If I were to tell you South Carolina Quarterback Lanorris Sellers accounted for zero touchdowns against Kentucky on Saturday night in Columbia, you would probably respond with “how bad did they lose?’ Even without accounting for a touchdown, Sellers looked like the Sellers we have been expecting all year. He was very efficient with the ball, throwing and running.
The WIldcats started with the ball, and went quickly down the field on eight plays to take an early 7-0 lead. After two run plays for only three yards on The Gamecocks ensuing drive the boo birds came out, Gamecock fans remembering the lack of run offense a week before against Missouri. Sellers then scrambled for eight yards to get the first down and fans quickly stopped the booing. Just three plays later facing a 4th and three Sellers found Harbor to keep the drive alive. Carolina was able to stay on the field converting on two third downs and a fourth down before Rasul Faison found the endzone from twelve yards out to even the score. Kentucky was able to hit their best pass of the night on the next drive, a fifty-three yarder, that got the WIldcats down to the Carolina twenty-three yard line. The Gamecock defense then found what they have been missing the past two weeks. Kentucky had to settle for a field goal, their last significant offensive production of the first half. The Gamecocks punted on their next drive, and Kentucky ran the ball in South Carolina territory, but on a 3rd and 7 Dylan Stewart changed the game. Stewart came on a stunt to the interior of the line and came unblocked and delivered a jarring blow to Kentucky QB Cutter Boley. Boley lost the ball and Jatius Greer was able to scoop the ball and run forty-one yards for the last lead change of the ball game.
The Gamecock defense was not finished there, as just two plays later Boley turned the ball over again. This time he overthrew the Wildcat receiver and Gerald Kilgore was able to intercept the pass and return it for forty-five yards to make the score 21-10 after another William Joyce PAT. After holding Kentucky on fourth down on their next drive, then punting it back to the Wildcats the Gamecock defense forced their third turnover in four drives( really four for four because holding someone on downs is basically a turnover), this time it was Brandon Cisse intercepting the ill-advised pass from Boley. Sellers and the offense were able to march it forty-three yards in five plays, including twenty-three yards rushing from Sellers to make the score 28-10. Right before the half Kentucky tried a lateral play to try and score before the break but that was stopped by Dylan Stewart with a hard hit to Fred Farrier II, who fumbled, and Jalon Kilgore was able to secure the fourth turnover of the half.
Only Kentucky was able to change the scoreboard in the third quarter, a forty-two yard field goal made the score 28-13 going into the fourth. Thats when redshirt freshman Matthew Fuller was able to score his first touchdown of his Gamecock career, a one yard run to end the scoring for the night at 35-13. The most impressive drive for the Gamecocks in my opinion though was a sixteen play drive that took over nine minutes off the clock, It did not end in points, it didn’t need to with the Gamecocks up twenty-two, but being able to keep the offense on the field for that long was a needed sight for an offense who ranks near the bottom of the conference in third down conversions.
The Gamecocks out-gained Kentucky 341 to 232 yards. The Gamecocks were also able to accumulate 178 yards on the ground, a whopping 187 yards more than last week. Penalties were down to only five for sixty-five yards. The Gamecocks also did not turn the ball over.
Sellers finished the night 11/14 for 153 yards, he also carried it fourteen times for eighty-one yards. Vandrevius Jacobs had another great night catching the ball, five catches for 108 yards. Six different players caught Sellers’ other six pass completions. Matt Fuller added nineteen carries for forty-eight yards with a score, and Faison had eight carries for twenty-three yards and two scores. Oscar Adaway also carried it seven times for twenty-six yards.
Defensively for South Carolina, Bryan Thomas Jr led the way with seven total tackles including two sacks. Dylan Stewart had three tackles including a sack and two tackles for loss, he also forced two fumbles. Nick Barrett and Davonte Miles also added to the sack column for Carolina.
The Gamecocks (3-2 overall, 1-2 SEC) are off next week before taking a trip to Baton Rouge, Louisiana on October 11th. Game time for that is still TBD, but it will be an afternoon or night game.
Game Notes:
After a health scare and being able to leave the Hospital last Saturday, Gamecock Legend Connor Shaw was the Celebrity Starter on Saturday Night.
After Kentucky’s first touchdown, Wildcat running back Seth McGowan launched the ball into the first row of fans and hit someone sitting in the handicap section. Gamecock fans were not happy about this, and rightfully so. McGowan later apologized on social media. In a post game interview on SEC Network, Lanorris Sellers said that that was his own grandfather. Sellers gave him a game ball after the game as well.
This game marks the fourth straight win over Kentucky for Shame Beamer since the infamous climate vs culture statement.
There was also a fly over before the game, that just happened to be a little late. It was a C-17 from the 300th Airlift Squadron from Joint Base Charleston.
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