South Carolina opened SEC play last week with a loss for a whole lot of reasons.
The Gamecocks gave up 251passing yards and four touchdowns to Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor. They gave up three sacks on the offensive line. As a team they were penalized nine times and the defense allowed State to convert 6 of 11 third downs.
The worst part, Carolina (2-1, 0-1 SEC) blew a 16-0 second-quarter lead. But all everyone wants to talk about is LaNorris Sellers’ two interceptions, while countering it with his lackluster performance the week before against Towson.
But South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer is not having any of that “outside noise” as he likes to say. He says the Gamecocks’ problems are not just on their quarterback, as they head to No. 8 Alabama for a 7 p.m., game on Saturday.
“Every week you’re always trying to get everyone to play,” he said. “LaNorris needs to play better. We all need to play better. None of us were good enough (last) Saturday night. But in practice each week, it’s always about competition and getting everybody ready to play.”
Sellers completed 25 of 40 passes for 282 yards and two TDs in the loss to Mississippi State. However, everyone, and understandably so, are fixated on the two interceptions because they came during a time when Mississippi State was able to build its lead during a 17-0 third quarter.
Sellers’ third quarter performance against the Bulldogs comes after he was 10 of 23 for 96 yards, no TDs and one interception against Towson the week before. Fans are now crying out for the backup quarterbacks to get an opportunity, since Sellers, in their minds, does not seem to be the same player who was named SEC Freshman of the Year in 2024.
“People outside of this building don’t get to decide that,” Beamer said. “We win as a team and lose as a team. Are there some throws that LaNorris would like to have back or throws he would like to make? Yeah. Absolutely. And then there’s also some plays we made or didn’t make on defense and special teams that every single person would like to have back.
“As I told LaNorris, when you lose a football game, the two people who get the most blame are the coach and the quarterback. And it’s no different this week. We’ll worry about what we can control. LaNorris needs to be better. I need to be better. Our entire team needs to be better.”
Cutter Woods, a sophomore, is Sellers’ backup, and is the guy the fans would like to see get more action. He is 7-for-11 for 74 yards and one TD so far this season.
“Competition is a core value of this program,” Beamer said. “So, yeah, we got really good quarterbacks. LaNorris is a good quarterback. Cutter Woods is a good quarterback. And we’re always competing in practice and working and striving to be our best.”
A change at quarterback is not the only change Gamecock fans are screaming for. At the end of last week’s loss, the were loud cries for Beamer to be fired, as well.
“Saturday sucked. We’re not going to sit around feeling sorry for ourselves,” he said. “That’s life. Stuff happens. And we’ve moved on. Everybody else can talk about what it looks like.”
Beamer just needs his team to get back up, dust themselves off and respond at Alabama.
“Guess what? It’s called sports,” Beamer said. “(Alabama) may play better and coach better than us on Saturday. And they may win the football game. And we’ll come back here on Sunday and get back to work, again. Because that’s what life in the SEC is.”
—photo courtesy of South Carolina Athletics