No. 9 Gamecocks Defeat Vanderbilt, 17-13, To Open 2012 Season

South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw breaks away from Vanderbilt’s Johnell Thomas during first-half action Thursday night in Nashvhille.

Junior running back Marcus Lattimore rushed for 110 yards and two touchdowns to lead ninth-ranked South Carolina to a 17-13 victory over Vanderbilt on Thursday night in the season opener for both teams at Vanderbilt Stadium.  With the Gamecocks trailing 13-10 early in the fourth quarter, Lattimore scored the game-winning touchdown on a 1-yard run with 11:25 remaining. The Gamecock defense then buckled down and allowed just 17 yards the rest of the way to seal the win.  South Carolina (1-0, 1-0 SEC) has now won 13 straight season openers and nine straight games against SEC Eastern Division opponents, while Gamecock head coach Steve Spurrier improves to 22-1 all-time in season openers.