South-Carolina
What are the next steps for South Carolina's developing offense heading into Week 3?
Through two games, South Carolina still has a lot of work to do to reach its full potential. But this past Saturday was undoubtedly a big step in the right direction.
After narrowly escaping with a victory against Old Dominion, the Gamecocks went into Lexington and earned a 25-point win over Kentucky. The defense has continued to play very well, as did the special teams units. However, the offense is still very much a work in progress.
The results from the first to second game were an improvement. South Carolina was able to play more balanced with a better passing attack. That’s not to say it was anything special, though.
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Making his first SEC start, LaNorris Sellers looked more comfortable in the pocket, as he completed 11-of-15 passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw a pass that sailed over his receiver for an interception late in the second quarter and fumbled twice while being sacked.
As the offense continues to develop, it starts with Sellers continuing to show more of what he can do as a passer and limiting his mistakes.
“It was good to see us make some strides and we did it with different schemes or different concepts, if that makes sense,” head coach Shane Beamer said during his Sunday teleconference. “I mean, we opened up the second half, we were in empty with two tight ends. And I don’t think we had a running back on the field on that first play of the second half in empty. And then we hit a little quick route underneath to Mike Smith. We’ve got to be able to continue to do that.”
Beamer was happy with some of the more explosive plays South Carolina was able to make. He specifically pointed out a third down conversion pass play from Sellers to Jared Brown for a 13-yard gain in the third quarter. And more so in general, he liked the way Sellers was “improvising and being able to keep his eyes downfield.”
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Ultimately, though, the offense still isn’t where it needs to be. As a team, the Gamecocks only mustered 252 total yards, 86 of which came in the run game. This was a departure from rushing for nearly 175 yards in Week 1, though South Carolina had 22 less carries on Saturday. It only averaged 2.5 yards per carry.
“We’ve got to be able to one, protect, and like I said, the offensive line did a really good job of that yesterday,” Beamer said. “(Deone Walker) got some pressure on us early in the game in the first couple series. But after that, most of the pressures we gave up were essentially quarterback or tight end. So we’ve got to be a little bit better about that for sure. Got to be more efficient running the ball.”
But if South Carolina really wants to do well in conference play, it may come down to how the passing game looks. Of those 252 total yards, 166 of them were through the air, with two receivers and tight ends combining for 12 catches.
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It wasn’t just what Sellers did that made the passing offense look more effective. It was also what his pass-catchers were able to do, especially with creating good separation to make plays. Yet, the Gamecocks still don’t have a true top target.
To put it into perspective, South Carolina’s leading receiver right now is Mazeo Bennett Jr. with five catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. As a whole, the receivers and tight ends have only had 22 catches for 280 yards this season. It seemingly proves just how much of a by committee product this will be until somebody steps up.
“As we’ve told those guys, we’re still trying to figure it out. We’re waiting for two or three or four guys to really take this thing and go,” Beamer said. “I feel pretty confident right now saying Jared Brown and Mazeo Bennett are probably our top two receivers right now. Well, are they going to continue to evolve or not? And then who else? We need more than two. So we’re waiting on these other guys to come on and take this thing.”
NOTE: The above video is a livestream of WIS featuring current newscasts, Soda City Living and Gray Media’s Local News Live.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – Former South Carolina Lt. Gov. André Bauer has been nominated for a position in foreign diplomacy.
The White House on Tuesday listed Bauer as a nominee to be the next U.S. Ambassador to Belize, a Central American country bordering Guatemala.
It’s unclear when a confirmation hearing will take place. WIS has reached out to the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee for more information.
Bauer was South Carolina’s lieutenant governor from 2003-2011, serving under then-Gov. Mark Sanford. Before that, he served terms in the South Carolina House of Representatives and the South Carolina Senate.
More recently, Bauer entered the race for U.S. Senate in July 2025, looking to unseat Sen. Lindsey Graham in the Republican primary. He ended his campaign the following month.
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CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — Six Republican candidates vying to become South Carolina’s next governor met in downtown Charleston for a wide-ranging debate that put abortion, infrastructure and the future of data centers at the center of the race.
The forum was held at the Sottile Theatre, where Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, state Sen. Josh Kimbrell, U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, Lowcountry businessman Rom Reddy and Attorney General Alan Wilson took the stage.
Questions included whether they would support a state hate crime law, how they would address concerns about growth and infrastructure, how to navigate collaboration, abortion and the future of data centers in the state.
