Gamecocks 'good enough'

Defense, Rice carry less-than-perfect Carolina past Vanderbilt

Published on 10/22/06

South Carolina 31, Vanderbilt 13

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — South Carolina already was gradually making progress, slowly and somewhat surely since going scoreless against not-so-mighty Georgia on Sept. 9. Mixing in a helping of vintage Sidney Rice, the Gamecocks on Saturday put together their most complete game of the season, a 31-13 Southeastern Conference victory over Vanderbilt in front of a crowd of 37,280 at Vanderbilt Stadium.

"We didn't play our best but we played pretty doggone well," head coach Steve Spurrier said. "It was good enough to beat Vanderbilt."

South Carolina, 5-2 overall and 3-2 in SEC play, is one game away from bowl eligibility with a very winnable home game against Middle Tennessee on Nov. 18. The Gamecocks play host to Tennessee on Saturday.

Vanderbilt (3-5, 1-4) plummeted back to the bottom of the SEC Eastern Division after winning last week at Georgia, the first win for the program against a ranked opponent in 50 tries dating to 1992.

The steady South Carolina defense held Vanderbilt to one touchdown, quarterback Chris

Gamecocks turn back Vanderbilt

Nickson's 13-yard mad scramble on the very last play of the first half. And that possession began at the Gamecocks' 20 following one of four South Carolina turnovers (three fumbles, one interception).

Quarterback Syvelle Newton completed 11 of 18 passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 40 yards and one touchdown.

Cory Boyd ran for 113 yards and Mike Davis emerged from the doghouse to run for 46 yards and a touchdown on eight carries.

But Rice stood out with seven catches for 89 yards and a touchdown, mostly because he had been quiet this season except for a five-touchdown outburst against lowly Florida Atlantic. The 6-4 sophomore, who dazzled the SEC with 1,143 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns as a freshman, had only 10 catches with no touchdowns in South Carolina's first four SEC games this season.

"A lot of people tell me just to be patient," Rice said. "That's what I was doing, not stressing."

Freshman cornerback Captain Munnerlyn remained upbeat, too. His pass interference penalty helped Vanderbilt take a 3-0 lead and his holding penalty kept the Commodores' short touchdown drive alive. But Munnerlyn intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter just after Davis scored on a 15-yard run.

"After those two penalties," Munnerlyn said, "I was like, 'Man, I'm going to get in trouble for this. I gotta make a play.' And then they gave me an opportunity to make a play and I made it."

South Carolina went ahead,

17-3, on Newton's 2-yard touchdown swing pass to Rice on a play in which Rice came in motion right-to-left. The Gamecocks hadn't used the play since upsetting Florida last November.

Vanderbilt bounced back with a pair of scores set up by turnovers, Nickson's run just before halftime and a 27-yard Bryant Hahnfeldt field goal.

Junior defensive end Curtis Gatewood was the star of both plays. He forced a Newton fumble recovered by linebacker Marcus Buggs at the South Carolina 20 with 39 seconds left in the half.

Then on the opening drive of the second half, Gatewood dropped back in coverage and intercepted a Newton pass intended for Kenny McKinley.

"I didn't think we played a very sharp game," said Vanderbilt head coach Bobby Johnson, a Clemson graduate and former Furman head coach. "South Carolina played a very aggressive game. They got after it a little bit harder than we did."

Spurrier, who was mad at his secondary after a 24-17 victory at Kentucky in South Carolina's last outing, was in a praising mood despite eight penalties and the four turnovers.

"Nobody panicked at halftime, and that's a good sign around here," Spurrier said. "We are starting to understand that bad plays are going to happen to you and that you just have to keep on playing."

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