LaNorris Sellers (238 passing yards, two touchdowns) and Rocket Sanders (178 yards from scrimmage) starred as South Carolina (6-3, 4-3 Southeastern Conference) beat Vanderbilt (6-4, 3-3) 28-7 Saturday in Nashville, Tenn.
South Carolina’s defense did its part, holding Vanderbilt to 274 yards of total offense and a season-low seven points thanks to a dominant performance by its front seven.
The Gamecocks sacked Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia (16-of-31 passing, 166 yards, 65 rushing yards) twice, hurried him eight times and broke up eight of his passes.
Meanwhile, South Carolina’s offensive line had allowed 32 sacks on the season coming into the game, but didn’t allow one to the Commodores.
It was Vanderbilt’s most lopsided defeat this year; previously, the Commodores hadn’t lost by more than four points.
On the second play of the second half, Sellers escaped the pass rush near his own goal line, rolled left and found a wide-open Jared Brown deep downfield for a 51-yard pass.
Two plays later, Sanders found a big hole left and dashed 31 yards for a score and a 14-0 lead.
Vanderbilt then sustained its first substantial drive, marching 75 plays in 10 yards and scoring when Pavia broke containment on a pass play and scrambled 17 yards for a touchdown.
But Sanders’ 39-yard run on the next drive set up his 1-yard scamper to extend the lead back to 14 points.
The Commodores moved the ball better in the second half, but the Gamecocks defense stiffened to force turnovers on downs on back-to-back drives.
Defensive back Peyton Williams broke up a Pavia pass on the first stop and Bam Martin-Scott broke free on a pass rush to get in Pavia’s face and knock down another throw to end the second drive at the Gamecocks 39.
After the latter, Sanders took a screen pass from Sellers and weaved his way through defenders for a 43-yard touchdown and a 28-7 lead with 7:55 left.
The Gamecocks dominated the first half, out-gaining Vanderbilt 187-83 while steadily pressuring Pavia.
Sellers found Nyck Harbor open for 23 yards to the Vanderbilt 17, then hit Josh Simon for a 17-yard touchdown on the next play for the game’s first score with 13:11 left in the second quarter.
