The South Carolina football team fell to the No. 11 LSU Tigers 20-10 at Tiger Stadium on Saturday night in a game full of missed offensive opportunities after coming off a bye week.
On the Gamecocks' first offensive snap, redshirt sophomore quarterback LaNorris Sellers dropped the snap from sixth-year center Rodney Newsom Jr., giving the ball back to LSU and resulting in a field goal for the Tigers. The Gamecocks followed up with a nine-play drive for a total of 46 yards that ended with a missed field goal.
LSU's drive was cut short when senior edge rusher Bryan Thomas Jr. recovered a forced fumble by redshirt senior defensive lineman Monkell Goodwine. South Carolina was able to capitalize, as redshirt freshman running back Matt Fuller had a 72-yard run for a touchdown. This put the Gamecocks ahead 7-3 at the end of the first quarter.
After an LSU touchdown to open the second quarter, the Gamecocks were set back for a total of 10 yards for back-to-back illegal snap and false start penalties. This created a second-and-18, resulting in a punt two plays later.
In South Carolina's next drive, it had another false start penalty, creating a first-and-15. The Gamecocks followed up with two incomplete passes, and an interception by LSU sophomore safety Tamarcus Cooley ended the drive.
At the start of the third quarter, the Gamecocks had a 46-yard drive through 11 plays, including eight run plays and two passing plays. However, the Gamecocks' momentum was cut short when a holding penalty brought the drive from a second-and-1 to a first-and-20. South Carolina was able to come up with 3 points from a field goal.
At the end of the third quarter, the Gamecock defense picked off senior quarterback Garret Nussmeier at the Gamecocks' 9-yard line. The offense executed a 13-play drive covering 62 yards that consisted of two false starts and an intentional grounding penalty, which stalled the drive.
“Going backwards when we are in scoring position and having a chance to really take control of the game, and that's the disappointing thing, is we had opportunities tonight to really ... take momentum and dominate the fourth quarter like we talked about, and we didn't get it done,” head coach Shane Beamer said after the game.
At the start of the fourth quarter, the Gamecocks drove the ball 62 yards, but a false start penalty and an intentional penalty stalled the drive, resulting in a punt. The Gamecock offense did not see much production after that, as their final two possessions consisted of 6 yards and 1 yard, respectively.
LSU was able to extend its lead with a field goal to make the score 20-10, handing the Gamecocks their third loss of the season. South Carolina finished the game with 13 penalties for 65 yards, and LSU finished with five penalties for 54 yards.
“We coached it, we disciplined it better, we practiced with crowd noise all week," Beamer said. "I mean, everything we talked about and practiced, we emphasized it all week but clearly not good enough, so the frustration level is high."
What's next?
The South Carolina Gamecocks (3-3) will take on the Oklahoma Sooners (5-1) at Williams-Brice Stadium on Oct. 18. Kickoff is at 12:45 p.m. and will be broadcast on the SEC Network.