South Carolina tight end Joshua Simon looks into the stands after making a 6-yard touchdown reception during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Missouri Saturday in Columbia, S.C. (Photo courtesy of Associated Press)
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – South Carolina coach Shane Beamer got a text recently from an SEC rival coach impressed with freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers.
“You’ve got ‘Superman’ back there,” the message read, Beamer said.
Sellers may not be the “Man of Steel,” but he’s certainly making a major impact for No. 23 South Carolina. And he showed that again on Saturday night with his career-best showing in a 34-30 victory over No. 24 Missouri.
Sellers, a redshirt freshman who took over the starting job from NFL rookie Spencer Rattler, threw for 353 yards and five touchdown passes, the last an inside throw that Raheim Sanders took 15 yards to the end zone with 15 seconds to go as they twice rallied from behind in the fourth quarter.
One play in particular floored Gamecocks defensive tackle Alex Huntley where Sellers twisted out of a sack on the next-to-last scoring drive before hitting tight end Brady Hunt for 11 yards on thrid-and-10. “Did he get sacked?” Huntley recalled saying.
“The second he got out of it, I knew something good was going to happen,” he said.
Sellers has done that more and more the past month after the Gamecocks stood 3-3 after a loss at Alabama on Oct. 12. He’s led the way as South Carolina collected wins against Oklahoma (35-9) and ranked teams in Texas A&M (44-20) and Vanderbilt (28-7).
“It’s about staying calm, not budging, not flinching,” said Sellers. “Taking one play at a not and not worrying about the outcome.”
That steady approach pulled out a game South Carolina would typically lose.
Twice Missouri took a lead in the final period and twice the Sellers and the Gamecocks answered back with success.
The Gamecocks (7-3, 5-3) have won four straight Southeastern Conference games for the first time since Steve Spurrier was coach in 2012. But it’s now one of Spurrier’s hires with the Gamecocks in Beamer who has South Carolina as the hottest team in the powerhouse conference.
The Tigers (7-3, 3-3) final lead came after Brady Cook’s 37-yard TD pass to Luther Burden III with 1:10 to go for a 30-27 lead.
Sellers, though, was far from done. He hit on passes of 10 and 39 yards to bring the Gamecocks to the Missouri 21. After Sellers’ 7 yard run, he flipped the ball to Sanders who bulled his way across the goal line to send the crowd at Williams-Brice Stadium into a frenzy.
“We were scoring,” said Sanders, nicknamed “Rocket,” an Arkansas transfer who’s had six of his 11 rushing TDs in the four-game win streak.
Missouri’s last chance ended with Cook was picked off by Jalon Kilgore with 5 seconds left as the Gamecocks beat three consecutive ranked teams for the first time in program history.
Missouri’s Nate Noel ran for 150 yards and a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, but it didn’t hold up.
The Tigers had defeated Oklahoma 30-23 last week on an scoop-and-score fumble with 22 seconds left. They nearly pulled out their second straight dramatic victory.
“I just think there’s a relentlessness that our team plays with, believes in,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “Just didnt have enough tonight.”
Takeaways
Missouri: The Tigers had won five straight in the series and coach Eli Drinkwitz had won all three previous times he came to South Carolina’s stadium, including a 20-15 as Appalachian State coach in 2019. That run is over along with the team’s chances of a CFP berth.
South Carolina: The Gamecocks will need plenty of chaos, along with a victory in two weeks at No. 17 Clemson, to make their case as a playoff team. There’s no doubt there are few teams in the SEC who’d want to face South Carolina now.
Streaking Gamecocks
South Carolina has won four straight SEC games for the first time in 12 years. It had never won three in a row over AP Top 25 teams in program history.
“Say that again,” when asked about that run. “I like the sound of that.”
The streak ends next game when it takes on Wofford, an Football Championship Series team. But the Gamecocks can make it four out of five when they play rival Clemson, ranked 17th, in two weeks.
Cook’s start
Missouri’s Cook played strongly in his latest start, throwing for 239 yards with a touchdown and an interception after coach Eli Drinkwitz thought it unlikely he’d be recovered enough to play this week. Cook’s 35-game starting streak ended last week when he hurt his wrist at Alabama.
Up next
Missouri: At Mississippi State next Saturday.
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