If someone asked you about the greatest streaks in sports, where would your mind go? The Miami Dolphins’ 17-0 season in 1972? The Boston Celtics’ eight-straight NBA titles from 1959-66? Or maybe the Undertaker’s 21 consecutive wins at WrestleMania?
Well, how about South Carolina football’s 16-0 record against Vanderbilt since 2009? It might not be the most historic streak in all of sports, but it’s definitely significant for the Gamecocks. It represents the longest streak against any team for USC football, active or all-time. It’s also the longest active streak for any SEC team against the Commodores. (LSU is second with 10-straight wins.)
Before USC looks to earn a 17th-straight win Saturday against what Shane Beamer called “The best Vanderbilt team that we’ve played in my time as the head coach,” here’s a look back on the highlights from the Gamecocks’ 16 consecutive wins against the Commodores:
The start of the streak (2009): South Carolina 14, Vanderbilt 10
Following back-to-back losses to Vanderbilt in 2007 and 2008, the streak began on Oct. 24, 2009, in Williams-Brice Stadium. The 2-5 Commodores visited the 5-2 and No. 24-ranked Gamecocks. Led by fourth-year coach Steve Spurrier, USC was 4-0 at home and stayed perfect with what ended up being a game-winning drive to start the fourth quarter.
Gamecocks quarterback Stephen Garcia, who finished the game with 312 passing yards and two touchdowns, capped off the five-play, 99-yard drive with a 43-yard touchdown to receiver Alshon Jeffery. And thus, the streak was born.
Vandy at its best (2012): South Carolina 17, Vanderbilt 13
Vanderbilt’s best year in the SEC in the modern era was 13 years ago, when the Commodores finished their 9-4 season with a 5-3 conference record and a Music City Bowl win against NC State. No. 9 South Carolina kicked off Vanderbilt’s 2012 season with a loss in Nashville. Running back Marcus Lattimore was the offensive engine, finishing with 23 carries for 110 yards and two touchdowns.
Muschamp’s introduction (2016): South Carolina 13, Vanderbilt 10
In an up-and-down tenure for Will Muschamp at USC, his first season with the team in 2016 landed somewhere in the middle. The Gamecocks finished 6-7 (3-5 SEC) that year, closing out the season with a 46-39 loss to No. 25 South Florida in the Birmingham Bowl. But Muschamp and USC still handled business in Nashville.
The game was deadlocked through the fourth quarter, before Gamecocks kicker Elliott Fry hit a game-winning, 55-yard field goal with 35 seconds left on the clock.
Beamer meets Lea (2021): South Carolina 21, Vanderbilt 20
It’s hard to avoid comparisons between Beamer and Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea. Both coaches took over their respective programs in 2021 after poor records (0-9 for Vanderbilt and 2-8 for USC) resulted in the mid-season firings of Derek Mason and Muschamp. The two have made major strides with their teams, but Beamer’s had the upper-hand from the jump.
Lea was just over a minute away from ending Vanderbilt’s skid against USC that season. The Commodores led 20-14 with 1:36 remaining in the fourth quarter. That’s when Gamecocks graduate-assistant-turned-quarterback Zeb Noland led a 75-yard, game-winning drive and kept the streak rolling.
Dominance redefined (2023): South Carolina 47, Vanderbilt 6
Clearly, the near-two decades of dominance for USC over Vanderbilt hasn’t come with many dominant single-game performances. The Gamecocks re-wrote that trend in 2023. Led by Oklahoma transfer QB Spencer Rattler, USC crushed Vanderbilt in Columbia.
Rattler threw for 351 yards and three touchdowns in a game that re-established the Gamecocks’ vice grip on the streak. USC won 28-7 the year following and will look for a third-straight convincing win this weekend.
South Carolina and Vanderbilt will meet for the 33rd time since 1992 Saturday in Williams-Brice Stadium at 7:45 p.m.