Vandy makes it two straight against Spurrier

NASHVILLE, Tenn.- Vanderbilt heard all the talk from South Carolina after beating the then-No. 6 Gamecocks last October. It made the Commodores mad.

And for the first time since 1992, they finally did something about it on their own turf.

Chris Nickson threw for a touchdown and ran for another and Vanderbilt beat a ranked opponent on its own field Thursday night, upsetting No. 24 South Carolina 24-17 in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.

Vanderbilt (2-0) had made it a habit of knocking off SEC teams on the road with victories at Arkansas and Tennessee in 2005, an upset of then- No. 22 Georgia in 2006 and even pulled off the biggest victory in more than 70 years by downing South Carolina last October.

"They thought it was a fluke," Vanderbilt defensive end Steven Stone said of that win. "And that motivated us."

The result? The Commodores' first upset of a ranked team in Vanderbilt Stadium since Sept. 19, 1992, a 31-9 win over then-No. 25 Mississippi.

This win was very sweet for Vanderbilt, which lost its first 14 games against Steve Spurrier as he coached Duke, Florida and South Carolina. Now the Commodores have won two straight against the ol' ball coach.