In the first game of what is sure to be an exciting college football season, ninth-ranked South Carolina edged past Vanderbilt 17-13 on Thursday night.
The team came from behind after losing quarterback Connor Shaw for two series in the second half after suffering a shoulder injury earlier in the game. Running back Marcus Lattimore had 23 rushes for 110 yards and added two touchdowns, including the eventual game-winning touchdown with just over 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Shaw also added 92 yards rushing for a team total of 205.
The Gamecocks have high expectations this season after coach Steve Spurrier led the team to a school-record 11 wins in 2011. Last season South Carolina finished in the top ten for the first time in the history of the program and also was undefeated against SEC Eastern division opponents. The team's 2012 ranking is also the highest it has ever had to open a season.
Adding to the pressure is the fact that the last six BCS national champions have come from South Carolina's conference, the dominant SEC.
The first game of the season offered the team a chance to take an early lead in the division against an up-and-coming Vanderbilt team that is led by quarterback Jordan Rodgers, the brother of Green Bay Packers quarterback and reigning NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers.
"Maybe it's good for us ...," Spurrier said to the Associated Press. "You look at the preseason press, we thought we were hot stuff. Then we almost got that stuff beat out of us."
Lattimore also enters the season with high expectations. The junior running back was a Heisman favorite last year before getting injured and being lost for the season in October in a game against Mississippi State. As a freshman he had over 1,100 yards rushing and last year he was averaging over 100 yards per game before hurting his knee.
Although South Carolina struggled offensively throughout the game, with Vanderbilt outgaining them in total yards 276-272, their defense made numerous big plays. The team had five total sacks and also forced an interception in the first quarter that set up a touchdown.
The Gamecocks had trouble throughout the game protecting Shaw, who was hurt on a two-yard run in the second quarter after taking a knee to the shoulder. Shaw, who has lost only one start in his career, overcame a great deal of pain to lead his team to a victory.
"They gave me some medicine," Shaw said, according to the AP. "I got a ball and just started working out, I didn't want it to get stiff on me. It was painful, but I got through it."
Vanderbilt had over five minutes in the fourth quarter to try and stage a comeback, but the team eventually turned the ball over on downs with under two minutes left. Rodgers had a solid game for the Commodores, with 214 passing yards, including a 78-yard touchdown pass to wideout Jordan Matthews in the second quarter.
South Carolina improved to 9-0 when Lattimore rushes for over 100 yards. The Gamecocks will face the East Carolina Pirates on Sept. 8 at home, while Vanderbilt will take on Northwestern on the road.
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