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South Carolina looks for offensive improvement in SEC opener

Sep 4, 2008 - 2:41 PM No. 24 South Carolina (1-0) at Vanderbilt (1-0), 8:30 p.m. EDT

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) -- Although the final score did not reflect it, South Carolina was stagnant offensively in its season opener last Thursday night.

Steve Spurrier and the 24th-ranked Gamecocks will aim for a better offensive effort seven days later when they visit Vanderbilt in the nationally-televised Southeastern Conference opener for both schools.

South Carolina (1-0) started slowly before pulling away for a 34-0 season-opening victory over North Carolina State. Gamecocks quarterback Tommy Beecher - tabbed by Spurrier as the starter this past spring - threw four interceptions in his debut before exiting with a shoulder injury in the third quarter.

Beecher was replaced by Chris Smelley, who completed all five of his passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns. Spurrier said Tuesday that Smelley, who started six games as a freshman last season, would replace Beecher against the Commodores.

"(Smelley) deserves to start probably if Tommy wasn't injured," Spurrier said. "But Tommy is injured, so we don't have to worry about this, that or the other. It appears Chris is going to be our starter right now unless something happens between now and Thursday night."

Smelley led the Gamecocks to a 4-2 record in the games he started last year. He appeared in a total of seven contests, completing 57 percent of his passes for 1,176 yards, nine touchdowns and seven interceptions.

However, Smelley struggled in last year's 17-6 loss to the Commodores in Columbia. He tossed two interceptions to a Vanderbilt defense that recorded seven sacks against South Carolina's quarterbacks in the game.

Vanderbilt (1-0) rolled to a 34-13 victory over Miami, Ohio last Saturday. Quarterback Chris Nickson rushed for a career-high 166 yards and two TDs for the Commodores, who have lost their last four home games against the Gamecocks.

South Carolina owns a 14-3 record in its all-time series with Vanderbilt and has not lost here since 1998.