Fantastic finish! Late QB change powers Gamecocks past Vandy in dramatic fashion
Somehow, some way South Carolina escaped.
On an afternoon filled with botches, bungles and blunders, USC marched 75 yards in a minute and a half to steal Saturday’s unsightly slugfest with Vanderbilt 21-20.
“What a finish. What a game,” coach Shane Beamer said.
After an ineffective and ill-fated outing from starting quarterback Luke Doty, South Carolina (4-3, 1-3 SEC) turned to backup signal-caller and converted graduate assistant Zeb Noland for the final drive of the night. Noland, who hadn’t played since his hand was stepped on Week 3 at Georgia, connected on five of his eight passes.
Zipping a throw over a pair of Commodore defenders, it was Noland’s final toss of the night that found a wide-open Xavier Legette in the back end of the end zone for the game-tying score. One Parker White extra point and a Kingsley Enagbare strip-sack later, South Carolina found its first Southeastern Conference win of the season.
In a year in which the Gamecocks have found increasingly confounding ways to fall behind in games, Saturday proved the latest afternoon filled with self-inflicted wounds.
Twice the USC secondary was beat off the line or busted in coverage in the first half as Vanderbilt (2-5, 0-3) turned in their first two plays of 40 yards or more. It happened a third time when Commodores receiver Will Sheppard slipped off a Darius Rush tackle and scampered 52 yards into the end zone.
Vanderbilt — which entered the day ranked dead last in the SEC in passing, scoring and total yards — was outgained by a single yard in the first half only after quarterback Mike Wright’s kneel-down to end the second quarter.
Without running back Juju McDowell, USC turned to former top-50 recruit MarShawn Lloyd to spell talented tailback Kevin Harris. Lloyd was productive in spurts, at least until a Vanderbilt helmet popped the ball out of his mitts minutes before halftime and inside the South South Carolina 20-yard line.
Four plays later, Vanderbilt running back Rocko Griffin plunged into the end zone for a one-yard score to pull the Commodores within four points.
Through six games this fall, South Carolina had proved competent and composed in making halftime adjustments. Saturday, it failed on its first 59 plays.
First it was White’s 38-yard third-quarter miss that kept the Gamecocks behind by three points. Next tight end Jaheim Bell — whose 82-yard touchdown reception brought fans to their feet in the earliest stages of Saturday’s contest — slipped inside the Vanderbilt 10-yard line on a similar seam route to the one he scored on, but fumbled just before slamming into the turf.
Finally, it was Doty that seemingly fell on the grenade when he overshot a streaking Dakereon Joyner and sent the pass smack dab into the chest of defensive back Dashaun Jerkins.
Two possessions later, Doty again missed a receiver as he was rocked by the Commodore blitz, lofting his pass into the arms of linebacker Ethan Barr. That was enough for Beamer.
On a drive that is sure to be etched into Noland’s growing legend, the former Iowa State and North Dakota State signal-caller connected on pass after pass, marched with precision and patience and sent Vanderbilt to its 16th consecutive SEC loss.
As Saturday’s effort devolved into disarray, boos rained down from the announced crowd of 64,695 at Williams-Brice Stadium. Minutes later, those boos and jeers turned to cheers.
South Carolina looked like an SEC doormat for 59 minutes on Saturday. With one final gasp, it escaped the conference cellar.
First down
South Carolina running back ZaQuandre White saw his first real action in almost a month Saturday. White, who hadn’t received a carry since Week 3 at Georgia, led the Gamecocks in rushing against the Commodores with 65 yards on 12 touches.
Offsides
South Carolina’s penalty problems persisted into Saturday’s contest. The Gamecocks finished the afternoon with 10 penalties for 78 yards.
Key numbers
1 — Vanderbilt QB Mike Wright earned his first career start in the wake of starter Ken Seals’ injury
82 — Jaheim Bell’s 82-yard TD reception was the 10th longest in South Carolina history
How they scored
First Quarter
USC—Muse 2 pass from Doty (P.White kick), 9:49.
VAN—FG Bulovas 42, 6:03.
USC—Bell 82 pass from Doty (P.White kick), 5:07.
Second Quarter
VAN—Griffin 1 run (Bulovas kick), 2:53.
Third Quarter
VAN—Sheppard 52 pass from M.Wright (Bulovas kick), 5:17.
Fourth Quarter
VAN—FG Bulovas 28, 1:36.
USC—Legette 9 pass from Noland (P.White kick), :37.
Team stats
- First downs: USC 17-15
- Total yards: USC 434-312
- Rush yards: USC 117-106
- Pass yards: USC 317-2016
- Penalties: USC 10-78, Vandy 3-15
- Time of poss: Vandy 31:13 to 28:47
Player stats
RUSHING—Vanderbilt, Griffin 18-57, M.Wright 15-41, P.Smith 5-9, (Team) 1-(minus 1). South Carolina, Z.White 12-65, Harris 6-35, Lloyd 6-26, Bell 1-0, (Team) 1-(minus 1), Doty 5-(minus 1), Vann 1-(minus 7).
PASSING—Vanderbilt, M.Wright 11-21-1-206. South Carolina, Doty 17-27-2-242, Noland 5-8-0-75.
RECEIVING—Vanderbilt, Sheppard 3-120, Johnson 2-46, Pierce 2-23, P.Smith 2-18, Boddie 2-(minus 1). South Carolina, Bell 6-136, Legette 4-31, Vann 3-44, Joyner 3-34, Muse 2-31, Z.White 2-17, Jenkins 1-15, Harris 1-9.
MISSED FIELD GOALS—South Carolina, P.White 38.
Next South Carolina football game
Who: South Carolina vs. Texas A&M
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 23
Where: Kyle Field — College Station, Texas
TV: SEC Network
This story was originally published October 16, 2021 at 7:28 PM.
