South Carolina Football: Gamecocks hold on versus Old Dominion 23-19

By / Devy & College Football / Leave a Comment
South Carolina Football, South Carolina Gamecocks, The League Winners

On Saturday, the South Carolina Gamecocks held on to beat the Old Dominion Monarchs by a score of 23-19 in Week 1. Yet despite getting the win, the South Carolina football team did not play well.

The Gamecocks came into the game as 20.5-point favorites at home, but Old Dominion gave them a run for their money and made Week 1 a very nerve-wracking one for South Carolina fans.

A Back and Forth First Half

The Gamecocks would strike first, on a Raheim Sanders one-yard touchdown run. That came in the wake of an Old Dominion turnover on their second play from scrimmage.

When Old Dominion got the ball back, they wasted no time. After a 3-yard run, quarterback Grant Wilson loaded up to find Isiah Paige in busted coverage for a 72-yard touchdown pass to tie the game.

The Gamecocks would add two more points on two Alex Herra field goals before the half. Other than that, the teams traded punts plus one turnover per side. Following  a 40+ minute lightning delay, the Gamecocks headed into the locker room with a 13-7 halftime lead.

A Close Second Half

To begin the second half, Herra would tack on his third field goal of the game to make it 16-7. On the next drive, Old Dominion faced a tough decision on 4th down and 7 from the 36-yard line. A field goal attempt would have been a longshot at 53 yards, and a stop for South Carolina would have given them all the momentum. The Monarchs took a gamble by going for the first down and it paid off.

The Gamecocks sent a linebacker blitz, leaving the middle of the field open. Wilson took off right up the middle, and had enough green grass to make it all the way to the end zone (though the extra point was blocked).

As the third quarter came to a close, South Carolina had missed a field goal and Old Dominion made one to tie the game at 16 points. Approaching the middle of the fourth quarter, the Monarchs made another field goal to take a 19-16 lead and the upset watch was on. The last time ODU beat a Power 5 conference team was in 2018, when the Monarchs beat No. 13 Virginia Tech.

ODU got the ball back at their own 10-yard line after SC’s drive stalled out and Kai Kroeger punted. Then, five-star recruit Edge Dylan Stewart forced a fumble, and DeAndre Jules picked it up. Two plays later, QB LaNorris Sellers took the read option himself for a three-yard rushing touchdown. With 6:11 to play in the game, that would end up being the deciding points.

On ODU’s final drive of the game, Jalon Kilgore intercepted Wilson, icing the week one win.

Having held on for the Week 1 win against a weaker opponent, the Gamecocks learned they have a lot to work on.

Offensive Concern

Redshirt freshman quarterback Sellers made his collegiate debut Saturday. Simply put, he could have been much better.

Sellers went 10-23 for 114 yards, with one rushing touchdown. There were some bright sides to Sellers’ first game as the Gamecocks starter, however.

He showed his raw arm strength, airing out two balls of 60+ yards. Though they fell incomplete, those plays showed that the Gamecocks will have the deep ball as a threat this season.

Sellers also showed his physicality running the ball. On several passing plays, he decided to play conservatively by pulling the ball down and running with it.

However, when he did pass, he often missed open targets. Whether too high, low, or far, the freshman made some much-anticipated rookie mistakes. Sometimes he made the wrong decision of where to go with the ball. For example, going long when he had his check-down target wide open for a first down.

As South Carolina fans expected, Beamer and his staff were conservative about play calling, especially early in the football game. As the season progresses, Sellers will continue to have more chances to prove what he can do in the passing attack.

Sellers’ play summed up the offensive unit as a whole. High expectations were met with bad mistakes against a sub-par Old Dominion defense. Despite having the ball for over 10 minutes more than the Monarchs, the Gamecocks lost the yardage battle, (305 to 288 total yards) and only had one more first down.

Coach Shane Beamer did not mince words after the game. “This was an awful performance. Unacceptable in a lot of ways. Give Old Dominion credit, they’ve got a good football team. But at the same time, we made enough mistakes for the entire season tonight. We got a lot to clean up, but we’ll take the win.”

The growing pains for this young South Carolina team, especially the offense, were evident. Averaging about three yards per run and five yards per pass, the offense didn’t have many explosive plays. 

Defense Won The Game

The defensive unit was South Carolina’s strength in Week 1 as the Gamecocks forced four turnovers. Two of the four were strip sacks that gave the offense starting field position in the red zone. The offense would score touchdowns both times, their only two of the game.

The other two turnovers were interceptions. One of them saved a touchdown when Old Dominion started a drive from the South Carolina 9-yard line. The other one sealed the game with less than two minutes to play. If South Carolina wants to be a competitive football team with the power-house SEC opponents coming up on their schedule, their defense will have to lead the charge.

What We Learned
  • The South Carolina offensive line struggled in this football game. They were having a lot of trouble clearing space in the running game. This was clear from the beginning, when it took the Gamecocks three plays to score from the 3-yard line. In the passing game, Sellers only had a clean pocket to work with a handful of times. He was sacked three times in the first half alone.
  • Following the departure of Xavier Legette and Juice Wells, a clear WR1 has not yet emerged. Three players were tied for the most receptions (2). Vandrevius Jacobs led the team in receiving yards with 59, thanks in large part to one 41-yard play. Other than that, no Gamecock gained more than 10 yards. Also, Nyck Harbor didn’t have a catch in this game. He stands at 6-foot 5-inches, 240 pounds with Olympic-level speed. Look for him to get more involved in next week’s passing attack against Kentucky. 

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