Gamecock Weekly Sports Roundup: South Carolina Football, Soccer, Volleyball & more

Gamecock Weekly Roundup (Sept. 22–28, 2025)

Football

South Carolina dominated in all three phases at Williams-Brice Stadium, dismantling Kentucky 35-13 on Saturday night. The Gamecock defense struck early, turning consecutive Kentucky turnovers into touchdowns. DL Jatius Geer scooped up a fumble and scored from 40 yards, and two plays later DB Gerald Kilgore returned an interception 45 yards. On the offense, South Carolina, who is now 3-2 and 1-2 in SEC play, added another TD in the second half to pull away. Gamecock QB LaNorris Sellers managed the game effectively. The win snapped a two-game losing streak. Now, Shane Beamer's team gets to reset over the bye week before traveling to face LSU on Oct. 11.

Beamer reported that his main injured starters should be back in a couple of weeks. Offensive lineman Cason Henry (shoulder) and Nolan Hay (knee) both missed the Kentucky game, but Beamer said he is optimistic that they will be available against LSU. Backup lineman Markee Anderson was helped off late with a knee injury, and his status will be updated after the bye. Otherwise, Beamer indicated that everyone was okay postgame.

In a bizarre postscript, Kentucky RB Seth McGowan hurled a football into the stands after Kentucky's only touchdown; it deflected off a fan in a wheelchair. The fan was later identified as Sellers' grandfather. McGowan later apologized for the errant throw.

Volleyball (Women's)

South Carolina stumbled in its SEC debut last week, dropping road matches to ranked opponents. In Lexington, Kentucky on Sept. 24, the Gamecocks fell 3-0 to No. 3 Kentucky (27-25, 29-27, 25-18). Junior Nia Hall led the attack with 15 kills on .323 hitting and freshman Alayna Johnson added 13 kills, but South Carolina committed 34 attack/set errors that Kentucky exploited.

Days later, in Knoxville, Tennessee, the Gamecocks lost another tight three-setter (25-23, 25-16, and 25-17) a No. 22 Tennessee. Johnson (10 kills, .320) and Hall (10 kills) again paced the offense, and DS Victoria Hill led the offense with 10 digs. However, 30 unforced errors, including six service errors in set one, and the deep Tennessee lineup proved to be too much. South Carolina is now 0-2 in SEC play. Next up, the Gamecocks return home for an SEC night match against Texas A&M on Oct. 1.

Women's Soccer

No. 12 South Carolina (9-1-2, 3-0-1 SEC) remained undefeated in conference action with a 2-0 win at Oklahoma on Sept. 26. Both goals came on corner kicks in the final minutes. With the victory, South Carolina is 9-0-0 when scoring first this season. The Gamecocks will host No. 7 Arkansas this Thursday, Oct. 2, which is a key matchup in SEC play.

Men's Soccer

The Gamecocks closed out nonconference play with a 1-0 win over Queens University (Charlotte) on Sept. 23, earning a clean sheet at Stone Stadium. South Carolina outshot the Royals 14-7 and led 8-3 at halftime, controlling the match throughout.

South Carolina returned to Sun Belt Conference play with a statement victory Mika Habel's goal in the 84th minute lifted the Gamecocks (7-3-1, 1-0-1 Sun Belt) to a 1-0 road win over James Madison (1-6-1, 0-2) on Sept. 28. The defense notched its second straight shutout, and the victory gave South Carolina momentum heading into October. Next up, the Gamecocks return home for two matches, beginning with UCF on October 4 at 7 p.m.

Final Whistle: A Week That Sets the Tone

From the roar at Williams-Brice to the clutch finishes on the soccer pitch, the Gamecocks showed resilience and fire across every sport this past week. The football team found its defensive swagger, volleyball battled through the SEC gauntlet, and both men and women's soccer notched statment wins that keep the preseason ambitions alive.

Stay tuned to Garnet and Cocky for all the latest scores, stories, and behind-the-scenes coverage as the Gamecocks continue their march forward. Forever to Thee!