The South Carolina Gamecocks picked up their first win of the season on Saturday, as they routed SEC foe Kentucky 31-6. After a rocky season opener that saw the Gamecocks barely escape Old Dominion, Carolina went into Kroger Field as underdogs and stunned the Wildcats.
Despite some first-half struggles, Carolina would come out of the locker room like a team possessed. Defensively the Gamecocks completely shut down Kentucky’s offense, limiting the Wildcats to just 183 total yards. Offensively, LaNorris Sellers took a big step forward in his young career.
While there was much to celebrate on the Carolina sideline, there still remain areas in need of improvement. The offensive line is of particular note here. That being said, the team overall put in a dominant performance against an SEC team when many expected them to fail.
With South Carolina’s first win of the season in the books, let’s unpack the major takeaways in this week’s Gamecocks’ recap.
Defense (Once Again) Carries the Day
Carolina’s defense is quickly living up to the lofty expectations set for them in the offseason. Led by a stellar day from the defensive front, the Gamecocks shut down Kentucky. The pass rush utterly suffocated transfer quarterback Brock Vandagriff all game. Vandagriff was sacked a total of five times on the day and limited to just 30 yards on three completions.
The Gamecock’s also made 11 tackles for a loss, and forced two fumbles, although Kentucky would land on both. The Carolina secondary would have much better luck in the turnover department, however, as they recorded two interceptions. Safety Nick Emmanwori even returned one of these for a 24-yard touchdown.
Needless to say, the Gamecocks had a phenomenal day defensively. If they can continue this level of play, then Carolina is certain to be competitive in every game they play.
Tail of Two Halves for LaNorris Sellers
After a lackluster first outing for star quarterback LaNorris Sellers, the redshirt freshman’s struggles continued early on against Kentucky. Sellers did record his first passing touchdown midway through the first quarter, but this was the high mark of an otherwise underwhelming first half.
It was apparent that the nerves we saw affecting Sellers against Old Dominion were still present. He was jumpy in the pocket, forcing throws, and just seemed lost against the Wildcat’s pass rush.
Things appeared to go from bad to disastrous after an apparent lower leg injury forced Sellers to exit the game midway through the second quarter. He would return for the Gamecocks’ last drive of the half but threw an interception just three plays later. Coming out of the half though, it was evident something had clicked.
The quarterback we saw the rest of the game was playing at a completely different level than before. Sellers was hitting his receivers in stride for big gains, extending plays with his legs, and leading Carolina’s offense with confidence. The stat line may not pop, but it was apparent to anybody watching that Sellers had reached a new level.
When asked about his quarterback’s performance, Beamer had nothing but praise.
“He had a hell of a second half,” Beamer said. “LaNorris is gritty. He’s going to continue to learn. We’re going to continue to get better on offense, and that’s the exciting thing.”
As Carolina’s schedule becomes more challenging, Sellers will have to continue growing in order for the Gamecock’s remain competitive. Saturday showed us, however, that the young gunslinger is capable of rising to the occasion.
Offensive Line Still Needs Work
We touched on Sellers’ underwhelming first half, but part of the blame for that rests solely on his offensive line. After allowing Old Dominion to harass their quarterback all game, many dreaded the thought of what an SEC front would do this week. To nobody’s surprise, the results were pretty much the same early on.
Kentucky was in the Carolina backfield on what seemed like every play from the jump. This pressure forced Sellers to roll out on almost every play, causing the passing game to stagnate. The run protection wasn’t much better, as the Gamecocks struggled to gain momentum on the ground. On the day Carolina’s ball carriers managed just 86 yards, 21 of which came on a single Raheim Sanders run.
The group did improve in the second half, but some of that was most likely a result of fatigue along Kentucky’s front seven. The bottom line is Carolina’s offensive line is by far their weakest link. They were able to tighten up against Kentucky. But the defenses they face only get better from here. If the Gamecocks are going to reach their potential this season, the offensive line has to improve drastically.
Final Thoughts
It goes without saying that beating a conference opponent by three scores is a pretty good day. It becomes even better when you were able to win that big despite entering as nine-point underdogs. The Gamecocks went into a hostile environment on Saturday and dominated a Kentucky team who on paper was the better team.
They also saw their young offense take some massive strides, led by their young quarterback. It’s hard to look at the outcome and be disappointed, but Carolina still has work to do. The offensive line is a massive concern, and they will continue to be one until they prove they can hold up for 60 minutes.
That being said, this is a massive win for the Gamecock’s. They proved a lot of people wrong, and that’s something to be proud of. We saw plenty of improvement offensively, and Sellers showed glimpses of what everybody hopes he will become. Now it’s time to build on the positives and work on fixing the negatives ahead of next week’s matchup against a dangerous LSU team.
Photo courtesy: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
