NASHVILLE, Tenn. _ Much of Will Muschamp's first game as South Carolina's head coach didn't look pretty, but the ending looked perfect for the Gamecocks.
South Carolina beat Vanderbilt 13-10 thanks to a career-long 55-yard field goal by senior place-kicker Elliott Fry with 35 seconds left in the game. A crowd of 30,304 fans, many of them Gamecock fans, at Vanderbilt Stadium watched South Carolina start the season 1-0 and the Commodores fall to 0-1. The Gamecocks trailed for the first 52 minutes and 30 seconds but tied the game on an 8-yard run by sophomore wide receiver Deebo Samuel that tied the game at 10-10 with 7:30 left in the fourth quarter.
Senior Perry Orth started the game at quarterback and played the first two series, which totaled only one first down. Freshman Brandon McIlwain took over on the third series and played the remaining four series in the first half. McIlwain's mobility allowed the Gamecocks to move the ball a little better, but McIlwain didn't lead any scoring drives and had one fumble.
Orth played every series of the second half and finished with 152 yards passing to McIlwain's 35.
Vanderbilt built a 10-0 lead on the strength of a 67-yard touchdown drive and a 13-yard field goal drive in the first half. The Gamecocks first score came on a 48-yard field goal from Elliott Fry with 6:16 left in the third quarter to cut the Commodores lead to 10-3.
