Well, it wasn't pretty, but South Carolina Football found a way to stay undefeated. The No. 10 Gamecocks relied on the defense and special teams to put away SC State 38-10 early Sunday morning, after a lightning delay pushed kickoff back more than two hours at Williams-Brice Stadium.
Sophomore defensive back Vicari Swain was the difference-maker yet again, returning two punts for touchdowns to spark an offense that sputtered and struggled to find a rhythm. Swain's 64-yard score put South Carolina ahead for good after trailing 3-0, and his second score, a 42-yarder off a partially blocked punt, broke the game wide open.
“I saw Wofford return one against them last week and thought if they can do it, I should be able to,” Swain said after the game. “And I ran with that.”
Swain now has three punt-return touchdowns this season, including lat week's 80-yard score against Virginia Tech. That ties the South Carolina single-season record and makes him the first FBS player since Penn State's Daequan Hardy in 2023 to score twice on punt returns in the same game.
South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers and the offense were less spectacular. Sellers finished just 10-of-20 passing for 128 yards and added 23 rushing yards. “We know we have to be a lot better,” head coach Shane Beamer said. “We can’t rely on our defense and special teams to score three touchdowns a game.”
Sellers also acknowledged the lack of execution but promised improvement. “I’ll definitely be better,” the sophomore said as SEC play looms ahead for the Gamecocks.
South Carolina State took home a $500,000 payday for making the short trip from Orangeburg to Columbia. For South Carolina, the win keeps the record clean for the Gamecocks, but raises questions about whether the team can hold their place in the top 10 after a sluggish performance at home.