The Feed Pail: September 1, 2012 - But if it works, it's a good call.

TFP - Rescue me before I fall into despair.

Post & Courier: Once again, South Carolina handles drama. For those of you relatively new to the 120 year old work-in-progress that is Gamecock football, please understand that drama is the feature - not the bug - of the USC pigskin brand. And at least we came out with the "W" - usually, it's us on the receiving end of a bad no-call.

Bleacher Report: Alex says Gamecock Fans Need to Step Back from the Ledge. He's got a good point. Both Kevin King and Barrett Sallee write about Connor and Marcus respectively.

Meet Me at the 50: Ronda Templeton says we need to man up - Gridiron & Grits: No more tears edition.

Sports Talk Radio: Fair or unfair? Steve Spurrier calls out Lorenzo Ward for blitz call. A lot of us think that former D.C. Ellis Johnson was too conservative on the blitz, and we had harried, sacked and knocked down Jordan Rodgers quite a bit during the game. But why VU's terrific WR Jordan Matthews was covered only by a lone safey on a 4-and-7 is probably too aggressive. We win the game if Vandy turns it over on downs; not if we sack the QB. As Spurrier says, "But if it works it’s a good call."

Spur of the Moment: Wrapping up The Opener -- another comeback, pass game hits new low, Clowney limited by Vandy scheme, report card.

Gamecock Central: David Cloninger has is own The Good, The Bad and The Ugly - Vanderbilt. There's more good than you might expect. Read it all.

Bart Wright: The Greenville News' columnist writes that the Gamecocks show their toughness.

It's a veritable Link-a-catessen after The Jump. Don't get left behind at the water cooler or the sports bar - you need this 411.

Garnet Report: Carolina 17 Vanderbilt 13: Rapid Reaction. An interesting critique on Connor.

GoUpstate.com: Matt Connolly writes: Lattimore answers doubters with strong performance.

Instant Radio Rivals: Quick Slant on Great Win in Nashville. Why is it so great?

The last time I did research on games won by the team winning the turnover margin in single digit spread games they had won over 80% of those games. To lose the turnover battle on the road in the SEC and still win the game makes for a "Great win in Nashville" for the Gamecocks.

Mike maybe has a point, there. He is also say the OL played better than you think. The jury's still out on that one.

Andy Staples: No thing of beauty, but Gamecocks survive resilient 'Dores.

The Rubber Chickens: Snap Judgments – USC @ Vandy Edition.

Saturday Down South: In case you've been forced to watch too much video of D.J. Swearinger's interference, this should be far more pleasant, and likely was much more costly to Vandy's chances to win the game more than no-call: Video: Shaq Wilson’s awesome interception against Vanderbilt.

David Climer: The Tennessean's lead columnist says that the no-call on Swearinger p.i. against Matthews was a death blow. I've actually been impressed by the way Coach Franklin has comported himself over that officiating blunder that cost Vandy a chance for the win.

Kansas City Star: Reprints the Negative Guy as he praises No. 14 - Connor Shaw saves the night for South Carolina.

College Football Zealots: Kevin has some good analysis - South Carolina Survives Vanderbilt 17-13.

CBS Sports: Heisman Race Review: Marcus Lattimore holds steady after solid performance against Vanderbilt. Chris Huston explains why that is not necessarily a good thing:

To make a legitimate run at the trophy, Lattimore will need to pick up the pace considerably. He'll need to be spectacular. One can't win the Heisman playing for South Carolina with a season-long string of solid, mundane efforts. Working against Lattimore is his particular skill set as a running back--we won't see many 70-yard runs--plus the schizophrenic nature of the Gamecock offense. If the Vandy game is any indication, he might be hard pressed to find his groove.

Loose Feed

The Sporting News: Textbook whitewash - NCAA finds North Carolina not guilty of academic fraud. All pigs are equal, folks. Some pigs are just more equal than others - dontcha know? I remember reading that somewhere. Never fear, however. Other "probes" are still underway.

Dan Wetzel: Yahoo!'s lead columnist tweets: "NCAA hates claims it practices situational enforcement/favored programs. But no violations with UNC academics will be cited as prime example." Yup.

Bruce Feldman: Mailbag: About the UNC academic scandal and the NCAA. "You know how it's possible? Because the NCAA MAKES IT UP AS IT GOES ALONG. The NCAA finds pretty much whatever it wants to find … or not find." Bonus - Bruce has some good commentary on Marcus Lattimore and South Carolina.

Crystal Ball Run: Joe Lucia writes:

The lack of additional sanctions handed down to UNC after this scandal, when some were wondering if the school could possibly receive the death penalty, is mind-numbing. It's going to be very interesting to see the NCAA's reaction to the independent probe into this situation led by former North Carolina governor James Martin. If Martin finds mountains of evidence suggesting that athletes received preferential treatment in these classes, the NCAA will really have no recourse, and will have to levy some sort of additional sanctions towards the school.

Dr. Saturday: Anatomy of Andre Parker’s now infamous wrong-way fumble return for Kent State.