The start of South Carolina’s 2024 campaign almost ended in disaster Saturday as the Gamecocks narrowly held on to defeat the Old Dominion University Monarchs 23-19. What many assumed to be the triumphant arrival of the LaNorris Sellers era quickly devolved into a nightmare scenario. Carolina’s offense only managed to muster 288 yards on the day, and the passing game looked less than stellar, to say the least. Although they managed to escape with a win, not all wins are created equal. The type of showing we saw in Columbia on Saturday afternoon has done little to inspire confidence in the minds of the Gamecocks faithful. That being said, there were some positives to be found. With week one in the books, it’s time we take a closer look at the aftermath and determine the key takeaways. This is the 2024-week one recap for your South Carolina Gamecocks.
Key Takeaways From Gamecocks’ Close Call in Week One
Resiliency is the Word of the Day
First, I think that it is important to note the team’s resiliency in the face of adversity. There were multiple points in the game where lesser teams would have folded. Instead of this, the Gamecocks answered every Old Dominion punch with a counter punch of their own. A prime example of this occurred early in the second quarter.
Following a Monarchs three-and-out, Carolina received the ball near mid-field. On the first play of the drive, however, quarterback LaNorris Sellers fumbled the ball. Old Dominion recovered the fumble and returned it to Carolina’s four-yard-line.
With Old Dominion set up right at the doorstep of Carolina’s endzone, a touchdown seemed imminent. However, instead of conceding the score, the Gamecocks defense stood strong, baiting Monarch’s quarterback Grant Wilson into an interception. This gave Carolina the ball right back and adverted a near disaster in the process.
Carolina battled until the end, and because of their resiliency, they were able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Defense Leads the Day
Speaking of the Gamecocks’ defense, they deserve their flowers more than anybody. It’s not a stretch to say without several key plays on defense Carolina loses this game. Along with the interception mentioned above, the Gamecocks also forced three other turnovers on the day, with two coming within the Monarch’s ten-yard line.
That last part is of particular importance, seeing as how both of Carolina’s touchdowns came directly off said turnovers. The first of these came from a Kyle Kennard strip sack on Old Dominion’s third play of the game. Recovered at the three-yard line, Carolina would cash it in three plays later on Raheim Sanders’ first touchdown as Gamecock.
The second turnover Carolina converted on the day came midway through the third quarter when Old Dominion fumbled on their own six-yard-line. Defensive tackle DeAndre Jules would be the one to recover this fumble, and two plays later it was LaNorris Sellers’ turn to score his first touchdown as a Gamecock.
In addition to forcing takeaways, Carolina was also highly effective at rushing the quarterback. In addition to the aforementioned Kennard strip sack, Gamecock defenders record four additional sacks and eight tackles for loss.
While the defense wasn’t perfect (they did give up two long plays for touchdowns), they stepped up when it mattered most. If they can manage to eliminate some of those chunk plays, then that side of the ball is unlikely to be a liability this season.
The Offensive Line is Still a Major Concern
While Carolina’s defensive line carried the day, their counterparts on the offense very nearly ruined it. It was no secret that pass protection was a massive issue for the Gamecocks last season. Some of that was due to injuries, but the bottom line is they ranked near the bottom of the country in every metric as a unit.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t appear to have improved much as they got pushed around all game by a much smaller Old Dominion front seven. Nobody felt this breakdown more than Sellers. The redshirt freshman was harassed on what seemed like every play.
While some people might attribute these struggles to week one rust, the bottom line is Carolina got bullied up front by a less talented defense. The Gamecocks play several truly elite defensive fronts this season, and several more really good ones. If they are unable to find a solution in the pass protection department fast, then they are in serious trouble.
Passing Game Has to Grow Up Fast
The byproduct of having poor pass protection is typically a poor passing offense. Ideally, you’d like to have a veteran under center who can mitigate this, but Carolina doesn’t have that luxury. Sellers is a phenomenal talent with unreal athleticism, but before Saturday he took just five total snaps in college. Now he’s being thrown into the fire and will have to figure out how to survive in the SEC.
Compounding this issue is the fact that the Gamecocks also lack experience at the receiver position. The team saw multiple freshmen and underclassmen play significant snaps against Old Dominion, with nobody truly separating themselves. Drops were also an issue, as the group had several on the day.
All of this is to say that Sellers and his receivers have to figure out how to play SEC football and fast if this offense is to have any hope of success. The flashes were there, but it’s nowhere near enough to take on what’s coming down the line.
Final Thoughts
Despite the play on defense, Saturday’s performance overall is extremely concerning. Sellers look good at times, but overall, he’s going to have to take some big strides. This team has a also massive problem on the offensive line. This will continue to be exploited unless something is fixed. I don’t know if there is anything Beamer can do now to sure things up, but if there is he needs to jump on it ASAP. If he can’t, then this is going to be a very long season in Columbia.
