Vanderbilt football score prediction vs. South Carolina: Scouting report

Vanderbilt football and South Carolina enter Saturday's matchup coming off tough losses to Missouri. The Commodores (3-5, 0-4 SEC) lost 17-14 two weeks ago as the offense fell asleep. The Gamecocks (5-3, 2-3) lost, 23-10.

Both teams will be looking to bounce back Saturday (6:30 p.m. CT, SEC Network) at FirstBank Stadium.

Here's what to know about the matchup:

Intriguing quarterback battle

Going only on name recognition, South Carolina would win the quarterback battle by a mile. In practice, that isn't so much the case.

Gamecocks quarterback Spencer Rattler was a one-time five-star recruit who lost the starting job at Oklahoma and transferred. But Rattler has showed the same inconsistency this season as his whole college career. He's completed 64% of his passes but has thrown just five touchdowns to nine interceptions and has also lost two fumbles.

AJ Swann, meanwhile, may not have as high of a perceived ceiling as Rattler, but he has been more consistent this season. Despite having a lower completion percentage at 57.7%, Swann has eight touchdowns to one interception. Rattler has a higher yards per attempt than Swann at 7.3 to 6.6, but adjusted yards per attempt, which takes away points for interceptions, favors Swann at 7.3 to 5.9.

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Stellar special teams

South Carolina coach Shane Beamer is known for his strong work with special teams. According to the FEI analytics ratings, the Gamecocks have the No. 1 ranked special teams unit in the country that has allowed them to win close games on the margins.

Vanderbilt rates out reasonably well itself at 39th, with its best ratings coming on punting and covering kickoffs but not as well on field goals and kickoff returns.

Field position will likely be a big key to the game as both offenses have struggled as of late. With the game potentially coming down to a few points, Vanderbilt will hope kicker Joseph Bulovas gets back on track after missing his last three attempts.

Vegas knows?

South Carolina opened as a seven-point favorite in the Las Vegas sportsbooks, a significantly lower number than analytics would suggest. It's the first time the Commodores have been less than a 14-point underdog since 2019 against Kentucky.

Vanderbilt vs. South Carolina score prediction

South Carolina 20, Vanderbilt 17: This feels like a low-scoring battle, but the Gamecocks have been a bit more reliable at the things that win close games, like garnering field position and special teams consistency.

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on Twitter @aria_gerson.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt football score prediction: Scouting South Carolina