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South Carolina will see a familiar face on the opposing sideline against Ole Miss

The Gamecocks welcome back former star wide receiver Juice Wells to Columbia this weekend in their matchup against No. 12 Ole Miss.

By Ericka Brockish

Nov 19, 2022; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks wide receiver Antwane Wells Jr. (3) cannot come up with a reception against Tennessee Volunteers defensive back Brandon Turnage (8) in the second quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images
Nov 19, 2022; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks wide receiver Antwane Wells Jr. (3) cannot come up with a reception against Tennessee Volunteers defensive back Brandon Turnage (8) in the second quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images / Jeff Blake-Imagn Images
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South Carolina fans were upset when the news of star wide receiver Antione Wells Jr., otherwise known as Juice Wells, was entering the transfer portal at the end of last season. It was even worse when Wells announced he would transfer to Ole Miss, a fellow SEC team.

Ever since the 2024 schedule came out, fans circled October 5th on the schedule as the day they would welcome back their former star receiver to Williams-Brice Stadium. The Gamecocks will be welcoming back Ole Miss to Columbia for the first time in 15 years, but something fans will be more excited to see will be the defense shutting down the former Gamecock.

At South Carolina, Wells had a solid first season with the Gamecocks when he hauled in 68 catches for 928 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 13.9 yards per catch. Gamecock fans were excited to see what he had in store for year two, but after fracturing his foot in offseason workouts, he left game one against UNC last season and ended up missing the whole year. At the end of that season, Wells announced that he would enter the transfer portal.

Since joining Ole Miss this season in the first four games of the season, Wells has put up 274 yards on 14 receptions and a touchdown in each game. Wells, however, struggled heavily against Kentucky as he was held to no catches and was only targeted twice in the loss.

South Carolina will have to focus a lot on Wells, but they might be able to use the same game plan that Kentucky used to stop Wells and the high-powered Ole Miss offense. Wells won't be the Gamecocks only problem on Saturday.

Ole Miss has quite a few great receivers on their team catching passes from quarterback Jaxson Dart, but they are all led by Tre Harris, who leads the pack with 46 receptions, 30 more than next receiver Cayden Lee, and 804 yards with five touchdowns. He averages 16.4 yards per catch, with his longest reception coming on a 70-yard bomb.

While the media is focusing on the narrative of Wells returning to Columbia, the players and coaching staff have echoed time and time again that they are focusing on the game as a whole and on themselves. South Carolina came up just short of upsetting LSU three weeks ago due to injuries on the field to some of their best playmakers.

The Gamecocks have the opportunity to finish the job and pull off the upset against No. 12 Ole Miss and hand them and their former teammate their second loss of the season.

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