South Carolina steamrolled Coastal Carolina 51-7 on Saturday, leaving fans buzzing. Here’s a breakdown of the biggest plays, game balls, and a burning question from the dominating performance.
Three Key Plays
1. Opening Splash
The first snap couldn’t have gone better for South Carolina. LaNorris Sellers fired a bubble screen to Jayden Sellers, who found a couple of key blocks and sprinted 75 yards for a touchdown. As they say, you can’t ask for a better start to a game.
2. Stopping the Fourth Down
After last week’s infamous 30-3 collapse, nerves were high. Coastal Carolina drove 49 yards to the Gamecock 22, threatening to score despite a 20-0 lead. On fourth-and-two, Nick Barrett stuffed the middle run, halting the drive and giving the Gamecocks — and their fans — a much-needed sigh of relief.
3. The Blocked Punt
South Carolina’s backups were on the field, but a near-flawless blocked punt by Tucker Jameson, returned for a touchdown, ended the team’s attempt at a shutout — something the Gamecocks hadn’t achieved since September 4, 2021, against Eastern Illinois.
Two Game Balls
Jayden Sellers
The younger Sellers brother set the tone early. After his 75-yard touchdown on the first drive, he followed it up with a 42-yard reception that led to another score. He finished the day with 127 yards on four catches, but it was those initial plays that really set the stage for the blowout.
Bryan Thomas, Jr.
Thomas made an immediate impact on defense. On Coastal’s second possession, he beat the left tackle for a blindside hit on quarterback Tad Hunter, causing a fumble recovered by Jalon Kilgore at the Chanticleer 29-yard line. Four plays later, South Carolina was in the end zone, taking a 20-0 lead and effectively starting the rout.
One Burning Question
What’s next for South Carolina?
Dominating Coastal 51-7 and putting together highlight-reel plays is great — but let’s be real, this was a mismatch. Next week’s showdown with Clemson is the game that really matters.
Mike Furrey introduced some new wrinkles, including the “Brady Bunch” tush-push play at the goal line, likely giving Clemson something to think about while breaking down film. But for the most part, he kept the play-calling simple. The question remains: did these big plays happen because Coastal was physically overmatched, or does simplifying the offense allow the Gamecocks to execute at a higher level?
