The South Carolina Gamecocks secured their eighth win of the season on Saturday, knocking off FCS opponent Wofford 56-12. This victory matches the previous season’s best under head coach Shane Beamer, but the Gamecocks are far from finished.
This now sets up a high stakes ranked matchup next weekend against bitter rival Clemson, who are trying to backdoor their way into the College Football Playoff themselves. With game 11 in the books, let’s take a look at the key takeaways from Carolina’s dominant win and what to look for heading into next weekend.
Sellers Continues to Shine
The meteoric rise of redshirt freshman LaNorris Sellers continued against Wofford, as the Terriers had no answer for the redshirt freshman. Sellers carved up Wofford’s secondary, going 23/27 for 307 yards and three touchdowns. This marked his second consecutive game with 300+ passing yards and three or more passing touchdowns.
Sellers also gashed the Terriers on the ground, picking up a further 52 yards and adding another touchdown. This brought his totals on the day to 359 yards and four touchdowns. This also marks the second consecutive game he’s reached those marks. The week-to-week improvements Sellers has shown this year are nothing short of amazing, a fact that hasn’t been lost on his head coach.
“He just gets better every week,” Beamer said. “What a player he is to go 23-of-27 for 307 and three touchdowns tonight and run for 50+ yards. He just continues to get better. Continues to gain confidence and just like our football team, he continues to be a better player week in and week out.”
We’ve touched on the growth Sellers has shown this season several times for a very good reason. Sellers has largely flown under the radar in national media circles which is a shame. If he continues to improve at a similar rate heading into next season though, the nation will have no choice but to acknowledge him.
Gamecocks Senior Sendoff
Saturday was also the last time a number of Carolina seniors took the field at Williams-Brice. As we touched on during the game preview, this particular senior class is of significance as they weren’t recruited by Beamer. They were already on campus when the previous staff that recruited them was fired, and as such were forced to make a difficult decision.
Many ultimately decided to transfer, but the ones who stayed have played a pivotal role in the success the team is now seeing. They chose to buy into the vision of a coach who they had no intention of playing for, and in doing so laid the foundation. Beamer touched on the importance of these seniors post-game, and the impact they’ve had on the program.
“Those are some great young men,” Beamer said. “I have talked so much about what they have done for Gamecock football, what they have done for me. The gratitude I have for them and it’s true. That is a special of guys. It is the emotion of the memories you have with them. That we are still making, as well as the great things they have done. It is also the emotion; these are some outstanding freaking players that are not going to be back next year.”
When Beamer took this job, he inherited a program firmly on the backslide. Success was never a guarantee, but Carolina has made a quick turnaround despite the odds. The future is very bright in Columbia and the seniors who played their last home game on Saturday are a major reason why.
Clemson Up Next
While Saturday was certainly an emotional sendoff, that doesn’t mean the Gamecocks’ work is finished. All of their attention will now turn to what could be their biggest game in years. Beamer and his team will head to Death Valley next weekend for their annual showdown against their most hated rivals.
Adding to the hatred that has long personified this rivalry is the outside possibility the winner could find themselves in the College Football Playoff. Improbable as it seems, college football has been thrown into disarray the past couple of weeks with some major upsets. This has left the door open for potential outsiders to sneak their way into one of the final at-large bids come selection day.
Obviously, nobody knows what the committee is thinking or what they’ll do. The consensus among analysts is that the winner of this game could make the playoffs. As enticing as playoff implications are, Beamer is focused entirely on winning one of the best rivalries in the sport.
“It is a great rivalry,” Beamer said. “It is the best rivalry in college athletics, in my opinion. Just because of what it means to all sports in this state. I think it is great for the state of South Carolina. You have two ranked teams playing a meaningful game at the end of the season. It should be that way every year.”
Final Thoughts
Despite all the ups and downs, Carolina finds themselves one win away from a potential playoff berth. Getting that win against their most hated rivals in a primetime-ranked matchup is just icing on the cake. If Beamer can get his guys to play the way they have the past several weeks, then they’ll have a great shot.
