How LaNorris Sellers recharged South Carolina offense after heartbreak, brutal schedule
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COLUMBIA — Shane Beamer remembered but he also believed.
Beamer knew South Carolina football has had trouble dominating Sun Belt teams, but even after blowing a 27-point lead just seven days earlier, he knew his team could still produce.
The Gamecocks (4-7) picked up a 51-7 win over Coastal Carolina on Nov. 22, snapping a five-game losing streak. They finished with 579 total yards, their most since Nov. 23, 2024.
“I can’t express how hurt and devastated that locker room was (Nov. 15),” Beamer said about the loss at No. 3 Texas A&M on Nov. 15. “We’ve had some games the last three, four years (against Sun Belt teams) that we didn’t always go out and dominate like we did tonight. That’s what excited me, is the way our guys went out there and dominated.”
On the opening drive against the Chanticleers (6-5) quarterback LaNorris Sellers found his brother Jayden Sellers for a quick pass. With the speed from the freshman wide receiver and great perimeter blocking (a weak point this year), the brotherly connection turned into a 75-yard touchdown.
“(Saw) a wide open hole, got excited and knew I had to score,” said Jayden Sellers, who got his first touchdown reception at South Carolina.
Jayden Sellers finished with four catches for 127 yards.
In the first half, the offense had 419 total yards, a total transformation for a group that’s produced some of the fewest yards in the FBS this season.
The Gamecocks seemingly fixed many of those issues with interim play-caller Mike Furrey when they produced 312 total yards in the first half against Texas A&M. But the 76 yards that came in the second half brought back the question marks regarding what the 2025 offense can still do.
The offense hadn’t scored more than three touchdowns in a game this season but finished with seven and went a perfect 6-of-6 in the red zone. South Carolina was averaging an SEC-low 20.7 points per game but scored over 40 for the first time since the win over Wofford in 2024.
Under Mike Shula, the offensive coordinator from the Citrus Bowl last year to the Ole Miss loss on Nov. 1, LaNorris Sellers had just three total rushing touchdowns. But he had two alone against Coastal Carolina. He logged a season-high 82 yards on 10.3 yards per carry, the first time he’s averaged over seven since the Clemson win on Nov. 30, 2024.
Sellers went 16-of-20 for 274 passing yards and had two passing touchdowns.
“When you get a fast start, it’s a momentum game so if you got momentum from the jump, you’ll be in pretty good shape,” LaNorris Sellers said before complementing Furrey’s ability to get players in 1-on-1 opportunities.
Not only was it the first win since Sept. 27 but also the first time South Carolina’s opponent wasn’t a top 15 team since then. Giving up a 30-3 lead at halftime to the Aggies was icing on the cake to a brutal streak of conference games.
“This was not easy,” Beamer said. “I know everybody thinks, ‘Oh you’re playing a non-SEC team you’re just suppose to roll in there and win 51-7,’ but it doesn’t work that way. This is college football. Especially the emotions of last week, responding … we made a pretty strong statement of what this place is about and the culture in this program.”
With no bowl game, Beamer’s final task in avoiding his worst record at South Carolina is beating Clemson on Nov. 29 (noon ET, SEC Network), something he hasn’t done yet in Columbia.
“It’s been a minute, we’re certainly going to enjoy the heck out of this one but we know what’s coming next Saturday,” Beamer said.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at LKesin@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky@bylulukesin.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: LaNorris Sellers revives South Carolina offense vs Coastal Carolina
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