The Gamecocks defeated No. 11 Tennessee at home in Williams-Brice Stadium in a dramatic fashion. The 27-24 win over Tennessee improves the Gamecocks to 4-3 (2-3 SEC) on the season and has given fans and players alike, a new look going into the back half of the season. There’s no secret that the Gamecocks struggled early in the season but all along, I think many fans, analysts and coaches all knew what this team was capable of.

Explosive start then familiar problems

South Carolina couldn’t have asked for a much better start. LaNorris Sellers connects with Mazeo Bennett for a touchdown on the first drive and then LaNorris breaks free for a 31-yard rushing touchdown right out of the gate. The Gamecocks were up 14-0 at the end of the first quarter but Tennessee responded big by putting 21 points on the board going into the half. There’s no secret that the Gamecocks have struggled to close games and have blown multiple leads over the past few years so fans were on edge without a doubt. Tennessee RBs DeSean Bishop and Javin Gordon proved to be a challenge to stop in the running game. Defensively the Gamecocks struggled to stop Tennessee from moving the ball before the half. LaNorris also threw an interception on a crucial 3rd down play that ultimately led to a Tennessee touchdown.

Are the second half struggles over?

With the Gamecocks trailing coming into the second half, they had to make some halftime adjustments and get some points on the board to make a run at the win. Shane Beamer later said in the postgame conference that Clayton White made some adjustments at halftime to “stop the run and affect the quarterback”. Increased man coverage and more aggressive defense held the Volunteers to only a field goal in the second half. Offensively the Gamecocks didn’t respond much in the third quarter but LaNorris Sellers had an explosive TD run that evened the score late in the fourth quarter and gave the Gamecocks a final chance at the win. Dylan Stewart’s explosive sack and getting the ball out of George MacIntyre’s hand led to a fumble recovered by South Carolina and gave them a fighting chance to get out front in the last minute and allowed Malik Orsan to kick the game-winning field goal.

Has South Carolina turned the corner?

The question is still in the air even after two wins against ranked SEC opponents, “has South Carolina turned the corner?”. Despite the win (and not taking away from it whatsoever) there’s still a few things that the Gamecocks need to improve on and still a few unanswered questions but I think this team is at the point where they can put together a game and come out with the win. The run game still has inconsistencies here and there. South Carolina had 134 rushing yards but 96 of those were from QB LaNorris Sellers. LaNorris Sellers is a beast but relying on him alone isn’t sustainable in every game. On the flip side, this team has proved over the last two games that they can close a game. Even with the cards stacked against them, they played hard, made explosive plays, and fought until the very last second (literally Orsan sent the game winner through the uprights with one second left). The team we saw against Florida and Tennessee is the team that we knew we had, the LaNorris Sellers that we knew he could be, and the defense that we knew could make big plays but had a few inconsistencies and miscommunications. Moving forward, I think this is a team that can get big wins through the rest of 2026 and something to build on for next season.

Go Gamecocks! Forever to Thee!