WILLIAMS-BRICE STADIUM: South Carolina entered Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt having won eight of its last nine, including victories over Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Clemson. But after a 2-0 start to the season, the Gamecocks were stopped dead in their tracks, suffering a humbling 31-7 setback against the Commodores in the SEC opener for both teams.
USC was already trailing 14-7 late in the first half when Vanderbilt’s Langston Patterson delivered a helmet-to-helmet hit to quarterback LaNorris Sellers. Patterson was ejected for targeting after a review, but that did little to hearten a crestfallen Gamecocks’ sideline. Reserve Luke Doty was pressed into action and tried to rally his team, but Carolina appeared to have lost its mojo after Sellers’ exit and were outscored 17-0 in the second half.
Vanderbilt hadn’t knocked off the Gamecocks since 2008, but this isn’t a typical Vanderbilt team and quarterback Diego Pavia (18 of 25 for 177 yards, 2 TD, int.) isn’t a typical quarterback, having helped the Commodores accomplish a lot of things they haven’t done in a while. Last season, Pavia engineered an upset over top-ranked Alabama and led Vanderbilt to a bowl victory, just the second in school history. It didn’t take a superhuman effort from Pavia on this night, however, as USC looked to be completely deflated after losing Sellers.
With the Gamecocks out of sorts, Vanderbilt took full advantage, running its option package to near perfection and holding the ball for 35:43 of game time. As the hope of a comeback faded, the defense showed visible signs of frustration. Star pass rusher Dylan Stewart was ejected after being flagged for two personal fouls.
Head coach Shane Beamer said he had no update on Sellers’ condition following the game and wants to review the tape before commenting on the quarterback situation.
South Carolina (2-1, 0-1) will have to regroup quickly with a trip to Missouri on deck. Kickoff from Columbia, Mo., is scheduled for 7 p.m., Saturday.
Final Stats
Here’s my view from Williams-Brice Stadium
