Vanderbilt Dominates South Carolina 31-7 in Week 3
Vanderbilt overwhelmed South Carolina on Saturday, cruising to a 31-7 victory behind a dominant defensive performance. The Commodores scored consistently throughout the game, posting seven points in each of the first three quarters before adding 10 in the fourth to seal the win.
South Carolina managed only a first-quarter touchdown, then went scoreless for the remainder of the contest. The Gamecocks' offense struggled significantly, with quarterback Lanorris Sellers leading the team in passing with just 94 yards while receiver Nyck Harbor caught passes for 66 yards.
Vanderbilt's defense created multiple momentum shifts, including a crucial interception by Justin Okoronkwo that he returned for 21 yards. The Commodores' offense executed effectively, with Diego Pavia connecting with receivers Eli Stowers and Tre Richardson on key plays, while running back Jamezell Lassiter scored on a 44-yard touchdown run.
The game featured eight lead changes and considerable swings in win probability, though Vanderbilt ultimately controlled the contest. The final score fell under the 48.5-point over-under, and Vanderbilt covered the three-point spread.
AI-generated recap · Aug 16, 2026
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Vanderbilt | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 31 |
 South Carolina | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Scoring Timeline
Drive Chart
Box Score
| Statistic | Vanderbilt | South Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Passing | 18-26 | 24-34 |
| Pass Yards | 177 | 242 |
| Rush Yards | 146 | 86 |
| Total Yards | 323 | 328 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 4 |
| 3rd Down | 6-12 | 4-12 |
| Penalties | 4-40 | 8-85 |
| Possession | 35:43 | 24:17 |
Player Leaders
Player Leaders
Play-by-Play
Max Kelley kickoff for 64 yds , Tre Richardson return for 26 yds to the VAN 27
Sedrick Alexander run for a loss of 3 yards to the VAN 24
Diego Pavia pass complete to Eli Stowers for 17 yds to the VAN 41 for a 1ST down
Diego Pavia pass incomplete to Tre Richardson
Diego Pavia pass complete to Eli Stowers for 4 yds to the VAN 45
Sedrick Alexander run for 8 yds to the SC 47 for a 1ST down
Sedrick Alexander run for 4 yds to the SC 43
Diego Pavia pass complete to Tre Richardson for 7 yds to the SC 36 for a 1ST down
Diego Pavia pass complete to Martel Hight for 18 yds to the SC 18 for a 1ST down
Diego Pavia pass complete to Sedrick Alexander for 18 yds for a TD (Brock Taylor KICK)
LaNorris Sellers pass complete to Jordan Dingle for 33 yds to the VAN 42 for a 1ST down
Rahsul Faison run for 11 yds to the VAN 31 for a 1ST down
LaNorris Sellers run for 8 yds to the VAN 23
LaNorris Sellers run for 1 yd to the VAN 22
Rahsul Faison run for 2 yds to the VAN 20 for a 1ST down
LaNorris Sellers pass complete to Nyck Harbor for 13 yds to the VAN 7 for a 1ST down
Rahsul Faison run for 7 yds for a TD (William Joyce KICK)
Max Kelley kickoff for 65 yds , Tre Richardson return for 14 yds to the VAN 14
Makhilyn Young run for 1 yd to the VAN 15
Sedrick Alexander run for no gain to the VAN 15
Diego Pavia pass incomplete to Tre Richardson
Nick Haberer punt for 53 yds , Vicari Swain returns for 11 yds to the SC 43
LaNorris Sellers pass complete to Nyck Harbor for 26 yds to the VAN 31 for a 1ST down
Rahsul Faison run for 6 yds to the VAN 25
Rahsul Faison run for 10 yds to the VAN 15 for a 1ST down
Rahsul Faison run for 2 yds to the VAN 13
Rahsul Faison run for a loss of 1 yard to the VAN 14
(00:41) Shotgun Pavia,Diego pass incomplete deep left to Sherrill,Junior thrown to USC48 PENALTY USC Pass Interference (Kilgore,Jalon) 15 yards from VAN23 to VAN38, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Diego Pavia pass complete to Martel Hight for 5 yds to the VAN 43
Martel Hight run for 2 yds to the VAN 45
Diego Pavia run for 4 yds to the VAN 49 for a 1ST down
Makhilyn Young run for 2 yds to the SC 49
Diego Pavia sacked by Nick Barrett for a loss of 5 yards to the VAN 46
Diego Pavia pass incomplete to Junior Sherrill
Nick Haberer punt for 38 yds
LaNorris Sellers pass complete to Brady Hunt for 4 yds to the SC 20
PENALTY USC Illegal Substitution 5 yards from USC20 to USC15. NO PLAY.
