South Carolina Improves to 2-0 With 45-9 Win Over Towson, Despite Weather and a Slow Start / sportsearchers.com

South Carolina heads into its SEC opener with a 2-0 record after defeating Towson 45-9 at Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday night, overcoming both a shaky offensive start and continued weather chaos to secure the win.

Weather Strikes Again

For the second straight week, South Carolina had to battle the elements. After enduring record-setting heat against Kent State, the Gamecocks now navigated relentless rain for most of the second half, including a near 75-minute lightning delay that halted play early in the third quarter.

A Closer Margin Than Expected

Vegas oddsmakers had projected South Carolina to win by 43.5 points, but a combination of slippery field conditions and a sluggish offensive start trimmed the final margin to 36 points — still a comfortable win, but not the blowout many anticipated.

Vicari Swain Steals the Show

Much of the credit for South Carolina not needing another 50-plus-point outing belongs to defensive back Vicari Swain, who delivered one of the standout individual performances of the night. Swain opened the scoring with a 58-yard punt return touchdown, giving South Carolina a 7-0 lead after the first quarter. He wasn’t done — late in the third quarter, Swain housed a second punt return for a touchdown, this time from 45 yards out, marking the fifth punt return touchdown of his career and setting the program record for the category. Notably, this marks the second time in his career he’s returned multiple punts for scores in a single game, and he also blocked an extra-point attempt on the night.

A Rocky Start Before the Ground Game Took Over

South Carolina’s offense didn’t get off to a clean start — its first three drives ended in a fumble, a three-and-out, and a missed field goal. Despite that, the Gamecocks still finished with over 500 total yards, powered overwhelmingly by the run. South Carolina rushed for over 400 yards as a team, highlighted by touchdown runs of 55 yards from Matt Fuller and 58 yards from LaNorris Sellers, with both players surpassing 100 rushing yards individually.

That output carries real historical significance — it marks South Carolina’s first 300-plus rushing yard game since facing North Carolina in 2021, and the program’s first back-to-back 200-plus rushing yard games since Wofford and Clemson in 2024. The strong ground game proved essential given a rougher night through the air, as Sellers finished just 10-of-23 passing for 96 yards amid several dropped passes.

Defense Continues to Dominate

While South Carolina didn’t record a second consecutive shutout, Clayton White’s defense remained stout, limiting Towson to just 9 points and under 200 total yards of offense. The pass rush stayed active throughout the night, recording multiple sacks, including contributions from true freshmen Julian Walker and J’Zavien Currence. The run defense was even more dominant — Towson spent much of the game in negative rushing yardage, finishing with less than 25 total rushing yards.

Areas Still Needing Cleanup

The win wasn’t without blemishes. South Carolina committed several pre-snap penalties and turned the ball over twice — Fuller’s early fumble and a Sellers interception — a step back after a turnover-free, low-penalty performance just one week earlier against Kent State.