Statistically, there is no question Vanderbilt had the superior defense in 2007. The Dores gave up 325 yards per game last year, while the South Carolina Gamecocks gave up 378.
South Carolina, however, returns 10 starters to their defense this year, whereas Vanderbilt returns only five full-time starters (with a sixth, junior linebacker Patrick Benoist, who started in four games last year).
But while the Gamecocks may have the edge in experience, Vanderbilt has enough stars in its defensive backfield, along with several promising newcomers, to boast a stronger defense going into Thursday's match-up at Vanderbilt Stadium.
This is a close call, but the edge goes to the Commodores due to one crucial mistake made by the South Carolina coaching staff in early 2006.
Coming out of high school, junior cornerback D.J. Moore was named South Carolina's Prep Athlete of the year for 2005. Not only a standout football player, Moore was also a star point guard on the hardwood and a state champion in the high jump.
Despite all this, South Carolina coaches were slow to offer him a scholarship, only tendering him an offer after he had already committed to Vanderbilt in January of 2006.
Moore made them pay for that mistake in last year's upset of the No. 6 Gamecocks, intercepting two crucial passes to keep them from reaching the end zone in a 17-6 Commodore victory.
Moore has continued to prove himself as a budding star with his performance against Miami (Ohio), and his teammates feed off of his energy. They are a better unit when he is on the field, as quarterbacks rarely test his side of the field with any sort of positive results.
By shutting down an opponent's best receiver, Moore allows his teammates to focus on bottling up the rest of the offense, while not having to worry about the part of the field he patrols. They trust him to be that dominating force, and he rewards their trust with big plays in every phase of the game.
But the Vanderbilt defense is not just the D.J. Moore Show. Redshirt senior safety Reshard Langford is an All-Southeastern Conference candidate, and redshirt junior defensive end Broderick Stewart looks poised to be one of the SEC's leaders in sacks this season.
Some young stars have also started to emerge on this defense, including a young, talented linebacking corps led by Benoist, sophomore John Stokes and redshirt freshman Chris Marve. Redshirt freshman defensive tackle T.J. Greenstone looks like a potential star on the defensive line, and will only get better with more playing time.
South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier made a crucial mistake in misjudging a homegrown star in Moore. "The Ol' Ball Coach" made that same mistake in underestimating the Vanderbilt Commodores last season.
Moore and the Commodore defense will do everything they can to bring about that same result on Thursday night.
