Vanderbilt ends 16 years of frustration, crushes South Carolina 31-7

Vanderbilt went into Columbia, South Carolina, on Saturday night looking for its first win against the Gamecocks since 2008.

It finally got it — and it wasn’t close.

For a half, it looked like this would be a competitive game. Sedrick Alexander scored on an 18-yard pass from Diego Pavia on the game’s opening drive, capping a 9-play, 73-yard drive, for Vanderbilt to take an early 7-0 lead; but South Carolina answered with a 7-play, 75-yard drive of its own to tie the game.

The momentum looked like it might head in South Carolina’s direction, though, after a Vanderbilt three-and-out and LaNorris Sellers marching the Gamecocks right down the field. But with the Gamecocks threatening, on a third down play Sellers threw his only pass of the night that was not brought in by a South Carolina receiver:

With the threat subdued, after a punt by each team Diego Pavia took his team 76 yards over 12 plays and found Junior Sherrill to put Vanderbilt ahead 14-7 with 1:56 left in the first half. That was big; even bigger was what happened on South Carolina’s ensuing drive. LaNorris Sellers was knocked out of the game on a hit by Langston Patterson (which the referees incorrectly called targeting); then, the Gamecocks missed a field goal just before halftime. Taking the ball after halftime, South Carolina went nine yards and then punted; on the ensuing possession, walk-on running back Jamezell Lassiter scored on a 44-yard touchdown run to give Vanderbilt a 21-7 lead.

And for the second week in a row, the Vanderbilt defense pitched a shutout in the second half; South Carolina wouldn’t punt again, but the Gamecocks got stuffed on fourth down twice and ended three drives with turnovers. Pavia ended the night 18-of-25 passing with 177 yards and Vanderbilt is now 3-0 on the season.

This was cathartic.

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