VU-SC: THIRD QUARTER

Score: 17-10 Commodores (0:00)
Player of the third quarter: The whole Vanderbilt offense
Play of the third quarter: Commodores recovered fumbled punt, then Nickson 31-yard pass to TE Brandon Barden (10:14); Stokes blocked punt followed by Walker reverse, Hawkins run, Nickson TD.

Notes from seventh SC drive:
• We hold and they're punting into the wind.
• Our defensive line looks pretty good against the run.

Notes from seventh VU drive:
• Offside on Gamecocks. We need to hang in there.
• Nickson 11 carries, 13 yards.
• Nice strong throw to Wheeler. First down.
• Nickson picks up 8 yards.
• Our TEs who looked so good last week can't hold onto the ball.
• 3rd & 5 on the VU 45. Another sack of Nickson. We need to hang in there.
• Actually, our D needs to score.
• Or the ball needs to bounce off a punt blocker and into our hands, and that's what happens. We've got the ball in Gamecock territory!

Notes from eighth VU drive:
• Nickson fires to Barden. TOUCHDOWN!

Notes from eighth SC drive:
• Big third down coming up. Davis is close and gets it. 1st & 10 on 19.
• Davis gets 5.
• Cook is a stallion. Big catch up near the 50.
• We've got to put pressure on Smelley.
• Looks like interference on Fagan, but the ball is ruled uncatchable.
• Myron Lewis is leaving the stadium. Yikes!
• Davis breaks a run up to the 37.
• Another first down for Davis. We're wearing down.
• Spead is out for the game and Lewis is in the locker room. Let's forfeit the game and save our players for the next one. Just kidding!
• Big stuff of Davis. T.J. Greenstone is a player!
• Stokes blocks a field goal and we've got the ball near midfield.

Notes from ninth VU drive:
• Jamie Graham is quietly having a big game, nice catch for first down.
• Sean Walker goes 29 yards on a reverse. 1st & 10 on the 13.
• Hawkins down to the goal line. On the inch line.
• TOUCHDOWN! Nickson on the plunge!

Notes from ninth SC drive:
• First down on the ground. Our defense has been on the field an awfully long time, but our offense has to score fast to get any points; you can't grind it out against these guys.
• Yeah, stick with the little white running back instead of Davis!
• False start, the second on the young left tackle for the Gamecocks. Broderick Stewart is a force.
• Third and two. Lewis is back in the game. Smelley falls forward for the first.
• Is Davis hurt?
• Jared Cook is burning us. That's one freaking athletic tight end.
• We stuff the little white guy. Third down.

VU-SC: SECOND QUARTER

Score: 10-3 Gamecocks (0:00)
Player of the second quarter: Darlron Spead
Player of the half: Gamecock defense
Play of the quarter: Darlron Spead's interception and 41-yard return. (10:15)
Play of the half: Vandy fumble recovered by Gamecocks in first quarter leads to TD.

Notes from fourth SC drive:
• Wind is really blowing. Smelley not accurate. Smelley's accuracy smells.
• Davis just picks up a first down on 3rd and 10. Kid is tough.
• Dang it. Langford tips and dives for the near pick. He's a player. He almost gets balls he should have no business even touching. (14:12)
• VU's defensive line playing well.
• Big stop by VU defense. Punt and ball on 20.

Notes from fifth VU drive:
• Nickson getting shut down. Loss of four. 2nd and 14.
• Gamecock defense way too fast for Nickson to break free on corners.
• Nickson goes down. 4th and 19. The offensive line is folding. We're in trouble.

Notes from fifth SC drive:
• Great field position for Gamecocks again.
• TE Cook is killing our linebackers.
• Just when it looked like Gamecocks are dealing a deathblow, Darlron Spead has a huge pick and 41-yard return. It's the fifth pick and longest return of his career.

Notes from sixth VU drive:
• Beautiful fake and nine yard run by Nickson.
• Nice little run by Gaston Miller for first down. We're on the 15. This drive is huge.
• Miller gets a couple. But can we throw the ball?
• Nickson gets three on the keeper. Now 3rd & 4 on the 9.
• Jamie Graham gets a first down on the reverse. 1st & goal on the 5.
• Hawkins gets a couple. But I don't think we can muscle it in.
• Nickson up to the 3.
• Monahan bobbles a shovel pass.
• We score on a Hahnfeldt FG.
• Our red zone offense looked shaky against MiaO. Gamecocks are way, way better.

Notes from seventh SC drive:
• We give up huge kick return to the 50.
• Davis gets 9 yards to VU 41.
• A big stop on Mike Davis.
• Another stop. Fourth and 1. Marve is a man.
• Fake punt. Didn't fool us, but they needed a yard and got it.
• Obscene diving catch by Dion LeCorn. (That's French for "The Corn.")
• Not to act excited or anything but KENNY MCKINLEY IS OUT FOR THE GAME!
• Benoist gets a big sack. 3rd & 16 on 31.
• Field goal attempt at end of half. It's good.

