The South Carolina football team kicked off the 2025 season with its annual Garnet and Black Spring Game on Friday night at Williams-Brice Stadium which ended in a 10-7 victory for the Garnet team.
After a scoreless first quarter for both teams, the Garnet team was first on the board in the second quarter with redshirt freshman kicker Mason Love hitting a 36-yard field goal.
The Black team responded shortly after, with freshman quarterback Cutter Woods scoring a 1-yard rushing touchdown to take the lead 7-3 in the middle of the second quarter.
The Garnet Team ended the first half with graduate student quarterback Luke Doty passing to freshman wide receiver Malik Clark for a 16-yard touchdown to take the lead 10-7.
In the second half, the defense reigned supreme shutting out both offenses and forcing seven punts.
Offensive takeaways
Both South Carolina offenses were able to showcase the new and returning talents. Through a new and improved quarterback room, both teams gave fans a preview of the competition for this season.
On the Garnet team, Doty led both teams in completions finishing with 10 completions for 85 yards and a touchdown.
“He (Doty) makes our team better whether he is playing receiver, quarterback or special teams,” head coach Shane Beamer said. “He is a high energy guy, but he can make plays, he's athletic and he is improving as a passer.”
Woods, who was one of three quarterbacks for the Black team, stood out as a he took his first snaps as a Gamecock. He finished the night with 120 yards passing, with his longest completion coming on his first pass for 51 yards to redshirt sophomore wide receiver Vandrevius Jacobs.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Air Noland and redshirt sophomore quarterback LaNorris Sellers also rotated in throughout the game. Sellers played the game's opening two drives for Team Black.
South Carolina's wide receiver and running back rooms showed a lot of diversity on both the Garnet and Black teams.
Jacobs led the Black team in receiving yards with 85 yards followed by redshirt senior tight end Jordan Dingle and freshman wide receiver Brian Rowe Jr. with 45 yards each.
Garnet team’s freshman wide receiver Jayden Sellers ended with 18 yards receiving and Clark finished with 21 yards receiving and a touchdown.
“They have a confidence about them, they have been making plays like that all spring,”Beamer said. “There is more talent in that room right now than there has ever been at my time here in Carolina.”
The familiar faces in the backfield of redshirt sophomore running back Jawarn Howell and redshirt freshman running back Matthew Fuller hit the field as well.
Howell finished with a total of 19 yards rushing for the Black team while Fuller finished with 22 yards for the Garnet team.
“Those guys are making each other better, that room is extremely competitive and we are really just looking for one guy to seize this thing and say 'I'm going to be that guy,'" Beamer said.
Defensive takeaways
The defense started right where it left off last season generating consistent pressure and disrupting any rhythm offensively for either team early in the game.
Getting things started for the Garnet team, redshirt senior Monkell Goodwine combined with redshirt freshmen defensive back Jackson Burger to sack LaNorris Sellers and end the Black team's first drive.
For the Garnet team’s defense, the strategy remained the same, primarily sporting five defensive backs similar to last season’s prevalent nickel defense. Both Garnet and Black defenses kept the game locked at 0-0 through the first quarter.
In the nickel position for the black team was defensive newcomer of the spring, junior cornerback Brandon Cisse, who made his presence known with an early tackles.
“He (Brandon Cisse) loves the game and he's passionate about being great,” Beamer said. “He’s just a mature guy that's got a pro mentality in everything he does.”
Fellow newcomer, senior defensive back Myles Norwood provided the first takeaway of the game for the Garnet team after an interception on a Noland throw over middle. Norwood’s pick gave the Garnet team the ball right back in enemy territory, leading to the game's first points.
For the Garnet team, senior safety DQ Smith showcased his versatility in the first half, racing from center field to break up a LaNorris Sellers third down pass to force a punt.
After wavering to end the first half, both Garnet and Black defenses made the right adjustments at halftime and shut out both offenses in the second half.
Making his first appearance as a Gamecock, senior defensive lineman and No. 1 junior college recruit Zavion Hardy, got himself going in the second half for the Garnet team after batting down a Woods third down pass attempt to force a punt early in the second half.
“I feel better about that defensive tackle position coming out of spring than what I did coming into it,” Beamer said.
Despite losing many starters and impact players from last season, defensive coordinator Clayton White has retooled the defense adding depth into an exciting and improving unit for the upcoming 2025-26 season
Carrying the momentum into the fourth quarter, graduate defensive back Buddy Mack III picked off Woods to give the Garnet team the edge 10-7.
What's next?
The Gamecocks will begin the 2025-26 season against Virginia Tech in the 2025 Aflac Kickoff Game on Aug. 31, 2025 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.