Talking season is over. On Saturday, Shane Beamer's South Carolina football team welcomed the Old Dominion Monarchs to Williams-Brice Stadium for the season opener of the 2024 campaign. The two teams had never played prior to the matchup.
South Carolina Football vs. Old Dominion:
Game Summary
The game began with the Gamecocks pinning ODU inside the 20-yard line after nice kickoff coverage, and transfer portal addition Demetrius Knight got things started on the first defensive play with a big hit in the backfield on a swing pass. On the next snap, fellow transfer Kyle Kennard beat his man for a strip sack on Monarch quarterback Grant Wilson, and Debo Williams recovered the ball at the 2.
It took just one snap for the Gamecocks to find the end zone as new running back Rocket Sanders plunged up the middle for the first score of the season. Or, at least, it seemed that was the case. Upon further review, Sanders was just short the goal line when his knee touched the ground. Instead, two plays later, Sanders found pay dirt. After an Alex Herrera PAT, the score was 7-0 in favor of the home team.
Old Dominion answered quickly as on the second play of the drive, Wilson hit Isiah Paige for a 72-yard touchdown pass over the top past safety DQ Smith.
When the Gamecocks got the ball back, new starting quarterback LaNorris Sellers ran the ball several times, and so did running backs Rocket Sanders and Oscar Adaway. The first completion of the season was to true freshman tight end Michael Smith, but it was the running game that carried USC down the field. A missed blitzer halted the drive with a 3rd down sack of Sellers, and a 40-yard field goal for Alex Herrera pushed the Gamecocks to a 10-7 lead.
The Monarchs sliced through the Carolina defense for two quick first downs, one on the ground and one on another pass to Paige. A good pass rush from Dylan Stewart on 3rd-and-7 forced a throwaway from Wilson, and despite Old Dominion easily crossing midfield, the Gamecocks forced a punt.
On the first snap of the next drive, receiver Jared Brown dropped a 60-yard bomb from Sellers, but it wouldn't have counted anyway as the Gamecocks were whistled for having an ineligible man too far downfield. After a couple of failed plays, a 3-and-out was the result, and speedy receiver Nyck Harbor hobbled off the field after taking a low hit on an incompletion. A mediocre punt from Kai Kroeger gave the ball back to ODU at the 41-yard line.
Kyle Kennard picked up his second tackle for loss on the drive first play, and on the third play, he brought down Wilson for his second sack and third stop behind the line of scrimmage.
Offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains' unit took over inside their own 30, but rushes from Rocket Sanders and LaNorris Sellers moved the chains. The 1st quarter came to an end as another Old Dominion 3rd down blitz came through the Carolina offensive line with minimal resistance, resulting in the redshirt freshman Sellers going down for the second time.
After a punt, the Gamecock defense stiffened, and a Dylan Stewart-Kyle Kennard combined sack ended the ODU drive. They got the ball back immediately, though, as Sellers fumbled trying to break a tackle. The return would have ended in a touchdown but Nyck Harbor chased the play and picked up the tackle. It was an extremely impactful play as O'Donnell Fortune picked off Wilson in the end zone on the first play of the ensuing drive.
A couple of plays later, scatback Juju McDowell had a chance for a huge run after reversing field, but he was tripped up by Sellers. That was the last play for quite a while as lightning struck in the area, resulting in a lengthy delay.
When play resumed, the Gamecocks earned a couple of quick first downs, including a nifty option play that resulted in a shuffle pass to tight end Josh Simon. Unfortunately for Shane Beamer's squad, an intentional grounding penalty and a dropped pass from tight end Brady Hunt killed any chance for points.
After another Kai Kroeger punt, Dylan Stewart picked up another sack with a ridiculously athletic bend around the ODU right tackle. Operating behind the sticks, the Monarchs couldn't get anything else going on the drive, and on the resulting punt, Juju McDowell brought the ball back to about the positive 40-yard line.
Jared Brown moved the ball near the red zone with a big gain on a jet sweep, but the drive stalled there. As the team lined up for a field goal, punter/holder Kai Kroeger pulled the ball, evaded a defender, and threw a touchdown pass to Brady Hunt. However, guard Torricelli Simpkins drifted too far upfield, resulting in a penalty that took the score off the board. After the flag, Alex Herrera drilled another field goal, making the score 13-7 with 4:02 left in the 1st half.
