South Carolina football can't hold on late, drops heart-breaker to LSU Tigers as officiating questions abound

The atmosphere was electric for College GameDay and leading up to kickoff as South Carolina football fans were in rare form ahead of the Gamecocks' big opportunity against the LSU Tigers in Williams-Brice Stadium.

South Carolina Football vs. LSU:
Game Summary

LSU won the toss at midfield and elected to defer to the second half, and the opening kickoff sailed through the end zone, giving Shane Beamer's team the ball at the 25-yard line.

Operating out of the pistol for the first couple of plays, LaNorris Sellers (wearing contacts instead of his usual goggles) dumped the ball off to tight end Josh Simon, who broke a tackle and picked up a nice gain. Then, Rocket Sanders rushed forward for 6 yards before a quick slant hit Jared Brown in stride for a second 1st down. One snap later, Sanders earned another 1st down on an outside zone carry, and on Sanders' next carry, he brought the ball inside the 5. A LaNorris Sellers keeper saw the freshman QB make an athletic dive to stretch the ball over the goal line. An Alex Herrera PAT made the score 7-0 in favor of the home team with less than 3 minutes running off the clock.

Struggling to hear themselves over the chants of "Game-Cocks" in Williams-Brice Stadium, the LSU offense couldn't quiet the noise as a Gilber Edmond hit on Garrett Nussmeier forced an incomplete pass on 3rd down. Peyton Todd's punt gave the ball back to the Gamecocks a little short of midfield after Juju McDowell had a nice 12-yard return.

On the second play of the drive, Vandrevius Jacobs was shoved in the back on a deep shot from Sellers, and the pass interference call gave USC a new set of downs in LSU territory. A short Rocket Sanders carry was followed by a 1st down reception for Josh Simon, who fumbled but was bailed out by a Michael Smith recovery. Two plays later, Sellers was picked off in the end zone by cornerback Zy Alexander on a pass that was thrown up for grabs despite USC being in field goal range.

On LSU's first play of the next drive, Nussmeier threw a pick-6 to O'Donnell Fortune, but the play was called back due to a horse collar penalty against Kyle Kennard, who forced the errant throw. LSU moved the ball to their own 45 after the penalty and a 3rd-and-6 conversion (by inches), but Debo Williams crunched running back Josh Williams on the ensuing 1st down, and Judge Collier blew up a swing pass for a loss despite being held and blocked in the back. On 3rd-and-long, the Carolina pass rush got to Nussmeier as Kyle Kennard and Bam Martin-Scott blew through the LSU line for their first allowed sack of the year.

After a punt gave the ball back to Sellers and the offense at the 25, the Gamecocks moved backward after a short run and then an ineligible man downfield penalty, but Nyck Harbor reeled in his first catch of the year for the 1st down conversion. Another 1st down came as Sanders and Sellers combined for the next two carries, and an illegal hands to the face penalty against LSU ripped off Vershon Lee's helmet and gave Carolina even more yards. The 1st quarter ended with a Rocket Sanders 1st down run, but LSU's defense stiffened to keep Carolina out of the end zone. Alex Herrera pushed through a chip shot field goal, though, and the score stood 10-0.

A completion from Nussmeier to CJ Daniels on LSU's first snap was compounded by a roughing the passer call against Gilber Edmond, and all of a sudden, the Tigers had the ball past the 50-yard line. Vicari Swain and Bangally Kamara blew up a Kaleb Jackson sweep, and quick pressure in the A-gap on 2nd down forced an incompletion, bringing up a huge 3rd-and-9. Kyle Kennard forced an intentional grounding (netting another sack), and newly-scholarshipped Moe Brown blocked the ensuing punt with an acrobatic, high-effort leap through three LSU blockers.

Buddy Mack returned the blocked kick to the 10-yard line, and Rocket Sanders broke two tackles on the next snap on his way to the end zone. The Gamecocks were dominating, up 17-0 just 17 minutes into the game.

To start the next drive, Nussmeieri found tight end Mason Taylor for the team's biggest play of the day. The play settled the Williams-Brice Stadium noise a little and gave the LSU offense some confidence. With their backs against the wall, the Tigers drove down the field, and on 3rd-and-9, LSU caught defensive coordinator Clayton White off-guard with a run up the middle. Caden Durham scampered 26 yards to paydirt on his first rush of the game, and after a Damian Ramos PAT, the lead was cut to 17-7.

