South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer and his team played in one of the most controversial games of the season on Saturday as questionable officiating clouded a highly competitive contest with LSU that had lots of back-and-forth action and came down to a last-second kick. Had the Gamecocks held on to win, arguably the game's biggest play could have come on special teams.
In the 2nd quarter with Carolina already leading, Maurice Brown II, better known around Columbia as "Moe," shot threw the middle of the LSU punt formation and made an acrobatic play that resulted in him getting his hand on Peyton Todd's kick. Teammate Buddy Mack returned the blocked punt attempt to the 10-yard line, and the Gamecocks quickly scored a touchdown to extend their lead.
It was a huge moment in the game and would have been one of the day's most memorable plays if the final score looked a little bit different when the final whistle sounded.
The special teams feat was a great moment, but it wasn't the only major event of Moe Brown's life over the last week.
After practice on Tuesday, Coach Beamer surprised Brown, a player who walked on prior to the 2023 season, with a scholarship. Telling Brown that he should run to the bursar's office to request a tuition refund, Beamer announced the news in front of the entire team, and Brown's peers went nuts in celebration of the moment.
To be clear, Moe Brown deserved all of it.
Brown, who grew up in a military family, is a respectful young man who has impressed media members with how he speaks and carries himself. He also is an extremely hard worker who has moved himself from being a 0-star recruit to being a scholarship player in the SEC thanks to hard work. His effort in the weight room has allowed him to become one of the Gamecocks' best combinations of size and speed on offense.
During the offseason before the 2023 campaign began, we wrote a story on Garnet and Cocky about potential walk-on contributors who could make an impact for the Gamecocks, and Moe Brown's name was on the list. Illustrating his character, when he read the article, Brown made sure to send a social media message our way to thank us for writing about him. (By the way, Brown made an impact as a freshman walk-on, contributing as a starter on multiple special teams units in 2023.)
This offseason, some buzz circulated around the South Carolina tight end room that Moe Brown was looking good in the weight room and in positional workouts. That translated to the Garnet and Black Spring Game when #44 found his way into the end zone for a touchdown after a nice catch and run.
Now, freshly on a deserved scholarship, Brown has passed some other players on the tight end depth chart, and he absolutely earned his big moment on Saturday.
As much as Moe Brown's story is a good one, the best part for South Carolina football fans is that it is far from over. As a true sophomore, the Gamecock faithful have the privilege of seeing the rest of Brown's career play out in front of them, and Saturday's blocked punt is sure to be the first of many big moments during his time in Columbia.