S. Carolina holds off Vandy

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Posted 7:56AM on Sunday, September 29, 2002

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - The South Carolina Gamecocks found several ways to stop themselves Saturday night. Corey Jenkins made sure one mistake didn't keep them out of the end zone when it mattered most. Fullback Andrew Pinnock ran the wrong way on a planned shovel pass, and Jenkins salvaged the play by running 12 yards for the go-ahead touchdown as the Gamecocks held off Vanderbilt 20-14. ``Offensively, Corey Jenkins and our split ends played well,'' South Carolina coach Lou Holtz said. ``It was a game that went back and forth. Vanderbilt did not make a mistake until the end. Any time you get a win in the SEC, you have to be happy.'' Vanderbilt (1-4, 0-3) has lost 12 straight Southeastern Conference games, but the Commodores had their chances to end that streak against South Carolina (3-2, 1-1). The Commodores got the ball back with 1:41 left trailing 20-14 and drove near midfield before stalling. South Carolina clinched the victory when Jonathan Martin intercepted a Jay Cutler pass with 29 seconds left on fourth-and-17. ``It's the same story,'' Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson said. ``Another close game that we didn't win. I thought our guys played hard and well most of the game. I think some of their good athletes made some good plays that allowed them to win the football game.'' South Carolina has won three straight in this series and is 10-2 overall against Vanderbilt. Credit Jenkins. He ran for 97 yards and threw for 180 yards despite having injuries decimate his offensive line, leaving him behind four backups at times. Andrew Pinnock also carried 17 times for 69 yards. The Gamecocks didn't take the lead for good until Jenkins took over just after Vanderbilt went ahead 14-10 in the third quarter. Jenkins led an 11-play, 75-yard drive that ended with his 12-yard TD run up the middle for a 17-10 lead with 4:05 left in the third. He completed 5 of 5 passes for 42 yards and ran twice for 17 yards in the drive. Vanderbilt couldn't move the ball when it mattered most. They held on defense twice, but went three-and-out on offense after watching Daniel Weaver miss a 41-yard field goal wide right. Jenkins ran off nearly six minutes of the clock, a drive that included a 28-yard pass on third-and-16, before Weaver kicked a 29-yard field goal with 1:41 to go, his second field goal of the game. ``Corey Jenkins just does a nice job,'' Holtz said. ``We just did not take advantage while we had the ball deep in Vanderbilt territory. That was a big play, though.'' Cutler, who threw two touchdowns, completed only two passes and had three go off the hands of South Carolina defensive backs before Martin's interception. The Gamecocks held the ball for more than 34 minutes, and the SEC's worst offense rolled up 398 yards. South Carolina also held Vanderbilt to 241 yards total offense, including 136 yards rushing. Holtz credited moving a linebacker over to handle Vanderbilt's tight end with helping South Carolina shut down an option offense that has hurt the Gamecocks in previous games. ``We did a good job all night not giving them good field position,'' Holtz said. South Carolina led 10-7 at halftime by finally going to the air at the end of the second quarter. Vanderbilt led 7-3 when the Gamecocks got the ball at their own 20, and Jenkins completed four straight passes on five plays. His 28-yarder to Mikal Goodman took them to the Vandy 23, and Jenkins came out. Sophomore Dondrial Pinkins replaced him, tossed two incompletions and then found Troy Williamson in the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown and a 10-3 lead with 30 seconds left to halftime.