Out of gas: South Carolina lets Ole Miss run away late. Gamecocks drop 4th straight
On one of the odd coaching decisions made on Saturday night, South Carolina coach Shane Beamer opted to punt on fourth-and-5 in plus territory ... while trailing by double-digits. At best, it’s conservative. At worst, it’s closing your own coffin.
The punt hung in the air then — doink! — it clanked off the top of USC defender Gerald Kilgore’s helmet, nearly ricochetting into the stands. It felt almost too on the nose. Maybe it was the universe’s attempt at knocking some sense — some urgency — into this football team.
On this night, a lightning strike to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium might not have even been enough to do the trick.
South Carolina lost 30-14 to No. 7 Ole Miss (8-1, 5-1 SEC), plagued by so many of the issues that have been its downfall all season.
“There’s plays there,” Beamer said. “We just have to make them.”
The Gamecocks’ offense continued making the case as one of the most-lethargic units in the country. The play-calling, at times, can be questionable. And it’s why it’s hard to imagine head coach Shane Beamer bringing back offensive coordinator Mike Shula next season.
Never has it been more evident this season that South Carolina (3-6, 1-6 SEC) just doesn’t execute well enough. And that includes the quarterback position.
LaNorris Sellers came into 2025 as a legitimate Heisman contender, thought of so highly by NFL Draft analysts that he was a Top-5 pick in plenty of mock drafts. Boy, does that feel like a million years ago?
Sellers struggled mightily at times on Saturday. For a guy who generated so much buzz because of his rushing ability, namely what he can do when a play breaks down, he can also look lost in the pocket. Too many times on Saturday, his offensive line provided him more than enough time (four-plus seconds) and Sellers just held the ball.
“He’s given us a chance to win,” Beamer said of Sellers. “There’s plays he’d like to have back. There are sacks — I was looking at it on the iPad on the sideline — where we could’ve helped the offensive line by stepping up in the pocket at times.”
And on the plays his offensive line didn’t hold up? He had no chance. Ole Miss sacked Sellers six times and recorded eight tackles for loss. All the while, South Carolina was just 3 of 13 on third down.
Yet, even when Sellers was able to get rid of the ball, the inconsistency continued.
There was a deep ball to Nyck Harbor — that still should’ve been caught — that was underthrown by five yards. There was an overthrown pass to Vandrevius Jacobs that might’ve been a touchdown. On so many occasions, Sellers had a wide-open receiver and couldn’t complete the pass.
“I just missed them,” Sellers said after the game.
But, because he is still uber-talented, he made the prettiest throw of the night. His 47-yard touchdown pass to Harbor in the third quarter was as close a perfect throw as you’ll see.
That’s the frustration with Sellers — heck, with this entire South Carolina football team.
“No one likes where we are right now,” Beamer said.
For quarters at a time, the Gamecocks can look lifeless. But, they provide moments of hope.
The Gamecocks actually scored first Saturday, taking advantage of a Ole Miss muffed punt and punching in a touchdown. And the defense forced a number of critical three-and-outs, including one in the red zone after the Gamecocks muffed a punt of their own.
This Gamecocks team has always done enough to stay in games. It rarely does enough to actually win them. Saturday’s loss was the fourth time this season where USC was either winning in the fourth quarter or down by a touchdown or less.
Sellers finished 16 of 30 passing for 180 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. He has seven touchdown passes in nine games.
Think about it: South Carolina trailed Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss by less than a touchdown heading into the fourth quarter. Which sounds great. But those who watched never got the feeling the Gamecocks would come out victorious.
“We’re sick and tired of this feeling,” Beamer said. “I’m tired of coming into the team metting on Sunday talking about how close we are. Talking about (how) we didn’t finish.”
Is that play-calling? Is it coaching? Is it a talent discrepancy?
It’s probably some combination of those things. And, at this point, it seems there’s no fixing the issues in 2025.
Next South Carolina football game
- Who: South Carolina at Texas A&M
- When: TBD Saturday, Nov. 15
- Where: Kyle Field in College Station, Texas
- Watch: TBD
This story was originally published November 1, 2025 at 10:29 PM.
