WATCH: Zeb Noland slings game-winning touchdown, South Carolina sneaks past Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt came less than a minute away for its first SEC win in over 700 days, as the Commodores haven’t won a conference game since 2019 — but then, the South Carolina Gamecocks put in grad assistant-turned-quarterback Zeb Noland, who brought the Gamecocks back to life.

In its last possession of the game, South Carolina trailed Vanderbilt, 20-14, and first-year head coach Shane Beamer opted to pull starting quarterback Luke Doty for Noland, the backup. In one drive, Noland trekked down the field rather quickly, stringing together an eight-play, 75-yard drive in just under one minute.

Noland completed five of his eight passes, gaining all 75 yards and a touchdown. The final play, a nine-yard touchdown on second-and-goal, went to Xavier Leggette for six. The ensuing point after by South Carolina place-kicker Parker White made it 21-20 in favor of the Gamecocks, and South Carolina managed to force a fumble, cutting Vanderbilt’s last-ditch attempt at a game-winning drive short.

What a zinger by Zeb Noland ⚡️pic.twitter.com/tte1OmBSgW

— PFF College (@PFF_College) October 16, 2021

Doty finished the game with 17 completions in 26 attempts before he was pulled, gaining 242 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and two interceptions. South Carolina’s offense outgained Vanderbilt, going for 434 yards of total offense — 317 through the air, and 117 on the ground. The turnovers, however, kept Vanderbilt within striking distance, as the Gamecocks committed two via interceptions. Furthermore, South Carolina had trouble with penalties, which gave Vanderbilt chance after chance to convert. In the end, Beamer’s South Carolina team committed ten penalties for 78 yards, whereas Vanderbilt committed just three for 15 yards.

Vanderbilt announced pregame that it would start Wright at quarterback against South Carolina, replacing fellow sophomore Ken Seals, and Wright in the process made his first-ever college start. Wright at times looked great, making something out of nothing and singlehandedly keeping Vanderbilt’s offense from going stagnant. He had 11 completions on 21 attempts, good for 206 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception, while also rushing for 41 yards.

In the end, South Carolina hardly prevailed on the last-minute touchdown and point-after, giving the Gamecocks their first SEC win of the Beamer era. It’s a much-needed momentum boost for South Carolina, which faces Texas A&M on the road just next week.