South Carolina opened its home schedule with a 38-10 victory against S.C. State, but head coach Shane Beamer wasn’t exactly thrilled with the Gamecocks’ offensive performance. While the team scored two touchdowns on offense, the defense and special teams accounted for the rest of the points.
“We know we need to be a lot better,” Beamer said. “We can’t rely on our defense and special teams to score three touchdowns a game like they did tonight.”
Entering 2025, the biggest questions surrounding the team were its defense and special teams units. Two games in, however, it’s the offense that’s under the microscope.
Offensive Struggles Early
The Gamecocks had a rough start, going three-and-out on each of their first three drives and posting only 12 total yards in the first quarter. Beamer attributed part of the struggle to poor starting field position, with drives beginning at the 6- and 10-yard lines.
“Certainly a sloppy first half from an offensive standpoint,” Beamer admitted. “I think field position had a big reason for that, not to make excuses. But I think our first four drives we started all four of them inside the 20-yard line…There’s no excuse. We’ve got to be better when we’re backed up. Field position was a struggle early on. We weren’t very efficient.”
The offense showed some improvement in the second quarter, accumulating 97 yards and raising its average yards per play from 1.5 to 5.1, but still failed to put points on the board. South Carolina took a 17-3 lead into halftime, all thanks to defense and special teams.
“We’ve just got to be better,” quarterback LaNorris Sellers said. “We got starting SEC play. Just got to communicate and execute, be on the same page.”
Finding a Groove in the Second Half
The offense began the second half on a brighter note. Sellers orchestrated an eight-play, 65-yard drive, ending with Oscar Adaway’s five-yard rushing touchdown to push the lead to 24-3.
“I told our players at halftime that we would find out a lot about our offense and our team in the first drive of the second half because we knew we were getting the ball first,” Beamer said. “To go down the field and get points on that first drive of the second half, was huge.”
South Carolina totaled 145 yards in the second half, finishing with 253 total yards (4.5 yards per play). Despite the win, they were out-gained by S.C. State’s 270 yards, highlighting the offensive struggles.
Running Game Woes
The Gamecocks’ running attack reflected the broader offensive issues, averaging just 3.5 yards per carry for a total of 125 rushing yards.
“I’d be lying to you if I always said I’m glad that we came in here and had 36 rushes for 125 yards,” Beamer said. “That’s not good enough.”
Eight players carried the ball, with Jawarn Howell leading the team with 30 yards on seven carries — five of those coming in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Sellers totaled 23 yards on the ground, while starters Adaway and Rahsul Faison combined for 41 yards.
“Didn’t run the ball very efficiently,” Beamer admitted. “…There were some runs that looked like we maybe missed some reads on, but there were certainly some runs that we didn’t block very well either. Gotta look at that and certainly be better.”
Penalties Add to the Problem
The Gamecocks also struggled with penalties, committing five infractions — including four false starts and one illegal formation.
“There’s no excuse for that. That’s day one stuff and that’s not good,” Beamer said. “… So that goes back to us as coaches, and starting with me. Certainly that’s correctable, but that’s disappointing to see, because that’s day one stuff too.”
While the Gamecocks came away with a victory, offensive inefficiency, running struggles, and penalties remain key areas for improvement as South Carolina prepares for SEC competition.