Keeping #6 a focus of the passing game, LaNorris Sellers found Josh Simon for a short pitch-and-catch to start the drive, and the tight end earned a 1st down. A pass interference call went against the Gamecocks, setting the offense way behind the sticks, and on 3rd-and-long, LSU defenders Harold Perkins and Sage Ryan got to Sellers on a blitz, and the ball came out. The Tigers recovered deep in Carolina territory, and the game suddenly felt very different.

Starting at the 19-yard line, LSU picked up 5 yards on a completion to Mason Taylor and 2 more on a plunge up the middle by Caden Durham. Multiple LSU linemen held on the 3rd down play, but Shane Beamer declined the flag, forcing a field goal situation. Damian Ramos' aim was true from 28 yards out, and it was a one-score game in Columbia at 17-10.

After LSU had claimed all the game's momentum, the Gamecocks needed an answer. Their freshman quarterback delivered. On the first snap following the LSU kick, LaNorris Sellers kept the ball on a jet sweep read option play, and he exploded through a nice hole on the right side of the offensive line. No one at the second level was ready for Sellers' speed, and #16 went 75 yards to the end zone, putting his team up 24-10 following another Alex Herrera PAT.

Despite continued pressure from the Gamecock defensive line, Garrett Nussmeier delivered two strikes for 41 combined yards, and then a missed tackle allowed CJ Daniels to pick up 20 more. Following the two-minute warning, a snap from the 16-yard line saw Durham get a short gain, and then Nussmeier hit Kyren Lacy over the outstretched arms of an out-of-position DQ Smith for a touchdown after the Gamecock safety peeked in on a play action fake. A botched extra-point left the margin at 8 points, though, as Carolina led 24-16 with 1:20 left in the half.

An aggressive Dowell Loggains was going after points for the Gamecocks, and Sellers hit Jared Brown deep for a 39-yard gain. With about 10 seconds remaining, Sellers took a sack and had his left leg rolled up. He went to the locker room, and Robby Ashford came in for a Hail Mary attempt instead of an Alex Herrera 57-yard field goal try. Ashford took another sack to end the half.

LSU continued being aggressive on offense after receiving the 2nd half kickoff. Garrett Nussmeier hit Aaron Anderson for a 44-yard bomb early on their first drive, and then a questionable pass interference call against Judge Collier (the ball appeared to be uncatchable) gave the Tigers the ball at the 2-yard line. A great run stuff from Gilber Edmond stopped Kaleb Jackson in the backfield, and Nick Emmanwori made a stop on the next play at the 1. The Gamecock defense all converged on Josh Williams on 3rd-and-goal, forcing a 4th-and-1 try from the Tigers. A miscommunication in the LSU backfield, coupled with pressure from Kyle Kennard and Debo Williams forced a negative completion and a turnover on downs.

With Sellers' status in question, Robby Ashford was the man at quarterback when Carolina's offense took the field. The Gamecocks had short gains on two Rocket Sanders carries and an Ashford scramble, but they were well short of a 1st down, forcing Kai Kroeger's first punt of the game. The former All-American only got the ball to the 45, though, giving LSU the ball in plus-field position.

On LSU's 1st down, Desmond Umeozulu forced a Nussmeier incomplete pass, but Caden Durham went for a 20-yard gain around the left side after JT Geer got washed down inside. A wide-open Mason Taylor picked up 16 more, and in the blink of an eye, LSU was in 1st-and-goal again. Gilber Edmond hit Nussmeier as he tried to deliver the football on the first play, but following the incompletion, Durham broke multiple tackles after Edmond ran too far upfield. With a 2-point deficit, LSU went for a 2-point conversion, but Tonka Hemingway sacked Nussmeier, keeping USC up 24-22.

LaNorris Sellers re-entered the game but could barely move. LSU sold out against the run, picking up two stops behind the line. Sellers threw the ball out on a screen to Nyck Harbor, but a bobble disrupted the timing of the play, and Harbor was stopped after just a short gain, bringing out Kai Kroeger for another punt.

