The South Carolina Gamecocks picked up their biggest win of the season Saturday night, knocking off tenth-ranked Texas A&M at home by a score of 44-20. After coming so close to pulling an upset against a top 10-ranked SEC opponent twice before this season, Carolina was finally able to put everything together in a dominant performance.
After searching for it all season, the Gamecocks finally put together their first truly complete game of the year. From start to finish Shane Beamer’s team was the better side in all three phases, and it wasn’t particularly close. With game eight in the books for South Carolina, let’s unpack the big takeaways from Carolina’s best performance of the season.
Gamecocks Throttle Aggies, 44-20
Sellers has Finally Arrived
The biggest takeaway from Carolina’s beatdown of the Aggies was the arrival of redshirt freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers. In his first season under center, Sellers has shown glimpses of his immense potential but hasn’t been able to put it all together for a full game. That was until Saturday of course.
Sellers put every bit of his immense talent on full display against the Aggies, and the results were nothing short of amazing. Through the air, Sellers tallied a season-high 244 yards and two touchdowns while completing 13 of his 27 passes. On the ground, he ran for another 106 yards on 15 carries and picked up a third touchdown.
All in all, Sellers accounted for 350 of Carolina’s 530 yards and three of their five touchdowns. This is what every Gamecock fan has been waiting to see since the moment Sellers set foot on campus. When asked about his quarterback’s performance, Beamer heaped on the praise.
“He’s special,” Beamer said. “He just continues to get better. Some of the individual effort plays he made that’s who he is.”
There’s really no other way to describe what Sellers was able to do on Saturday than extraordinary. We’ve seen the redshirt freshman struggle in his first season, but the talent he possesses was always apparent. It was only a matter of time before he turned that corner, and we all saw it in real time against Texas A&M.
Rocket Sanders Lifts Off
Another massive piece of this Carolina offense we’ve been waiting to see finally turn the corner is Raheim “Rocket” Sanders. While the former Arkansas Razorback was productive in the Gamecocks early schedule, a lingering ankle injury limited in their past several contests.
It’s safe to say that whatever effects he was suffering from leading into Saturday were finally gone, as Sanders put together a career game in garnet and black. Rocket certainly lived up to his name against A&M, torching Aggie defenders all night. Sanders recorded 144 yards rushing and two touchdowns in the game on 20 carries. He also torched the Aggies through the air, racking up a further 96 receiving yards on just nine catches.
When Sanders transferred to Carolina last winter, many wondered if we would ever see the former all-SEC first-team selection return to form. It may have taken a while, but the Gamecocks got a vintage Rocket Sanders performance against the Aggies. If he can maintain this momentum down the stretch, then the Gamecocks’ run game could become the most lethal in the conference.
Gamecocks Defense Maintains Form
While Carolina’s offense certainly stole the show, their defense also turned in yet another phenomenal outing. Their second half in particular might be the best half the unit has played all season. After allowing the Aggies to take the lead right before half, Carolina regrouped and pitched a shutout the rest of the way, paving the way for the offense to run up the score.
In that second half, the Gamecocks allowed just 143 total yards, collected two turnovers, and forced the Aggies to lose the ball on downs three times. Senior defensive back O’Donnell Fortune also had what appeared to be a pick-six, but replay ruled he stepped out of bounds.
The defense has carried much of the load for Carolina this season, and the second half against A&M was no different. As a unit, they were as dominant as any team we’ve seen so far this season. Combined with an offense that is appearing to finally find its stride, these next four games could see the Gamecocks’ defense find another gear that spells disaster for opposing offenses.
Beamer Changes the Narrative
During the bye week, we discussed how these final five games could end up being the most important of Beamer’s tenure at South Carolina. Sitting at 4-3 heading into the matchup with A&M, if the Gamecocks floundered down the stretch then the head coach would certainly begin to see the ice shrinking below his feet. More than anyone Beamer needed a big-time win to shift the narrative surrounding not only the season but his ability to lead the program.
He got just that against the Aggies, and in doing so showed everyone that when healthy his team is capable of beating the big boys. That being said, the work is far from over. Carolina will need to show they can continue this level of play down the stretch. For the time being, however, Beamer has proven he is the guy for Carolina.
If the Gamecocks are able to continue this level of play, then they are fully capable of winning out. This is obviously the best-case scenario, but even then it’s not that far-fetched. You can honestly make the argument that as of right now Carolina should be the favorite in all of their remaining contests. If they are able to finish with eight or more wins, then Beamer will have proven that he’s the guy to continue leading Carolina.
