South Carolina football claimed its first victory of the season on Saturday in a tight race with Old Dominion. But despite the close game, head football coach Shane Beamer said during a weekly press conference on Tuesday that he is confident the team is prepared to begin conference play.
The Gamecocks head to Lexington, Kentucky, on Saturday to face its first SEC opponent, the Kentucky Wildcats.
"Excited to open up SEC play this week up in Lexington," Beamer said . "It will be a great atmosphere on Saturday up in Lexington. Got a big challenge on our hands."
South Carolina is coming off a 23-19 win in its season-opener against the Monarchs at Williams-Brice Stadium. The Gamecocks trailed 19-16 midway through the fourth quarter, but erased the deficit to defeat the Monarchs.
'He's our quarterback'
Against Old Dominion, the Gamecocks' offense featured several young players who played prominent roles in the victory. One of them was redshirt freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers. In his first collegiate start against the Monarchs, Sellers went 10-for-23 and 114 yards. He averaged just five yards per attempt and had a 17.7 quarterback rating.
Beamer said there was a lot of pressure on Sellers before his first start on Saturday. His advice to the quarterback was to "relax" and "have fun."
"He's our guy," Beamer said. "He's a hell of a quarterback ... I told him on Friday that he didn't need to go out there and be Superman."
The Florence, South Carolina, native also rushed 22 times for 68 yards, good for 3.1 yards per carry. He fumbled the ball once, which was recovered by the Monarchs.
"As I look at the film, I can just tell I wasn't myself," Sellers said. "(I was) Going through my reads fast. I was skipping some reads here and there, but I just need to be more patient."
The Gamecocks' leading receiver against Old Dominion, redshirt freshman wide receiver Vandrevius Jacobs, recorded two catches for 59 yards. Freshman wide receiver Mazeo Bennett was second on the team with two catches for 18 yards. No other South Carolina offensive player recorded more than 10 yards receiving. Heading into his first SEC start, Sellers still believes in the offense's potential.
"I think it's real close," Sellers said. "A couple of plays from Saturday were just like one read away or one block away. Just things like that. Once we get all those squared away, we'll be fine."
Gamecocks emphasize improved blocking
Beamer on Tuesday praised the physicality the offensive line showed against the Monarchs and its' toughness in short yardage situations. He said that while the unit needs to do a better job of picking up blitzes, he was proud of the group's effort in the season-opener.
"Our offensive line played really, really hard," Beamer said . "Yes, we had some protection issues that we certainly got to clean up. That comes back to us as coaches. But I'm excited about our offensive line as they continue to develop and guys continue to gain experience."
Against the Monarchs, South Carolina gave up four sacks and 10 tackles for loss. The Gamecocks did find success on the ground, rushing 56 times for 174 yards, good for 3.1 yards per rush. Redshirt senior offensive lineman Torricelli Simpkins III said that more big plays will happen once the offensive line addresses its issues.
"Going forward, we're going to see more guys making guys miss and getting the ball downfield," Simpkins III said. "Just finishing drives. We gotta finish."
Redshirt senior offensive lineman Vershon Lee, who started for the Gamecocks at center in the season-opener, said he thinks the unit communicated well in the game. As the center, Lee was responsible for keeping the offensive line organized and making adjustments.
"Communication was always a key," Lee said. "Making sure I communicate with my guys, making sure everybody knows where they're supposed to be, so when the communication was well, the play went well."
Simpkins III, who transferred into the program from North Carolina Central in the offseason, started for the Gamecocks at right guard against the Monarchs. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native said he was pleased with the result of the game, regardless of the margin.
"At the end of the day, a win is a win," Simpkins III said. "We accomplished what we came to accomplish, and we started off this week 1-0."
Pass rush duo shines
South Carolina had two defensive linemen show out against the Monarchs. A pair of edge rushers, redshirt senior Kyle Kennard and freshman Dylan Stewart, were both named SEC Defensive Linemen of the Week.
"I'm pretty pleased with that whole edge room," Beamer said. "It's a good group, and I like the way that we can keep throwing people at teams ."
While Beamer said he was proud of the two edge rushers for their performances, he mentioned the importance of all 11 players on defense doing their jobs. He credited the secondary and linebackers for knowing their assignments, allowing Kennard and Stewart to pressure Old Dominion's redshirt junior quarterback Grant Wilson.
In the season-opener, Kennard recorded 2.5 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss, while Stewart added 1.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. Kennard, a Georgia Tech transfer, is confident that he and Stewart can maintain their level of play.
"I knew before the game that I would have a good game just because of the work I put in," Kennard said. "It was a pretty good feeling, just like any other game."
What's next?
The Gamecocks (1-0, 0-0 SEC), will open conference play on Saturday against the Kentucky Wildcats (1-0, 0-0 SEC). Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m., and the game will be televised on ABC.