Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

	AP Photo/Mark Humphrey
	South Carolina struggled all night with Vanderbilt's defense.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Before Vanderbilt had played a game this season, junior defensive end Broderick Stewart set a pretty gaudy standard for this defense.

He predicted that the Commodores would be the fastest defense in the SEC.

"Hands down," he said with conviction.

After Thursday's 24-17 victory over No. 24-ranked South Carolina, it's obvious Stewart wasn't just blowing smoke.

The Commodores are fast, but they're also tough, relentless, aggressive and smart -- all the characteristics that go into making a defense SEC-ready.

This just in: the Commodores are SEC-ready.

"Our defense kept us in there the whole night," Vanderbilt senior quarterback Chris Nickson said. "They weren't going to let us lose this one."

The Gamecocks managed just one true touchdown drive against Vanderbilt all night when they went 55 yards in the fourth quarter to pull within 24-17. South Carolina's first touchdown came after Vanderbilt lost a fumble at its own 20.

"We lost a lot of good players on defense last year, but I don't think people realize how many good young players we have on this team," Vanderbilt senior strong safety Reshard Langford said. "This is the way we expect to play all season. We have the talent to be one of the best defenses in this league."

The Commodores have allowed just 30 points in their first two games. Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson liked that his defense played its best when the game was on the line.

"We kept fighting, and that's how you win games like this, play like we did in the second half," Johnson said.

The Commodores only turned up the heat defensively after taking a 14-point lead with just under 10 minutes to play. Johnson said they came with a blitz or zone pressure on just about every play down the stretch. They sacked South Carolina quarterback Chris Smelley four times in the game and intercepted him twice.

"We finished the game the way you're supposed to," Vanderbilt junior defensive tackle Greg Billinger said. "We wanted it in our hands."