After missed tackles gifted Old Dominion a 1st down, a Tonka Hemingway sack made it 2nd-and-18, and the Monarchs could not recover from the field position hole. The Gamecocks couldn't do anything after a punt, and took the 13-7 advantage into the halftime locker room.
The Dowell Loggains offense faced a 4th-and-short on their first drive of the 2nd half, but a Rocket Sanders scamper earned a new set of downs. A 3rd-down conversion saw Sellers hit Dalevon Campbell for a short gain, and then Vandrevius Jacobs had a nice grab on the sidelines to get the ball inside the 25. A Sellers scramble (one that included a move that made All-American linebacker Jason Henderson whiff) moved the Gamecocks to the 9-yard line. However, some really bad offensive line communication caused another 3rd down sack, and Alex Herrera was called on again. The scoreboard read 16-7 with a little more than 7 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.
A miscommunication in the defensive backfield allowed a chunk play for ODU early on the next drive, and another completion moved the ball into Carolina territory. After picking up very little on downs 1 through 3, a 4th-and-7 quarterback draw resulted in a Grant Wilson 36-yard score in which he ran right up the middle. The silver lining of the situation, though, was that big DeAndre Jules blocked the extra point, keeping the score at 16-13 in favor of the Gamecocks.
Rocket Sanders was tasked with the a few early carries on the next drive, and he did his job well. Then, after bunching up to stop the run, ODU got beat on the sideline by Vandrevius Jacobs who picked up 41 yards after getting open and then breaking a tackle. More poor offensive line play showed up again, though, and Alex Herrera had to come out for his fourth field goal try. This time, he missed from 48 yards.
Old Dominion took advantage of the good field position with two quick first downs. After a Nick Emmanwori facemask penalty, Grant Wilson hit Pat Conroy for another conversion. The score was tied up 16-16 after Ethan Sanchez banged through a 40-yard kick.
In the closing seconds of the 3rd quarter, LaNorris Sellers missed another receiver, and Rocket Sanders was brought down behind the line of scrimmage. Mazeo Bennett pulled down his first career catch, but it wasn't enough for a 1st down. Then, Kai Kroeger's punt was partially blocked by Markus Knight, giving ODU great starting field position at their own 42-yard line.
The Monarchs moved the ball down the field with ease as the Gamecock defense appeared fatigued. Missed tackles and assignments plagued USC for the first time since the opening touchdown, but a holding penalty against the ODU offense gave the Gamecocks the break they needed. When Sanchez attempted another field goal, the Gamecocks got to the kick again, but it still squeaked over the crossbar, giving Old Dominion their first lead, 19-16.
With about 10 minutes left in the game, the Gamecock offense took the field again. A Mazeo Bennett catch and Rocket Sanders rush earned a 1st down, but the ball stopped moving. A false start from freshman tackle Josiah Thompson killed the thought of going for it on 4th down, and Kai Kroeger trotted back onto the field for another punt.
Kyle Kennard continued dominating, forcing a fumble on a Grant Wilson rush on 1st down, but the Monarchs jumped on the loose football. Two plays later, though, Dylan Stewart punched the ball loose, and DeAndre Jules pounced on it inside the 10-yard line.
A Rocket Sanders plunge got the ball closer to the end zone, and a LaNorris Sellers keeper around the left side got the Gamecocks their lead back. After the Alex Herrera PAT, Carolina led 23-19.
Old Dominion picked up a 1st down but couldn't get another against the Gamecocks' 3-3-5 defense (their first extended stretch using the look) as Jalon Kilgore knocked away a pass on 3rd-and-short. A Seamus Hall punt flipped the field but gave the ball back to South Carolina with 3:51 on the clock and a 4-point lead.
The Gamecocks did nothing with the ball, burning just one minute off of the clock before another Kroeger punt (and a holding penalty) left ODU inside their own 10-yard line.
Back in the 3-3-5, the Gamecocks stopped ODU with short gains, but the Monarchs did just enough to move the chains twice. With 1:40 left on the clock, Grant Wilson threw a little behind his intended receiver, and when the ball caromed into the air, safety Jalon Kilgore picked it off, sealing an ugly win for his team.