Commodores defense
downs
No. 24 Gamecocks 24-17
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Chris
Nickson threw for a touchdown and ran for another and Vanderbilt finally
beat a ranked opponent on its own field Thursday night, upsetting No. 24
South Carolina 24-17 in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.
Vanderbilt (2-0) had made it a habit of
knocking off SEC teams on the road with victories at Arkansas and Tennessee
in 2005, an upset of then-No. 22 Georgia in 2006 and even pulled off the
biggest victory in more than 70 years by downing then-No. 6 South Carolina
last October.
But the Commodores hadn't upset a ranked
team in Vanderbilt Stadium since Sept. 19, 1992, a 31-9 win over then-No. 25
Mississippi.
This win was very sweet for Vanderbilt,
which lost its first 14 games against Steve Spurrier as he coached Duke,
Florida and South Carolina. Now the Commodores have won two straight against
the ol' ball coach, and it was enough for Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson, a
Columbia native and Clemson alum, to nearly lose his voice.
``It feels great,'' Johnson said. ``I was
very proud of our guys, the way they played in the second half. We overcame
a lot from the second half, and they just kept plugging away so I'm very
pleased with their effort. I'm sorry I lost my voice.''
South Carolina (1-1) had survived four
interceptions in shutting out North Carolina State 34-0 last week. The
Gamecocks couldn't escape their mistakes against Vanderbilt.
The Commodores picked off two of Chris
Smelley's passes and sacked him four times, recovered a punt that bounced
off a South Carolina player and blocked a field goal. South Carolina's lone
touchdown was due to Vanderbilt's only turnover, which the Gamecocks
recovered at the Commodores 20 in the first quarter.
Smelley threw two touchdown passes, the
second to Freddie Brown with 7:39 left. But Smelley overthrew a receiver and
was sacked on consecutive plays as Vandy forced Spurrier and the Gamecocks
to punt with 2:39 left.
Ryan Succop also missed a 49-yard field
goal wide left.
The South Carolina meltdown continued in
Vandy's clinching TD drive. Defensive captain Captain Munnerlyn was flagged
twice on third downs, keeping alive a 68-yard possession capped by Jared
Hawkins' 13-yard TD run for a 24-10 lead with 9:28 left.
Vanderbilt had little offense in the first
half and was outgained 133-50 by the Gamecocks. Reshard Langford and Darlron
Spead had more yards (74) off their two interceptions than their own
offense.
But Vanderbilt, which had lost 10 straight
SEC openers at home, got the breaks that usually go against the Commodores
in the second half. Johnson said his Commodores were so angry at their play
he didn't have to tell them what to do at halftime.
``They knew they didn't play well. I just
had to open the door,'' he said.
Brett Upson's punt glanced off the back of
Addison Williams of South Carolina, and Ryan Hamilton recovered at the South
Carolina 30. On the next play, Nickson threw to Brandon Barden for a 31-yard
touchdown with 10:14 left and a 10-10 tie.
The 6-foot-5 Barden had transferred to
Vandy from Virginia Tech after the shootings that left 32 dead. He evaded
Munnerlyn for his second catch and first TD with the Commodores.
Officials threw a flag as Smelley tried to
find Moe Brown for a long pass. But they ruled the ball uncatchable instead
of flagging Vandy for pass interference. South Carolina had to settle for a
42-yard field goal attempt by Succop, who hit a 41-yarder as the first half
expired.
Greg Billinger got a hand up and blocked
the ball, which John Stokes recovered for Vanderbilt.
Then the Commodores finally showed signs of
an offense. Nickson hit Jamie Graham on a 16-yard pass, then Sean Walker ran
for 29 yards on a reverse. Two plays later, Nickson scored from a yard out
for a 17-10 lead with 3:53 left in the third.
