GAMECOCKS BURY COMMODORES
31-13
NASHVILLE, Tenn.
(AP) -- Syvelle Newton threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third, and South
Carolina beat Vanderbilt 31-13 Saturday, keeping coach Steve Spurrier
undefeated against the Commodores.
Spurrier now has won all 14 games he has
coached against Vanderbilt (3-5, 1-4 Southeastern Conference) while at Duke,
Florida and now South Carolina. This victory moved his Gamecocks (5-2, 3-2) a
win short of being bowl eligible again in his second season.
The Gamecocks overcame four turnovers by
outgaining Vandy 327-253 in total yards.
They now have won four of their last five
games since Newton took over as starter, and they extended their school record
with a fifth straight SEC victory. They also beat Vandy for the seventh time
in a series in which they've won 14 of the 16 games played.
And it was Newton, who tore an Achilles'
tendon against Vanderbilt last season, who led the way in helping the
Gamecocks score the most points given up by the Commodores this season.
Newton's two touchdown passes came in the
second quarter where the Gamecocks scored 17 straight points and built a 17-3
lead they wouldn't lose. He ran eight times for 40 yards and was 11-of-18 for
133 yards passing.
Cory Boyd also ran for 113 yards, and Sidney
Rice caught seven passes for 89 yards.
Vanderbilt came in off its biggest road
victory ever, a 24-22 upset of then-No. 16 Georgia last week. The Commodores
had their chances to win consecutive SEC games for the first time since
September 2005.
But they had trouble getting into the end
zone against a South Carolina defense that ranked 18th in scoring defense,
allowing only 14.1 points per game. Vandy settled for three field goals and
missed one of those.
The Commodores missed their best chance to
tie the game after intercepting Newton on the opening drive of the second
half. They bogged down at the South Carolina 10, and Bryant Hahnfeldt kicked a
27-yard field goal to pull within 17-13.
Newton answered with a 75-yard drive in five
plays, scoring himself on a 7-yard run for a 24-13 lead. Mike Davis added a
15-yard TD run in the fourth.
The Gamecocks led 17-10 at halftime by taking
advantage of a Vanderbilt turnover and poor punting. It was only that close
because Newton lost a fumble, and Chris Nickson scored on a 13-yard run as
time expired for Vanderbilt.
Carlos Thomas intercepted Nickson at the
Vandy 29, and Newton found Rice on a 2-yard pass for a 10-3 lead in the second
quarter. The Gamecocks' longest scoring drive in the half was 46 yards, and
Newton capped that with a 23-yard pass to Kenny McKinley for a 17-3 lead.
Ryan Succop kicked a career-high 55-yard
field goal for a 3-3 tie. It was the second-longest field goal in Gamecocks'
history, trailing only Mark Fleetwood's 58-yarder against Georgia in 1982.
THE GOOD
Cory Boyd ran for over 100 yards and
Syvelle Newton threw for over 100 yards to balance the offense. The defense
was also solid overall against the run and the pass in the second half.
THE
BAD
The Gamecocks
defense allowed Vandy QB Chris Nickson to score on a 13-yard scramble on the
last play of the first half which gave the Commodores momentum going into the
locker room.
THE
UGLY
The Gamecocks
lost three fumbles and had one interception which will not be good enough to
beat the Volunteers at the next game.
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