South Carolina Football: Winners and Losers from Gamecocks' Win

The South Carolina Gamecocks got the win on Saturday against a much weaker Vanderbilt Commodores team, but there was more harm than good that came out of this game.

Marcus Lattimore continued towards his Heisman pace, but the South Carolina offense turned the ball over four times, and Stephan Garcia was the cause of all four via interception.

Garcia and this offense will have to pick up the pace if they want to contend for the SEC title, meaning they will have to pass more efficiently to set up Lattimore and the running game.

In this article, I'll look at the winners and losers from last week's SEC clash. 

Loser: Stephen Garcia

Stephen Garcia has to play better for this Gamecocks team. Garcia made some ill-advised throws and was never in sync with any of his receivers.

The stat line below makes it hard to believe that this team will be able to hang around against tougher competition.

CMP	ATT	YDS	CMP%	YPA	LNG	TD	INT	SACK	RATING
16	30	228	53.3	7.60	52	1	4	0	101.5

Running lanes for Marcus Lattimore will open up if the Gamecocks can add the passing dimension, making this team one of the most dangerous in the nation.  

Winner: Marcus Lattimore

Marcus Lattimore had his worst game of the young season, but he also had a season-low in rushing attempts.

Lattimore complied 77 rushing yards to go along with 73 receiving while also adding a touchdown reception.

Lattimore is going to continue to have to carry the load for this Carolina team, which is only going to improve his Heisman chances if they continue to win. 

Winner: South Carolina Defense

The South Carolina defense played their best game of the season by a long shot.

The defense allowed just three points and held the Commodores to just 77 total yards. Vanderbilt averaged a dismal 0.2 yards per rush and were held to 1-14 on third-down conversions.

This defense should have gained a ton of confidence after this dominating performance, and they will look to extend it against SEC foe Auburn.