Williams-Brice Stadium: USC coach Shane Beamer loves spring practice so much, he had his team put in a little extra work Saturday night at Williams-Brice Stadium. Beamer directed his guys to play overtime to settle the decision in the Garnet and Black Game. For the record, DJ Twitty ran in for a two-point score in the second extra session to give the Black a 19-17 win after the Garnet had rallied from a 17-0 deficit.
The announced estimated attendance was 51,000.
The two squads featured a mishmosh of lineup combinations as the teams were selected via a draft. Spencer Rattler played through the first series of the second quarter and completed 12 of 20 passes for 120 yards, including a 55 yard completion to Juice Wells. Backup quarterback Luke Doty was 7-14 for 41 yards with a long completion of 10 yards.
Freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers gave the fans a glimpse of his potential. Playing in the second half, Sellers completed 3 of 8 passes for 66 yards and rushed 8 times for 32 yards.
Transfer tight ends had a big night in the offense. Trey Knox, who came from Arkansas, caught 6 passes for 40 yards, including a 3 yard touchdown pass from Rattler. Josh Simon, formerly of Western Kentucky, had 5 catches for 26 yards. Ahmarean Brown led the wide outs with 4 catches for 14 yards. Wells caught 2 passes for 89 yards, including a 3 yard touchdown catch.
The running game did not show much. The teams combined for 55 rushing attempts for 92 yards. Bradley Dunn led all rushers with 37 yards on 6 carries including one burst of 16 yards.
The defenses produced a total of 12 sacks, with a sack being granted by simply touching the quarterback. Bryan Thomas Jr. and Elijah Davis each had a pair. Thomas also had a third tackle for loss and finished the night with a game high 6 total tackles.
Reserve linebacker Colin Bryant had one of the game’s big plays with a 45 yard interception of a Braden Davis pass he returned for a touchdown. He also contributed 4.5 tackles.
There was one injury of note. Starting left tackle Jaylen Nichols went down with a lower left injury in the first half. He needed assistance in walking off the field. Beamer said they’ll know more on his situation Sunday or Monday.
Final Stats
Shane Beamer postgame
Spencer Rattler & Juice Wells postgame
Trey Knox & Joshua Simon postgame
2023 SOUTH CAROLINA SPRING GAME AWARDS
Joe Morrison Offensive Player of the Spring: Spencer Rattler
Rex Enright Defensive Player of the Spring: T.J. Sanders
Jim Carlen Special Teams Player of the Spring: DQ Smith and Juju McDowell
The President’s Outstanding Student-Athlete Award: Tyreek Johnson and Kai Kroeger
Harold White GPA Award:
Offense: Colten Gauthier
Defense: Joseph Byrnes
Special Teams: William Joyce
Most Improved Award:
Offense: Dakereon Joyner and O’Mega Blake
Defense: O’Donnell Fortune
Special Teams: Bradley Dunn
Gamecock Toughness Award:
Offense: Nick Gargiulo and Josh Simon
Defense: Tyreek Johnson
South Carolina Spirit Award:
Offense: Juju McDowell
Defense: Alex Huntley and T.J. Sanders