Rahsul Faison run for 2 yds to the SC 17
LaNorris Sellers pass complete to Nyck Harbor for 17 yds to the SC 34 for a 1ST down
LaNorris Sellers sacked by Nick Rinaldi for a loss of 8 yards to the SC 26
run for 11 yds to the SC 11 fumbled, recovered by SC LaNorris Sellers
Rahsul Faison run for 16 yds to the SC 27
Mason Love punt for 49 yds, punt out-of-bounds at the VAN 24 , Martel Hight returns for no gain to the VAN 24
Diego Pavia pass complete to Tre Richardson for 8 yds to the VAN 32
Diego Pavia run for 3 yds to the VAN 35 for a 1ST down
Diego Pavia pass incomplete to Eli Stowers
Diego Pavia run for 4 yds to the VAN 39
Diego Pavia pass complete to Jamezell Lassiter for 11 yds to the 50 yard line for a 1ST down
Diego Pavia run for 1 yd to the SC 49 Diego Pavia fumbled, recovered by VAN
PENALTY VAN False Start (Glass,Isaia) 5 yards from USC49 to VAN46. NO PLAY.
Diego Pavia pass complete to Junior Sherrill for 5 yds to the SC 49
Diego Pavia pass complete to Tre Richardson for 11 yds to the SC 38 for a 1ST down South Carolina Penalty, Roughing The Passer (Bryan Thomas Jr.) to the SC 23 for a 1ST down
Richie Hoskins run for 15 yds to the SC 8 for a 1ST down
Tre Richardson run for 4 yds to the SC 4
Sedrick Alexander run for a loss of 1 yard to the SC 5
Diego Pavia pass complete to Junior Sherrill for 5 yds for a TD (Brock Taylor KICK)
LaNorris Sellers pass complete to Rahsul Faison for 1 yd to the SC 41 for a 1ST down
Luke Doty pass complete to Rahsul Faison for 3 yds to the SC 44
Rahsul Faison run for 6 yds to the 50 yard line
(01:18) PENALTY USC False Start (Dingle,Jordan) 5 yards from USC50 to USC45. NO PLAY.
Luke Doty run for 10 yds to the VAN 45 for a 1ST down
Luke Doty pass complete to Rahsul Faison for 2 yds to the VAN 43
Luke Doty pass complete to Nyck Harbor for 10 yds to the VAN 33 for a 1ST down
Luke Doty run for 3 yds to the VAN 30
PENALTY USC False Start (Stanley,Boaz) 5 yards from VAN30 to VAN35. NO PLAY.
Luke Doty pass incomplete to Brian Rowe Jr.
Luke Doty pass incomplete to Brian Rowe Jr.
Mason Love 53 yd FG MISSED
Diego Pavia pass complete to Tre Richardson for 8 yds to the VAN 43
Diego Pavia run for 6 yds to the VAN 49 for a 1ST down
Diego Pavia pass incomplete to Eli Stowers
Blaze Berlowitz pass incomplete to Junior Sherrill
End of 2nd Quarter
Rahsul Faison run for 1 yd to the SC 26
Luke Doty pass complete to Jordan Dingle for 1 yd to the SC 27
Luke Doty pass complete to Brian Rowe Jr. for 7 yds to the SC 34
Mason Love punt for 41 yds, fair catch by Martel Hight at the VAN 25
Sedrick Alexander run for 15 yds to the VAN 40 for a 1ST down
Kayleb Barnett run for 11 yds to the SC 49 for a 1ST down
Diego Pavia pass complete to Martel Hight for 5 yds to the SC 44
Jamezell Lassiter run for 44 yds for a TD (Brock Taylor KICK)
Luke Doty pass complete to Rahsul Faison for 5 yds to the SC 20
Oscar Adaway III run for 6 yds to the SC 26
Luke Doty pass complete to Donovan Murph for 24 yds to the 50 yard line for a 1ST down
Luke Doty run for a loss of 2 yards to the SC 48
Luke Doty pass complete to Brian Rowe Jr. for 7 yds to the VAN 45
Luke Doty run for 4 yds to the VAN 41
Rahsul Faison run for a loss of 3 yards to the VAN 44
Sedrick Alexander run for 6 yds to the 50 yard line
Sedrick Alexander run for 2 yds to the SC 48
Diego Pavia pass incomplete to Tre Richardson
Diego Pavia pass complete to Sedrick Alexander for 8 yds to the SC 40 for a 1ST down
Diego Pavia pass complete to Martel Hight for 5 yds to the SC 35
Diego Pavia run for 4 yds to the SC 31
(04:11) Shotgun Pavia,Diego rush middle for 5 yards gain to the USC26 (Okoronkwo,Justin) PENALTY VAN Personal Foul (Hight,Martel) 15 yards from USC31 to USC46. NO PLAY.