Carolina's linebackers lost track of Mason Taylor on a delay route, giving up 16 yards on the first play of the drive. Another 16-yard completion on 3rd-and-7 beat a Gamecock blitz, and then two plays later, Nick Emmanwori was whistled for interference, giving LSU the ball inside the 25-yard line. Poor EDGE play from the Gamecocks' reserve defensive ends and some missed tackles allowed the Bayou Bengals to get the ball inside the 10. On 3rd-and-goal, tight end Mason Taylor was wide-open as every Carolina linebacker flowed the other direction as Taylor ran a simple drag right in front of their faces. LSU's first lead was 29-24 after the first play of the 4th quarter.

The lead was short-lived. Robby Ashford was back in the game on the ensuing drive, and after two plays brought up a 3rd-and-short situation, Rocket Sanders launched around the left side for a 66-yard score. The Gamecocks got a 2-point conversion called back due to a penalty, and the second try was no-good, making the score 30-29 in favor of the home team.

LSU picked up a short gain on their first play as the official missed a hold against Kyle Kennard, but #5 got his revenge on the next play with a huge hit in the backfield for a big loss. Nussmeier, though, made a tremendous throw to Kyren Lacy on 3rd down to convert. The ball never got back into Nussmeier's hands, though, as the Gamecock crowd forced an ill-timed snap that bounced off of his face. Dylan Stewart pounced on the loose ball, and the Gamecocks had possession 24 yards from the end zone.

With Sellers still sidelined, Ashford carried the ball two times in a row to start the next drive, netting 0 yards. Then, on 3rd down, the backup QB launched the ball to no one in particular. Rocket Sanders did not get a carry on the drive, and Alex Herrera had to come out to salvage some points out of the great opportunity. Herrera drilled his kick from 42 yards, and South Carolina football's lead grew to 33-29.

LSU came out throwing the ball again, but big defensive tackle Boogie Huntley knocked down the 1st down pass, and the Gamecocks stopped Kyren Lacy short of the line to gain on 2nd down. The Gamecock defensive line collapsed the LSU offensive line on 3rd-and-short, and Nick Emmanwori and Dylan Stewart combined for the stop, forcing an LSU punt with about 9 minutes left on the clock.

Rocket Sanders got the first carry, and then a Robby-Ashford-to-Dalevon-Campbell deep ball was waved off after a questionable offensive pass interference call away from the ball. Two plays later, Bradyn Swinson got to Ashford for a strip sack that was recoverd by Major Burns, gifting LSU the ball at the 12-yard line.

LSU couldn't do much with the ball, and on 3rd down, Garrett Nussmeier threw a 100-yard pick-6 to safety Nick Emmanwori. Unfortunately for the Gamecocks, as Kyle Kennard took a bit of a cheap shot on Nussmeier, erasing the touchdown. Still, USC had the ball back after keeping LSU from scoring.

There was nothing working for the offense, and thanks to an injury timeout and a Gamecock penalty, only two minutes came off the clock before Kai Kroeger came on to punt. It wasn't his best, and LSU started their drive on the 45.

Instead of throwing the ball like the last couple of drives, LSU kept the ball on the ground for three of four plays before a 4th down offside penalty against Kyle Kennard provided them with a free 1st down anyway. A long pass to Kyren Lacy was ruled incomplete on the field but was overturned after review, giving LSU the ball at the 4-yard line. DQ Smith nearly intercepted Nussmeier on the next snap, but another Gamecock penalty moved the ball half the distance to the goal. For some reason, LSU tried to throw on 2nd down from the 2 and failed. However, a 3rd down plunge for Josh Williams and a made PAT put LSU ahead 36-33 with 1:12 left to play.

Following the kickoff, Robby Ashford scrambled for 8 yards and then took a sack after holding onto the ball for too long. Then, on 3rd down, the reserve quarterback found Vandrevius Jacobs across the middle for a 31-yard gain. After a false start penalty, Ashford took off for a 15-yard gain, earning another 1st down and getting right around field goal range. An incompletion and a short Rocket Sanders run brought the clock down to 5 seconds, and Alex Herrera came out with hopes of tying the game with a 49-yard boot. LSU tried to ice the kicker with a timeout (he missed the kick that didn't count, for what it's worth), and the sixth-year senior missed the kick by inches to the left as time expired.