5 things we learned about South Carolina from its victory over Kentucky
South Carolina notched its first SEC victory of the season on Saturday, rolling to a 35-13 win over Kentucky (2-2, 0-2 SEC).
Here are five things we learned about the Gamecocks (3-2, 1-2):
1. LaNorris Sellers didn’t forget how to run
This was the first time in 2025 that quarterback LaNorris Sellers looked like his 2024 self. You know, that guy from the Clemson game who wouldn’t take a sack if Lawrence Taylor was driving a bulldozer.
It’s not that he was just running on Saturday. He was scrambling. Spinning. Avoiding pressure and then darting upfield. He was once again making 80,000 people inside Williams-Brice Stadium look at the person next to them and say with awe: How the heck did he get out of that?
For the first time this season, he was the Gamecocks’ most-productive runner, averaging nearly six yards per carry.
In total, he took off 14 times for 81 yards. If you take out his two sacks (17 yards), he was really picking up over 8 yards a carry.
On Saturday, we finally saw flashes of a confident Sellers. And that confidence brings out all the things that make him so dangerous: Speed, athleticism, elusiveness.
It certainly seemed like Sellers running was a bigger part of the game plan, but coach Shane Beamer disagreed with that notion postgame, saying that Sellers simply kept the ball more on the called run-pass options.
“We’ve got to continue to lean on that,” Beamer said.
2. Vandrevius Jacobs is USC’s top skill player
It was so easy to get caught up in the wide receiver hype this offseason.
Nyck Harbor was skipping track to focus on football. Mazeo Bennett was no longer a freshman. And speaking of freshmen, the Gamecocks were brining in six first-year pass-catchers who, coaches and players kept saying, were going to be a big part of the 2025 offense.
It was easy to forget about Vandrevius Jacobs, who transferred from Florida State and caught just 12 passes for the Gamecocks in 2024. And, well, shame on us.
Through five games this season, there is no debate: Jacobs is the Gamecocks’ top skill player. He’s already caught a team-high 18 passes for 323 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Against Kentucky, he was the only South Carolina player with more than one catch, hauling in five balls for 108 yards. Every pass he caught went for at least 10 yards, including a 59-yarder where he caught a short pass up the middle and almost glided past the Kentucky defense.
Sellers has found his most-trusted target.
3. Gamecocks have a big-play defense
If you want to be a pessimist, this is your argument: Well, it’s a bit fluky. I mean, how often are you gonna have two defensive touchdowns?
That may be partially true. This is probably a much-different game if Jatius Geer doesn’t rumble his way to a 41-yard scoop-and-score ... only for Gerald Kilgore to have a 45-yard pick-6 immediately after.
But maybe that’s part of USC’s calling card. Think about it: The Gamecocks had two defensive scores last season against Kentucky. It had two special-teams scores this year against S.C. State. This South Carolina squad has consistently shown it can score in odd ways.
And without the two defensive touchdowns Saturday, the Gamecocks proved to be much-improved tacklers after brutal performances against Vanderbilt and Missouri. Even their rush defense, which allowed over 250 yards to Mizzou last week, held Kentucky to only 108 (68 of which came in the first quarter).
Is it silly to count on a defensive or special teams touchdown every game? Perhaps. But the Gamecocks might need them to be more frequent than not.
4. Is Matt Fuller South Carolina’s best RB?
The guy with the most carries on Saturday night? Redshirt freshman Matthew Fuller.
The 5-foot-11, 220-pound Georgia product ran the ball 19 times for 48 yards, including his first collegiate touchdown in the fourth quarter. Notably, the Gamecocks’ two starting running backs this season — Oscar Adaway and Rashul Faison — finished with a combined 15 carries.
Was this a sign of things to come? A sign that Fuller might be trending toward the spot as RB1?
Not quite, Beamer said.
“Tonight, we kind of expanded (Fuller’s) role,” Beamer said. “In the fourth quarter, we felt like everything was under control and liked the way that Matt came in there and finished the game. He’s a load.”
5. Can USC sustain this momentum after bye week?
Saturday was exactly what South Carolina needed. A dominant home win where it proved it was cleaning up its early-season mistakes. A nice confidence-boosting win to take into the open week, to keep guys motivated as the schedule turns.
And yes, it turns.
It is possible that the Gamecocks’ next five games are all against Top-10 opponents: LSU (4-1), Oklahoma (4-0), Alabama (3-1), Ole Miss (5-0) and Texas A&M (4-0). It’s as nightmarish as a schedule can look.
The best-case scenario: The Gamecocks exercised all their demons on Saturday. That they fixed their rushing attack. Shored up their run defense. Made strides to avoid penalties. Unlocked the magic of Sellers. On and on and on.
South Carolina’s hope is that Saturday was like the Oklahoma game from a year ago, when the Gamecocks notched two-defensive touchdowns, routed the Sooners and won their next five games.
Perhaps the Gamecocks will find deja vu. Perhaps they won’t. In any case, their real litmus test is coming in October.
This story was originally published September 28, 2025 at 7:00 AM.
