South Carolina has had a great season, surviving when others failed, winning when others lost, and rising meteorically to #6 in the polls. Yes, the Fighting Roosters were looking like real contenders for the first time in forever and the Old Ball Coach was nearly beside himself. But then came Vanderbilt. Steve Spurrier had never lost to Vandy before in his entire career, surely the Gamecocks could put them away and move into the top five, right?

Wrong. The Commodores stood tall against SC and stole the game 17-6. Now the Gamecocks are 6-2 overall and have fallen to #15 in the polls. But it’s not all bad, because now we have an opportunity to check in with some famous South Carolina alumni and their exploits this week in the NFL.

Cornerback Johnathan Joseph maybe had the best day of all the Gamecocks playing in the pros: he made three tackles and two assists and took an interception 42 yards for what turned out to be the winning touchdown as Cincinnati defeated the Jets.

Fred Bennett and Dunta Robinson, who also play corner and play together for Houston, each accorded themselves well on Sunday: Robinson had five tackles, one assist, and defended two passes, while Bennett recorded two tackles and knocked down one pass. Too bad one of those passes batted away wasn’t the one that put Tennessee in position to win on a field goal.

Corner Sheldon Brown of the Eagles certainly felt the pain of losing in the final minute. Even though the former Gamecock recorded three tackles and two passes defensed, Philly allowed Chicago to run right down the field and score a touchdown just before time expired. I’m sure Rod Wilson on the opposite sideline celebrated with the Bears but he had no stats in the game.

Down in Dallas, Troy Williamson caught a pass for 25 yards, which doesn’t sound like much until you realize that was nearly half the Vikings aerial attack against the Cowboys on Sunday. Teammate Sidney Rice came away with no stats in the game.

Defensive end John Abraham is an eight-year veteran who played with the Jets before going to the Falcons, so he’s experienced the sinking ship before. While Atlanta took on a little more water against New Orleans, he recoded a tackle and knocked down a pass. Lance Laury didn’t have to do much for the Seahawks against St. Louis, and he didn’t really: just one assist.

Andre’ Goodman was lucky to get a hand on the ball against the Patriots, while Terry Cousin recorded two tackles for Jacksonville against the Colts. In a game not featuring an undefeated team, Detroit’s Kalimba Edwards and Langston Moore combined for six tackles against the Buccaneers.

And finally, quarterback Anthony Wright has seen only very limited action with his Giants on a four-game winning streak, but he got into the game against San Francisco. The former SC player attempted a pass to Sinorice Moss (it was incomplete) and he took a knee on the final possession to end the game. Well played, sir. Well played.