Diego Pavia completed 18 of 25 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns to help Vanderbilt post an impressive 31-7 upset over the No. 11 South Carolina in Columbia, SC., on Saturday.
Pavia also threw an interception for the Commodores (3-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference), who snapped a 16-game losing streak against South Carolina, earning their first win over the Gamecocks since September 2008.
Sedrick Alexander ran 13 times for 41 yards and a score for Vanderbilt, which won its conference opener for the first time since 2011.
Adding injury to insult, South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers – a potential Heisman Trophy candidate — exited in the second quarter and did not return. Before taking a hit to the head from Langston Patterson, Sellers was 6-for-7 passing with 94 yards and an interception.
In relief of Sellers, Luke Doty completed 18 of 27 passes for 148 yards and an interception for the Gamecocks (2-1, 0-1 SEC), who fell at home against Vanderbilt for the first time in 18 years.
After forcing a punt on South Carolina’s opening drive of the second half, Vanderbilt grabbed a 21-7 lead on Jamezell Lassiter’s 44-yard rushing score with 10:48 left in the third.
With a chance to take a three-score lead, Vanderbilt drove to South Carolina’s 11-yard line, where Pavia was intercepted by Justin Okoronkwo.
Vanderbilt then turned South Carolina over on downs for the second straight time, taking over at its own 49-yard line early in the fourth. The Commodores took advantage, taking a 24-7 lead on Brock Taylor’s 51-yard field goal.
Bryce Cowan sacked Doty and forced a fumble — which Miles Capers recovered — on the next drive, leading to Alexander’s second touchdown at the 5:13 mark of the fourth on a 2-yard run.
Vanderbilt took its first drive nine plays and 73 yards to the end zone, finishing with Pavia’s 18-yard TD pass to Alexander at the 9:33 mark.
South Carolina answered with a game-tying scoring drive, as Rahsul Faison’s 7-yard rush knotted the score with 5:58 remaining.
After a Vanderbilt punt, Sellers was picked off by Zaylin Wood at the Commodores’ 12-yard line.
Following punts from both teams, Vanderbilt strung together a 12-play, 76-yard drive, capped with Pavia’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Junior Sherill with 1:56 left in the first half to make it 14-7.
Mason Love missed a 52-yard field goal on the Gamecocks’ ensuing possession. During the drive, Sellers was hit by Patterson — who was ejected for targeting on the play — ending the South Carolina quarterback’s night.