PENALTY VAN False Start (Sherrill,Junior) 5 yards from USC46 to VAN49. NO PLAY.
Diego Pavia pass complete to Eli Stowers for 24 yds to the SC 27 for a 1ST down South Carolina Penalty, Roughing The Passer (Dylan Stewart) to the SC 13 for a 1ST down
Sedrick Alexander run for 3 yds to the SC 10
Diego Pavia run for a loss of 1 yard to the SC 11
Diego Pavia pass intercepted Justin Okoronkwo return for 21 yds to the SC 21
Vanderbilt Penalty, Defensive Holding (Brycen Coleman) declined
Luke Doty run for 2 yds to the SC 23
Luke Doty pass complete to Jordan Dingle for 9 yds to the SC 32 for a 1ST down
Rahsul Faison run for 3 yds to the SC 35
Rahsul Faison run for 9 yds to the SC 44 for a 1ST down
Rahsul Faison run for 3 yds to the SC 47
Luke Doty pass incomplete to Jordan Dingle
Luke Doty run for 4 yds to the VAN 49
Luke Doty pass incomplete to Jordan Dingle
Diego Pavia run for 5 yds to the SC 46
Makhilyn Young run for 6 yds to the SC 40 for a 1ST down
Diego Pavia pass complete to Junior Sherrill for 4 yds to the SC 36
Diego Pavia run for 1 yd to the SC 35
Diego Pavia run for 2 yds to the SC 33
Brock Taylor 51 yd FG GOOD
Brock Taylor kickoff for 65 yds , Nyck Harbor return for 43 yds to the SC 43
Luke Doty pass complete to Donovan Murph for 10 yds to the VAN 47 for a 1ST down
Luke Doty run for 10 yds to the VAN 37 for a 1ST down
Luke Doty pass incomplete to Brian Rowe Jr.
Luke Doty pass complete to Brian Rowe Jr. for a loss of 1 yard to the VAN 38
Luke Doty sacked by Bryce Cowan for a loss of 18 yards to the SC 37 Luke Doty fumbled, recovered by VAN Miles Capers , return for 0 yards
South Carolina Penalty, UNS: Unsportsmanlike Conduct (Nick Barrett) to the SC 20 for a 1ST down
Sedrick Alexander run for 2 yds to the SC 18
Diego Pavia pass complete to Richie Hoskins for 14 yds to the SC 4 for a 1ST down
Sedrick Alexander run for 2 yds to the SC 2
Sedrick Alexander run for 2 yds for a TD Vanderbilt Penalty, UNS: Unsportsmanlike Conduct (Gabe Fisher) to the SC 0 (Brock Taylor KICK)
Luke Doty pass complete to Vandrevius Jacobs for 10 yds to the VAN 40 for a 1ST down
Luke Doty pass complete to Isaiah Augustave for 16 yds Isaiah Augustave fumbled, recovered by VAN Jordan Matthews
AJ Newberry run for a loss of 3 yards to the VAN 21
AJ Newberry run for 1 yd to the VAN 22
Blaze Berlowitz run for no gain to the VAN 22
Nick Haberer punt for 42 yds, fair catch by Vicari Swain at the SC 26
Luke Doty pass complete to Vandrevius Jacobs for 20 yds to the SC 46 for a 1ST down
Luke Doty pass complete to Mazeo Bennett Jr. for 11 yds to the VAN 43 for a 1ST down
Luke Doty run for 7 yds to the VAN 36
Luke Doty pass complete to Jared Brown for 8 yds to the VAN 28 for a 1ST down
Luke Doty pass complete to Mazeo Bennett Jr. for 9 yds to the VAN 19
Luke Doty pass incomplete to Mazeo Bennett Jr.
Luke Doty pass incomplete to Mazeo Bennett Jr.
Luke Doty pass complete to Jared Brown for 7 yds to the VAN 12 for a 1ST down
Luke Doty pass incomplete to Maurice Brown II
(01:08) Kneel down by Vanderbilt at VAN14 for loss of 1 yard.
(00:27) Kneel down by Vanderbilt at VAN13 for loss of 1 yard.