During its 27-3 loss on Saturday afternoon against No. 12 Ole Miss, South Carolina struggled to find its footing on offense, specifically in the passing game, posting a season-low for points scored.
“The game plan was we are who we are on offense,” head coach Shane Beamer said. “We run some triple option, we get the ball on the perimeter, we run the football, we take shots down field, we wanted to be able to get the ball out of (redshirt freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers') hands quickly and get the ball in space to our guys.”
The ground attack was where the Gamecocks had most success in its ground attack, where it put up 151 yards to just 140 from Ole Miss. The longest rush of the day came on a 30-yard gain from Sellers in the second quarter.
It was the passing game, specifically the long down the field plays, that ultimately set both teams apart.
South Carolina was only able to connect on just three big plays, or plays that result in a gain of 15 or more yards. Two of those three big plays came on 17-yard gains to sixth-year tight end Joshua Simon and redshirt freshman wide receiver Vandrevius Jacobs.
Sellers also found himself under pressure for much of the game, as the Ole Miss defense generated four quarterback pressures and six sacks that resulted in a loss of 31 yards for the Gamecocks.
Sellers said, in order for the offense to start connecting more on these down field shots, all members of the offense must continue to gain trust in one another.
“It's just a mixture of everything – O-line, receivers, us being all on the same page, getting separation, being able to throw it, trusting them as well,” Sellers said.
The longest passing play of the afternoon was a 19 yard-gain by Simon. But the play was negated following offsetting penalties from both teams, resulting in a replay of the down.
Penalties were a common theme in the contest, as South Carolina was called for eight penalties, resulting in 80 yards.
“We were undisciplined to say the least today, and that starts with me as the head coach. I didn't do a good enough job,” Beamer said “When you talk about the multiple offsides penalties, a taunting penalty, two offensive pass interference penalties … (It's) really, really disappointing, and that is completely on me.”
Ole Miss’ offense, led by senior quarterback Jaxson Dart, connected on several long throws, with three of the six going for 40 or more yards.
The longest was a 66 yard pass to redshirt senior wide receiver Antwane “Juice” Wells Jr, a former Gamecock player from 2022 to 2023.
However, junior defensive back DQ Smith chased Wells down and punched the ball free from his arm. The ball then rolled into the back of the end zone, resulting in a touchback and giving South Carolina possession.
Smith's effort on the play served as an example of South Carolina’s defense helping the team stay in contention, despite these big plays. Sophomore defensive back Judge Collier had three pass breakups — the most in a single game in his career — that were all intended for Wells.
“I think the defense played pretty well,” sophomore defensive back Jalon Kilgore said. “We gave up two (big plays) that was kind of hurting, but we kept on putting the ball down. One of those big plays (they ended) up only getting three, so I feel like we played really good.”
But even with strong performances from members of the defense, Ole miss put up over 100 more passing yards than South Carolina. The Rebels racked up 285 yards to the Gamecocks' 162.
Sellers, who was coming off an ankle injury that sidelined him for the Gamecocks' 50-7 win over Akron, finished the game by going 20 for 32 with 162 yards and one interception. He added an additional 55 rushing yards, a team high, on 15 carries.
Simon and senior wide receiver Gage Larvadain led the team with five catches, combining for 76 of Seller’s 162 passing yards on the night.
The three points scored by the offense marked the second lowest-scoring game in Beamer’s four-year tenure as South Carolina's head coach. The only game in which the offense scored fewer points under Beamer was against Clemson Nov. 27, 2021, where they put up 0.
Even with the struggles on offense, Beamer said he remains optimistic about the rest of the season as his squad will travel to Tuscaloosa to take on No. 1 Alabama next Saturday.
“(We've) got a lot of work to do, but (I) still believe in this football team," Beamer said. "We've shown so many good signs of being a really good football team. We weren't that today.”