First look at South Carolina-Wofford football game: Gamecocks going for 8th win
South Carolina has knocked off three ranked opponents in a row to wrap SEC play. The Gamecocks are now in take-care-of-business mode against FCS Wofford, the final game ahead of the Clemson showdown.
The Terriers are languishing after a loss to The Citadel and trying to avoid a fifth losing season in a row. They’ve made a little progress after a turbulent few seasons, but the glory years under Mike Ayers are getting further in the rear-view mirror.
SOUTH CAROLINA VS. WOFFORD GAME, TV INFO
- Who: No. 19 South Carolina (7-3) vs. Wofford (5-6)
- Where: Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C.
- When: 4 p.m. Saturday
- Watch: SEC Network Plus (streaming only)
- Last meeting/trends: The Gamecocks last faced Wofford in 2017, handing the Terriers a 31-10 loss in Will Muschamp’s best season. The Gamecocks lead the all-time series 20-4, having won the past 17 meetings dating back to 1917.
STATE OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS
The Gamecocks are riding high after surviving a battle with Missouri 34-30 to lock in a third win in a row against a ranked opponent. The victory locked in the program’s first winning SEC season since 2017 and second since 2013. Barring a disaster against Wofford, the Gamecocks will have eight wins heading into the Clemson game.
South Carolina’s offense is settling into an identity of generating big runs and relying on quarterback LaNorris Sellers creating some big plays. They’ve also figured out a range of interesting and unusual ways to get the offense to pop some big plays with unusual concepts. All told, Dowell Loggains’ offense has averaged 7 yards per play or better in three consecutive games.
On the topic of Sellers, the redshirt freshman has been coming into his own. He posted a big statistical game against a pretty good Missouri defense. He’s also just generating Superman moments, avoiding sacks and finding big plays downfield. He’s still working on harnessing parts of his game, but the growth there has been impressive.
STATE OF THE WOFFORD TERRIERS
Wofford is in a bit of a bad spot, having just lost to The Citadel to fall below .500 with only this game left. The Terriers have had issues putting points on the board, although the defense has been solid in several areas. They’ve also had issues with QB injuries, with Amari Odom at the helm of late.
It’s been a few tough years for the program up in Spartanburg. Under coach Mike Ayers, the Terriers developed into a relatively consistent program on the FCS level, plucking solid players and thriving with a triple option offense. Things continued well at the start of the Josh Conklin era, but he bottomed out with a 2-19 close to his tenure.
After a promotion in December 2022 of an interim Shawn Watson after a 3-3 finish (the team was 3-8) overall, the program is 7-15 and 5-11 in conference with a 65-year-old head coach.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers: The biggest thing to watch his how much the redshirt freshman passer is going to have to play. There’s value in getting him some time out there, but there will also be some value in keeping him out of harm’s way and getting Robby Ashford a good bit of work. Sellers has 1,803 passing yards and 436 rushing yards, with 14 scores through the air, four on the ground and only five picks.
South Carolina running back Oscar Adaway: Yes, Rocket Sanders has been the workhorse. Adaway, though, has been a steady backup who runs hard, but maybe doesn’t have quite the explosiveness. Against a team with a smaller defense, it could be time to get Adaway a bigger workload, with perhaps fewer for Sanders and maybe some extra carries for the likes of Juju McDowell and Jawarn Howell as well. Adaway has 174 rushing yards and 71 through the air, with a couple touchdowns.
South Carolina defensive end Dylan Stewart: The star freshman defensive end has been a bit quiet of late, after seemingly wrecking offense tackles at a prodigious rate. Putting him against an undersized FCS lineman could let him get lathered up and get back into his groove. For the year, Stewart has 18 tackles (8.5 for loss), 5.5 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles.
Wofford wide receiver Kyle Watkins: The Terriers are a bit short on explosive playmakers, but Watkins is probably the top option there. The 6-foot Myrtle Beach product has posted 681 yards on 43 catches and is a threat to different levels of the defense. He’s a key player to slow because quarterback Amari Odom is more of a tall, sling-it-down-the-field guy than a dynamic runner.
Wofford linebacker Jalen Marshall: The Wofford defense has been statistically solid, despite some moments of cover-your-eyes breakdown. Marshall has been a bit of a star in the middle, making plays and delivering a lot of the havoc for a bend-don’t-break unit. For the year, he’s got 89 tackles (12 for loss), one sack, one interception, six pass break-ups and one forced fumble.