WILLIAMS-BRICE STADIUM: Entering Saturday’s matchup between South Carolina and Old Dominion, much of the coverage and commentary centered on LaNorris Seller’s first career start, the Gamecocks debut of Raheim Sanders and the potential of Nyck Harbor. Old Dominion, three-touchdown underdogs out of the Sun Belt, weren’t viewed as much of a threat to a team with dynamic playmakers like Harbor, Sellers and Sanders. But instead of a four-quarter party, the Gamecocks found themselves in a four-hour fistfight, narrowly escaping their season opener with a 23-19 victory.
Sellers did give ODU’s defense fits with his athleticism, often darting up and out of the pocket, but the downfield passing attack never materialized, allowing the Monarchs defense to key on the run game and punish Sellers with hard hits. Harbor was not a factor at all except for his touchdown-saving tackle following a Sellers fumble. Harbor was targeted just twice in the game and failed to register a catch.
The lackluster offensive performance didn’t prove disastrous thanks to the havoc created by defensive linemen Kyle Kennard and Dylan Stewart. The two newcomers combined for four sacks and forced four fumbles. With the Gamecocks trailing in the fourth quarter, Stewart, a freshman, bullied his way into the ODU backfield and stripped the ball from quarterback Grant Wilson at the 6-yard line. Moments later, Sellers scampered around left end from three yards out for the go-ahead touchdown.
As good as Stewart (1.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles) was, Kyle Kennard was even better. Kennard finished with 2.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and 4.5 tackles for loss. The Georgia Tech transfer was, perhaps, even better than his statistics suggest. Like Stewart, Kennard punched the ball from Wilson on a sack to set up a score. Kennard’s strip-sack came on the second play of the game and set up Sanders’ first touchdown as a Gamecock.
After suffering from near-constant harassment, Wilson rushed some throws leading to interceptions from O’Donnell Fortune and Jalon Kilgore. Kilgore’s pick foiled the Monarchs’ final drive and sealed the Gamecocks’ victory, drawing a collective exhale from the home crowd.
The game took longer than usual not only due to the lightning delay that halted play in the first half, but also because of the sheer number of incomplete passes that stopped the clock. Neither USC’s Sellers (10 of 23, 114 yards) or ODU’s Wilson (22 of 38, 197 yards, 1 TD, 2 int) eclipsed 200 yards passing or found a suitable rhythm.
The Gamecocks relied heavily on the run game, feeding the ball to Sanders 24 times for 88 yards. Sellers rushed 22 times for 68 yards. Only freshman Vandrevius Jacobs stood out among USC’s receivers, catching two passes for 59 yards.
South Carolina (1-0) averaged just 3.6 yards/play and will need to find more balance if they hope to pick up an SEC victory at Kentucky in their next outing. Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops has a defensive background and a reputation for throwing exotic looks at young quarterbacks. Kickoff from Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington, Ky., is set for 3:30 p.m.
Final Stats
Here’s my view from Williams-Brice Stadium
Shane Beamer postgame press conference
Kyle Kennard and Jalon Kilgore
LaNorris Sellers and Raheim Sanders
Very sad performance from an SEC team. Any more game performance like this one and the result will be “NO BOWL, and a NEW COACH”!