South Carolina senior Ryan Succop knocked through a 41-yard field goal, and the teams jogged off the field, at the end of the first half of Vanderbilt's Thursday night matchup with South Carolina. With the score 10-3 in the Gamecocks' favor, the crowd sat mum, as Vanderbilt had managed just 50 yards of total offense in the first half.
When the Commodores returned after halftime, it was hard to imagine that they would come out and play, as coach Bobby Johnson called it, "their best football," and pull out their biggest home win since 1992. Vanderbilt scored three touchdowns in the second half and stifled the Gamecocks to win 24-17.
"When we had to get it done, we got it done," said Johnson. "We had some pretty tired puppies out there. Jared Hawkins ran hard, the offensive line blocked hard and the defensive line was relentless today. That's how you've got to win these kinds of games. You've got to play hard the second half."
It all started with a Brett Upson punt that kicked off South Carolina's Addison Williams, and was recovered by redshirt junior Ryan Hamilton. This proved to be the spark the Vanderbilt offense needed, as they took advantage on the very next play. Redshirt senior quarterback Chris Nickson connected with redshirt freshman tight end Brandon Barden on a mold-breaking play-action pass over the middle, and into the end zone for the touchdown. The game was tied at 10, but this was just the first in a series of big plays for the Commodores down the stretch.
On the ensuing Gamecock possession, it looked as though another Succop field goal would quiet the crowd and kill the Vanderbilt momentum. The snap came, but the 42-yard attempt didn't go far, as junior Greg Billinger blocked the kick into the hands of sophomore John Stokes.
The crowd at Vanderbilt Stadium had never been so loud, and it seemed the Commodores took that energy and shoved it right down South Carolina's throat, scoring twice in their next two possessions; once on a Nickson quarterback sneak from a yard out, and again when Jared Hawkins dashed 13 yards to the house.
"It was a great atmosphere here," Johnson said. "You could hear the fans, especially the students, and it was great to have those people in the stands pulling for us."
What defined Thursday's win for the Commodores, however, was their tenacity down the stretch - a killer instinct they hadn't exhibited in big games last year. Leading 24-17 with 7:39 remaining, the Commodores never gave the Gamecocks hope. With a strangling defense that allowed just six yards in that time, and a Hawkins fueled in-your-face offense, Vanderbilt never budged.
"We knew South Carolina was a great team and we knew coming in that it was going to be a battle fight," said redshirt junior defensive end Steven Stone. "It was an overall great team effort on both sides of the ball. The defense came up with some big plays when we needed to and the same can be said about the offense."
