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GAME NOTES: Having survived yet another scare, the 12th-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks will take on a surprising group of Vanderbilt Commodores in Columbia this weekend.

Vanderbilt is undoubtedly feeling good after crushing Ole Miss by a 30-7 final to open SEC play last weekend. The Commodores are off to a 3-0 start after winning only two games a year ago, and the romp over the Rebels marked their largest margin of victory over an SEC foe since 1971. James Franklin is the first-year head coach at Vanderbilt and has certainly changed the culture in Nashville.

"The feelings I'm having aren't because this is an SEC game," said Franklin after the win over Ole Miss. "The feelings are because we've gotten better. It makes me feel so good to know how hard [our team] worked for the last nine months to have them have some success...They deserve it. The fans deserve it."

As for the Gamecocks, they trailed East Carolina in week one before rallying for a victory, and three-point victories over both Georgia and Navy came down to the wire. Now 3-0, Steve Spurrier and company are living a bit on the edge, but the coach doesn't seem bothered by the close games.

"I'm embracing it," said Spurrier. "This is the kind of game you lose."

South Carolina owns a commanding 16-4 series lead over Vanderbilt, which includes a 21-7 decision over the Commodores last season.

Zac Stacy ran for a career-best 169 yards and a touchdown on just 11 carries, helping lift the Commodores over Ole Miss. The team's ground game averaged a healthy 5.7 yards per carry in the win.

"We try not to talk about the past at all and we just focus on 2011," said quarterback Larry Smith on his team's improvement from a year ago. "We're really excited with the position we're in now and we're excited for next Saturday against South Carolina."

Through three games, the 'Dores are posting 33.0 ppg and 318.3 total ypg. They have 10 offensive touchdowns to their credit, six of which have come on the ground, and Stacy paces the club with 262 rushing yards. As for Smith, he has completed 53.5 percent of his passes for 368 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions.

Vandy's defense played a big role in the win over Ole Miss, racking up five interceptions and a safety on the day. Junior defensive back Troy Wilson earned SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts against the Rebels, as he intercepted two passed. Wilson's first interception in the second quarter was returned 52 yards for a touchdown, his second score in three games, and his second pick of the game was returned 30 yards.

Opponents are averaging 14.0 ppg against the Commodores, who are giving up just 250.0 total ypg. They are yielding a mere 2.4 yards per rushing attempt and only 85.7 ypg on the ground. Vandy has logged 10 interceptions already and has permitted fewer than half of the pass attempts that it has faced to be completed. Chris Marve paces the club in tackles as expected with 23, while Tim Fugger has three sacks.

Switching focus to South Carolina, Spurrier figured that the best way to win last week's game against Navy was to repeatedly hand the ball to tailback Marcus Lattimore, and the strategy proved to be successful. The Heisman candidate rushed for 246 yards and three touchdowns on 37 carries, proving to be a true workhorse. As for quarterback Stephen Garcia, he connected on 18- of-25 passes for 204 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.

Navy runs the ball out of the triple-option on almost every down, so it comes as little surprise that the USC defense faced more than five times more rushes than passes. The Gamecocks yielded 5.8 yards per rushing attempt, but they continued to battle and tightened at the end.

"It was a typical game I guess when we play a team that runs the triple- option," said Spurrier. "They stayed on the field awhile, but we stopped them at the end. I told our defensive guys that I was really proud of our defense for stopping them in the fourth quarter when the game was on the line. Our guys had two good stops there at the end of the game."

South Carolina averages 41.7 ppg and 401.3 total ypg this season, somewhat overshadowing the fact that it has yielded 33.3 ppg and 372.0 total ypg. Of the 13 offensive touchdowns scored by South Carolina, 11 have been of the rushing variety, and seven have been notched by Lattimore who has already gained 534 yards on the ground. Garcia has more interceptions (three) than touchdown passes (two), but he has run for three scores.

A 4-0 start for the Commodores is unrealistic, especially considering the fact that the Gamecocks are due for a blowout victory. Expect South Carolina to flex its muscle at home.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: South Carolina 38, Vanderbilt 13