The South Carolina football team is looking forward to the first night game at William-Brice Stadium this season after its narrow loss to No. 16 LSU, the team told reporters during its weekly press conference on Tuesday.
LSU snuck in a touchdown in the final minutes of the game to pull ahead. South Carolina would have a chance to answer the LSU score in the final minute, but the drive would end in a missed field goal leaving the final score LSU 36, South Carolina 33.
Fifth-year edge rusher Kyle Kennard said he was over the loss and would leave it "out the window."
The phrase "don't let it linger" was a common term used by the team, especially when talking about the penalties and general mistakes throughout Saturday's game.
Head football coach Shane Beamer said that some penalty plays were sent into the SEC like they usually do after games and were given feedback on Monday night.
"We don’t send in a lot of plays. We did this week because frankly there was a lot I wanted some clarification on that I disagreed with or wasn’t sure what they were calling,” Beamer said. “But I get it, they were some that I absolutely was on board with ... and then there were a couple that, frankly, we can agree to disagree on.”
It 'didn’t come down to one play'
The game was one of the most watched SEC noon games in about six years, with a total of 5.3 million viewers on ABC. The game had lots of eyes on it and was on a national stage, Beamer said.
“We all know that play (or) that game didn’t come down to one play,” Beamer said. “We all had a hand in it, myself included, and could’ve been better.”
Some players such as sophomore tight end Maurice Brown II said the team played their "hearts off" but still has more work to do.
“(We've) improved today, we had a great practice today, so it's just getting better every day, just that 1%,” Brown ll said.
Expanding the Offense
Senior running back Raheim "Rocket" Sanders led the team in rushing statistics with a total of 56 carries, 285 yards and four touchdowns. Redshirt freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers hangs behind him with a total of 40 carries, 145 yards rushing and three touchdowns.
“We've got to be able to get other guys in there whether that's Oscar (Adaway III), whether that's Juju (McDowell), whether that's Jawarn Howell or Matthew Fuller,” Beamer said.
The team has completed 132 rushing attempts for 496 total yards, making up almost half of the team’s total offensive yards.
Akron will attempt to present problems for the Gamecocks
The Gamecocks are headed into Saturday's game undefeated against the Akron Zips. Beamer said that Akron has a unique setup on offense the a two-quarterback situation.
“They've got good players as well, so it's what we talked about as a team this morning,” Beamer said. “... It's a lot that our defense will have to prepare for."
The Zips head into this game 0-2 to FBS teams, losing to Ohio State and the Rutgers.
What’s Next?
The Gamecocks (2-1) will face the Zips (2-1) at William-Brice Stadium at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 21. The game will be televised on ESPNU.