Three games in, is South Carolina’s offense close? Or is it doomed?
It’s odd how sports fans can cherish the past like some cosmic phenomenon while also forgetting what just happened.
As South Carolina was losing to Vanderbilt on Saturday, it was hard not to think of a streak dying — perhaps even a streak no one really cared about. The Gamecocks had defeated Vandy 16 straight times before the 31-7 loss. That dates back to 2008. We’ve had five presidential elections since then.
We can think about the Vanderbilt series in a big-picture sense. Through a decades-long lens.
But then we think of South Carolina’s offense, and every season is treated as a new millennium. It’s like this perspective has never been fixed.
As if the Gamecocks’ offense last year wasn’t loathsome every other game until November, when the team’s maturation seemed to finally show itself. When football became easy again for LaNorris Sellers. When the rushing attack found its groove. When wide receivers like Nyck Harbor started to pull in tough catches.
So yes, there is recent precedent for South Carolina’s offense to struggle early before things finally click.
And there is an argument that this Gamecocks’ offense is close. The argument is simple: Let’s play the what-if game and imagine every outcome is positive.
What if Sellers doesn’t throw a silly interception in the red zone against Vanderbilt? What if Sellers doesn’t get hurt? What if the Gamecocks convert on their two fourth-down calls? What if backup Luke Doty didn’t fumble and throw an interception? What if the offensive line could just avoid pre-snap penalties?
What if all that happened? Could South Carolina have won by 30? Maybe.
“We have to fix the things that are issues and we have to enhance the things that we’re doing well,” Shane Beamer said Sunday.
You can talk yourself into this South Carolina offense being close to breaking through. That the Gamecocks’ offense actually improved against Vanderbilt ... before they kept stepping on rakes. Turnovers. Penalties. On and on.
If you are in the camp that the Gamecocks offense is this great car that just needs some oil for everything to run smooth, you are simply waiting for the week when everything clicks. When Sellers turns into the guy with all the Heisman buzz. When the offensive line begins to mesh. When all those freshman wide receivers — Donovan Murph, Brian Rowe, etc. — become studs.
You are, in essence, betting that Sellers will lift the ship and everyone else will follow. That 2025 will be just like 2024.
And then there is the other group. The faction that has watched three games of slop and thinks — or knows — there are problems. That heard Beamer say he’s “optimistic” Sellers — who left the Vandy game with an apparent concussion — will be able to play on Saturday against Missouri, and they’re still not enthused.
These folks sense that these early-season struggles are signs of something deeper.
The Gamecocks are next-to-last in the SEC in scoring offense, last in total offense, last in rushing offense and third-to-last in passing offense.
Maybe this team just isn’t that good? Maybe offensive coordinator Mike Shula doesn’t know what he’s doing. Maybe it’s all on the coaching. Maybe the Gamecocks’ running backs aren’t that special. Maybe relying on freshman receivers is a gamble. Maybe what South Carolina showed against Vanderbilt is just reality playing out, the first glimpse of a bad season ahead.
The reality probably lies somewhere in the middle.
Sure, South Carolina’s offense has shown glimpses of being dominant. If you want to call that “being close,” then it’s close. But close is also a relative term. You can get close to the end zone, but it doesn’t matter if you don’t actually score.
And then there’s another thought: What good is there in being close?
The goal for South Carolina this season was to win 10 games and make the playoff. If the Gamecocks don’t turn things around this week — if they don’t beat Missouri — the playoff is going to feel like Mars. It’ll be all but unreachable.
You can only be close for so long before you’re doomed.
This story was originally published September 16, 2025 at 7:00 AM.
