have to step it back up against Vanderbilt.

“We have to get home. We don’t want our DBs to cover for so long,” Pickens said. “If the DBs hold for a little bit we’ll be right there. With Vanderbilt, they throw the ball quick…they’re not trying to hold the ball as much.”

Even if the defense can’t get through the Commodore offensive line for a sack, Beamer said that the Gamecocks will have to use their length to their advantage to disrupt the offense.

“We’ve done a good job defensively of when we know we’re not getting to the quarterback, getting our hands up, and having a chance to bat a ball when a quarterback throws it,” Beamer said. “We’ve done a good job of that the last few games. You don’t hit him but do a good job affecting the throw by using our length up front as well.”

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White praised Vanderbilt quarterbacks AJ Swann and Mike Wright for their respective abilities this week, saying that they’ve helped improve the Vanderbilt offense by making it more multiple.

“You have to go out here and play a well-coached football team,” White said. “I think they’ve changed some things around a little bit offensively, trying to try to do some different things, but it’s a good squad when you watch it. So we’re excited to go to Nashville and take care of business.”

Vanderbilt may sit at the bottom of the SEC in multiple offensive categories, but if last year’s matchup was any indication, the Commodores can still find a way to make this matchup a game.

“They’re a pretty good offense. In the SEC, every game is going to be a tough one,” Devonni Reed said. “We can’t overlook these guys right now. There are a lot of talented players on Vanderbilt and they can easily take it to a four-quarter game if we let them.”

Pickens and the defense will be looking to rebound after last week’s less-than-steller performance and show that it was a one-off and not a new normal.

“What we showed last week wasn’t us,” Pickens said. “I feel like we relaxed a lot and we thought we arrived because we had never been 5-2 and we were expected to win. We didn’t go and take it. We didn’t attack it how we should and got embarrassed.”

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