The No. 10 South Carolina football team continued its winning streak with a final score of 38-10 in its home opener against the South Carolina State Bulldogs on Sept. 6 in Columbia, SC.
After a two-and-a-half-hour weather delay, South Carolina State opened the game with possession after a fair catch on the kickoff. Bulldogs' graduate quarterback William Atkins IV connected on a 25-yard completion to move into Gamecock territory, but a false start and incompletions stalled the drive, forcing a punt.
Pinned deep at its own 6-yard line, South Carolina's offense failed to move, going three-and-out before punting back. SC State advanced again into South Carolina territory with short passes and runs, but a sack from South Carolina's sophomore defensive lineman Dylan Stewart killed momentum, leading to another punt.
SC State then put together its best drive of the quarter. Atkins connected with graduate wide receiver Jalen Johnson for a 23-yard gain, aided by an unnecessary roughness penalty on South Carolina that moved the ball to the Gamecock 17-yard line. Runs by sophomore running back Mason Pickett-Hicks pushed it to the 3-yard line, but the drive stalled, and senior kicker Nico Cavanillas Alti converted a 21-yard field goal to put SC State up 3-0 at the end of the first quarter.
South Carolina started the second quarter deep in its own territory but quickly went three-and-out after a false start and a sack, forcing a punt from the 2-yard line. SC State took over near midfield but lost momentum after a 5-yard loss on first down and eventually were forced to punt.
The Gamecocks then pieced together a promising drive with redshirt sophomore quarterback LaNorris Sellers moving the offense with runs from 11 and 12 yards and passes of 9 and 12, reaching the Bulldogs' 25. However, back-to-back incompletions and a sack stalled the possession, and the 45-yard field goal attempt by redshirt senior placekicker William Joyce sailed wide.
Momentum swung for the Gamecocks on the next series. South Carolina's defense forced a quick three-and-out, and redshirt sophomore cornerback Vicari Swain electrified the crowd with a 65-yard punt return touchdown, giving the Gamecocks a 7-3 lead. Just two minutes later, Swain struck again, returning a blocked punt for a 42-yard punt return touchdown, extending the lead to 14-3.
Sellers guided South Carolina into scoring range with a 27-yard shotgun pass to freshman wide receiver Donovan Murph and a couple short completions. With only seconds left, Joyce redeemed himself, drilling a 49-yard field goal as the game went to halftime.
"We're proud of Donovan," head coach Shane Beamer said. "He's wise and mature beyond his years and came in there and did some good things tonight."
South Carolina started the second half with great field position after SC State's kickoff went out of bounds. Sellers guided the Gamecocks on a steady drive, highlighted by a 16-yard run of his own and aided by a defensive pass interference call. Graduate running back Oscar Adaway III capped it off with a 5-yard touchdown run, extending South Carolina's lead to 24-3.
SC State responded with a couple first downs, including a 22-yard completion from Atkins IV to graduate wide receiver Jordan Smith, but their drive stalled near midfield after a delay of game penalty, forcing a punt. Pinned deep in its next drive, South Carolina went three-and-out, but its defense quickly made a big play. Pickett-Hicks fumbled near midfield, and redshirt junior linebacker Jaron Willis scooped it up and ran 46-yards for a defensive touchdown, pushing the lead to 31-3.
Momentum firmly in its favor, the Gamecocks' defense sacked redshirt senior quarterback Ryan Stubblefield on the Bulldogs' next possession, forcing another punt. South Carolina then struck again through the air, with Sellers finding redshirt sophomore wide receiver Vandrevius Jacobs for a 35-yard touchdown to make it 38-3 going into the fourth quarter.
SC State opened the fourth quarter with an efficient no-huddle drive. Stubblefield led a series of short passes and an 11-yard run by redshirt sophomore running back Kacy Fields, moving the Bulldogs down to the 9-yard line. Stubblefield capped it off with a 9-yard touchdown pass to redshirt junior wide receiver Nicholas Sowell, trimming the deficit to 38-10 after the extra point.
South Carolina responded with a steady drive behind redshirt freshman running back Matt Fuller and graduate dual-threat quarterback Luke Doty, but the Gamecocks stalled near midfield. From there, South Carolina leaned on its ground game to close out the clock. Redshirt sophomore running back Jawarn Howell and Fuller combined for several first downs, moving past midfield as time expired with a final score of South Carolina 38, SC State 10.
Swain Strikes Again
South Carolina's comfortable lead in the second half was punctuated by the electric play of Swain, who delivered back-to-back punt return touchdowns in the second quarter of the game. Swain's explosive returns underscored just how dangerous he can be with the ball in his hands.
"I would say my contribution was pretty well in factor," Swain said. "The punt pressure, they (special teams) blocked their tails off for me to be able to even score."
Swain's first score came at a perfectly timed cutback through the middle, slipping past the initial wave of coverage before bursting down the sideline untouched. Minutes later, he struck again — this time weaving through traffic, breaking a pair of tackles and outracing everyone to the end zone.
Offense Comes Alive in Second Half
After a sluggish first half, South Carolina's offense roared to life in the final two quarters. turning a competitive matchup into a decisive 38-10 victory over SC State. The Gamecocks leaned on balance after the break, piling up 145 total yards in the second half alone.
The tone was set early in the third quarter when South Carolina capitalized on field position and red-zone execution, finishing drives that had stalled in the first half and converting 10 first downs in the second half. It was the kind of second-half surge Coach Beamer had been seeking — one that showed not only resilience, but also the execution needed to win the game.
"For us to go out there and begin the second half and have something going, it just shows that we didn't start out how we wanted to but we're still a team that can finish," Sellers said.
What's Next?
The No. 10 South Carolina football team (2-0) will return to Williams-Brice Stadium as it faces the Vanderbilt Commodores (2-0) on Sept. 13. Kickoff will be at 7:45 p.m. and streamed on SEC Network.