What Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason said about the Gamecocks
In six seasons at Vanderbilt, coach Derek Mason has never beaten South Carolina.
His teams were within 10 points from 2015-2017, but last year, the Gamecocks put some distance between the squads, smothering a good Vandy offense in a 37-14 win.
This week, USC is at home and more than a two-touchdown favorite despite its own struggles. A win for Vandy might help stabilize things as Mason potentially coaches for his job.
What the former Stanford coordinator said about the Gamecocks:
On the kind of team South Carolina has:
“A good football team. Coach (Will) Muschamp, whom I’ve got a lot of respect for as a defensive coach but more so what he’s done in his career. And he continues to build teams and defenses that can take away the football, and that’s exactly what they do. They take away the football. They’re a tough, physical football team. ... This ballgame is going to be a tough ballgame.
“I know this much, looking at their staff, and I know a lot of guys on their staff, Travaris Robinson, defensive coordinator, again, he’s done a good job of building a stingy defense.”
On USC’s playmakers:
“(Ryan) Hilinski is continuing to find his footing. But when you lean on the run game that features a bevy of running backs, you look at Rico Dowdle, and then you look at what they’re doing with (Tavien) Feaster, (Mon) Denson. They’ve got guys that can run the football. And anytime you’ve got the ability to run, you’ve got wideouts like Edwards, you understand what these guys can do. They can beat you outside with guys like Edwards.They can beat you in the slot. And in terms of their speed and ability to get down the field, they’ve got playmakers all over the place.”
On the strength of the defense:
“This defense is a defense that gives you problems, and it starts up front. They’ve got two of the best interior players in the conference, and they’ve got a guy in Wonnum who can get after you. For us, I think it’s very important that we’re smart, we understand who we are.”
This story was originally published October 31, 2019 at 9:15 AM with the headline "What Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason said about the Gamecocks."