VU-SC: FIRST QUARTER

Score: 7-0 Gamecocks (0:00)
Player of the quarter so far: South Carolina WR Kenny McKinley
Play of the quarter: Gamecocks recover fumble on the VU 20. (8:17 1st)

Notes from the first VU drive:
• We elected to receive the ball first. I like it.
• Hawkins picks up 6 yards on his first carry, then gets a first down on his second carry. Wow.
• Jamie Graham takes the pitch on a double reverse and gets another 6 yards.
• Hawkins is a machine. Another first down. (13:00)
• Brandon Barden just dropped a pass on third down.
• Bad bounce on the punt (11:05)

Notes from first SC drive:
• We look good. Good pass defense, good run defense, and pressure on the QB.
• Broderick Stewart is on a brand new left tackle for the Gamecocks.

Notes from second VU drive:
• Man, Chris Nickson is quick. Just evaded the rush and hit Gaston for a short pass. (9:07)
• False start on TE Monahan. We can't do stuff like that.
• Gaston Miller gets stuck and fumbles. Gamecocks have ball on 20 (8:17).

Notes from second SC drive:
• Davis is a tough runner for the Gamecocks. 2nd and goal at the 5. (7:02)
• Huge sack on Smelley by Greg Billinger. Back to the 10. 3rd down.
• False start on the tight end. Spurrier true to his word and pulls the kid from the game.
• Kenny McKinley takes Myron Lewis to school in the end zone.

Notes from third VU drive:
• Nickson outruns three tacklers... and picks up three yards.
• Three and out.

Notes from third SC drive:
• VU losing the field position battle. Gamecocks start on their 40.
• Chris Marve hammers Davis.
• Just got burned on third down. Cook is a heck of an athletic tight end.
• Spurrier going for the knockout. 14-0 would be almost insurmountable.
• Myron Lewis denies McKinley of a first down reception.
• Another false start for the SC left tackle. Spurrier not pulling him.
• Huge interception by Reshard Langford with a long return to about the SC45.

Notes from fourth VU drive:
• Horrible pass by Nickson but SC's Jasper Brinkley can't catch it.
• Nickson isn't going to get 166 yards in this one. Man, the Gamecocks are fast.
• Great catch by Wheeler but fourth down.
• Penalty on punt. 15 yards against VU. (0:09)

VANDERBILT-SOUTH CAROLINA: PREGAME

Hey, how come I didn't get to run out of the helmet when I was a freshman at Vanderbilt? Besides the fact we had no giant helmet?

Lou Holtz just said that the Gamecocks have the best defense in the SEC. Could be true.

Keys for the Commodores:

• Can the offensive line hold back the SC defensive front (without holding)?
• Can Nickson keep his composure?
• Can the Dores D stop the run and put pressure on Smelley (or whoever it is)?


We'll see.

PREVIEW: THE SOUTH CAROLINA GAME

Just heard some Gamecock fans whooping and hollering about trying to knock Chris Nickson out of the game. Wouldn't be good. But they're forgetting how MacKenzie Adams (right) torched ’em for 17 points in the first quarter last year.

Anyway, Spurrier doesn't lose early in the season unless he's playing LSU. His players are fresh and he hasn't started messing with his quarterbacks' minds yet. Heck, Mark Richt is scared to play South Carolina in September, and for good reason.

I think this one is close. We believe we can beat Spurrier now, which is a start. But outside of Nickson, we can't run the ball consistently, and the Gamecock defense is awfully, awfully tough. Would I be surprised if we won? Well, yeah. Would I be surprised if we lost on a last-second field goal — say, 17-14? No. Would I be surprised if we lost 28-0? No.

So I'll average those two scores and say we lose 17-7.

Last week was a huge game. We lose that one and our season is cooked.

This week we're supposed to lose. I'm telling ya, the Gamecock defense is tough and we're gonna have a hard time moving the ball. We could get smacked in the mouth and still get the magic six wins.

And if you think we're gonna win, I hope you can say, "I told you so" about midnight Thursday.

SWEET DELUSION

South Carolina fans are the greatest. Remember how they used to win one or two games a season and still sell out an 80,000-seat stadium?

We go over to Columbia last season and whip the Gamecocks 17-6 when they're the No. 6 team in the nation. (At right, Spurrier can't stand the sight of homestate boy D.J. Moore intercepting another pass.) This year, they're No. 25. So what are their fans predicting? I just visited a couple of Gamecock fan sites and I think the closest score was 31-0 SC. I'm not kidding. No respect for the Commodores.

Which is exactly how we want it, right? We want to sneak up on people.

THANKS FOR THE SLOGANS, COACH

Here's a string of quotations from a recent press conference with the Ol' Ballcoach:

"You talk about losing some heartbreakers. They’ve lost more than we have. Vandy's been a good team. They've been there with a lot of teams without winning a lot. They’re very capable. Hopefully, they’ll get started in about two weeks. I think we all admire Bobby Johnson and the coaches and Vanderbilt. Their players, I don’t think they get in trouble very much. They're student athletes. They do it the way you're supposed to do it."

Just from those 10 sentences, I've gotten some slogans for the season:

• "Vanderbilt football: Talk about losing some heartbreakers."
• "Vanderbilt football: We've lost more than you have."
• "Vanderbilt football: We've been there a lot without winning a lot."
• "Vanderbilt football: We're very capable."
• "Vanderbilt football: Hopefully we'll get started in about two weeks."
• "Vanderbilt football: Our players don't get in trouble very much."
• "Vanderbilt football: We do it the way you're supposed to do it."

Oh, and here's one based on a Spurrier quote from the Woody Widenhofer era:
• "Vanderbilt football: We don't have a talent problem, we have a winning problem."

Thanks, Coach.