Southeastern Conference schools never want their football teams in the position of being judged based on what happens against Vanderbilt, but that’s where South Carolina found itself on Sept. 1, 2016.
The Gamecocks were coming off a 3-9 season and had just hired Will Muschamp as their head coach, a decision that was widely questioned not just from the outside but from within the program’s fan base as well.
“You were hearing a lot from Gamecock fans that people were nervous, didn’t know if he was the right fit,” said Elliott Fry, the former South Carolina kicker who would prove so important on that September night.