NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) _ Chris Nickson threw for a touchdown and
ran for another and Vanderbilt finally 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 then-No. 6 South
Carolina last October.

But the Commodores hadn't upset a ranked team in Vanderbilt
Stadium since Sept. 19, 1992, a 31-9 win over then-No. 25
Mississippi 31-9. 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.

South Carolina (1-1) had survived four interceptions in shutting
out North Carolina State 34-0 last week. The Gamecocks couldn't
escape their mistakes against Vanderbilt.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)