Offensive woes sink Vandy in Columbia
South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore scored a pair of touchdowns, and Melvin Ingram added a defensive score on a fumble recovery, as the Gamecocks won a battle of unbeatens by defeating Vanderbilt 21-3 in Columbia, S.C., on Saturday night.
Vanderbilt intercepted Stephen Garcia four times, but it didn't matter, because the Gamecocks gained 367 yards to VU's 77. Lattimore led the way with 151 total yards.
Advertisement
VU didn't convert a third down until the fourth quarter, and rushed for four yards on the evening. The Commodores also committed three turnovers.
The Commodores scored first when Casey Hayward's second interception of Garcia in the first quarter put VU at the Carolina 22. But the Gamecock defense held, and VU settled for Carey Spear's 33-yard field goal.
A third pick of Garcia, this time by Vandy's Andre Hal, gave the Commodores the ball at their 36 midway through the second quarter. But on the ensuing possession, Carolina's Jadeveon Clowney sacked Vandy quarterback Larry Smith and forced a fumble that South Carolina's Ingram pounced on it in the VU end zone for the game's first touchdown
Lattimore took a screen pass 52 yards for a score just 14 seconds before half, putting the Gamecocks up 14-3.
The Gamecocks got the first points of the second half when Ace Sanders caught a tipped ball in a 51-yard heave into double-coverage by Garcia on a 3rd-and-21 play, setting up Lattimore's 21-yard scoring scamper moments later.