One issue that drew near-unanimous opposition was state Senate Bill 1095, a proposed total abortion ban that passed out of committee earlier in the day. All of the candidates opposed the bill, but they differed on what they would do if it reached the governor’s desk.
READ MORE | South Carolina governor candidates tout infrastructure, growth at business forum
Norman said he would sign it.
“You know, this is an emotional issue, but I will tell you if this bill came to my desk as governor. If it passed the House and the Senate, I would sign it,” Norman said.
All of the other candidates on stage said they would veto the bill if it came across their desk as governor, with Reddy arguing the question should be decided by voters.
“The Supreme Court did not say the loudest voice in the ruling class prevails. It said it’s up to the people in the state, so let’s put it to a referendum,” Reddy said.
On infrastructure, candidates discussed reforming the South Carolina Department of Transportation and allowing private-sector involvement to help pay for improvements.
Wilson outlined ideas that included leasing interstate easements and expanding private express lanes.
“We privatized that grass between the interstates. We turn it into private express lanes that can be told we leased the easements on the sides of interstates to telecommunication companies and energy companies, and charge them for natural gas line and fiber optic fiber optic cables,” Wilson said.
Evette also pointed to public-private partnerships and the possibility of fast-pass lanes.
READ MORE | South Carolina governor candidates tout infrastructure, growth at business forum
“We want to make sure that we’re innovative public private partnerships coming in and creating fast pass lanes to allow people that are in a hurry to be able to utilize that,” Evette said.
The final question focused on data centers, with candidates agreeing corporations should “pay their way.”
“They should pay for their water. They should pay for their infrastructure, any roads around it, and we should look at what Governor Ron DeSantis has done in Florida with the large data centers that are coming to Florida. That should be the model in South Carolina and everywhere,” Mace said.
Kimbrell said the state should set limits to protect natural resources and guard against higher power costs for residents.
“Put parameters around data centers to ensure that the water consumption does not impact places like the ACE Basin,” Kimbrell said. “Ensuring that the Public Service Commission makes absolutely sure nobody’s power rate goes up and we try to get behind the meter energy grids in place so they can be self-sufficient.”
Two more debates are planned ahead of the primaries on June 9.
A bill that could make it a felony for doctors to perform an abortion is moving to the full South Carolina Senate with just a few weeks left in the legislative session.
The South Carolina Senate medical affairs committee continued a debate of Senate Bill 1095 on April 21 in Columbia. The bill, sponsored by State Sen. Richard Cash, R-Anderson, builds on a restrictive abortion bill that failed to progress in the fall.
The committee passed the measure in an 8-4 vote, moving it to the full Senate for consideration. Lawmakers have until May 14, the last day of the 2026 legislative session, to pass the bill for it to become law.
Senate Bill 1095, also called the “Unborn Child Protection Act,” bans performing an abortion or supplying abortion drugs. It makes it illegal for a woman to get an abortion, with the only exception being to save a pregnant woman’s life.
It also makes mifepristone and misoprostol Schedule IV controlled substances. Alprazolam (Xanax) and zolpidem (Ambien) are two other examples of Schedule IV substances.
Pro-Life Greenville, an anti-abortion organization based in Greenville, responded to the bill’s progress with “full endorsement” of the legislation.
“Unborn children, like all human beings, deserve to have their lives protected under law here in the Palmetto State,” Pro-Life Greenville stated. “Today’s vote by the SC Senate Medical Affairs Committee brings that urgent need one step closer to reality.”
Under the bill, a woman who has an abortion could face misdemeanor charges. The maximum sentence would be two years in jail with a $1,000 fine.
Those found guilty of performing an abortion or providing a pregnant woman with abortion-inducing drugs could face felony charges, a maximum sentence of 20 years in jail, and a possible $100,000 fine.
Planned Parenthood South Atlantic (PPSAT), a firm opponent of the bill, decried the Senate committee passage. PPSAT Director of Public Affairs Vicki Ringer said in a statement that the bill will cost people their lives, and it will make it more difficult for women to get reproductive and pregnancy healthcare.
“Abortion bans have and will continue to cost people their lives,” Ringer stated. “As this ban inches closer to the governor’s desk, it is becoming increasingly clear just how many of our lives anti-abortion lawmakers are willing to endanger in service to their agenda.”
Bella Carpentier covers the South Carolina legislature, state, and Greenville County politics. Contact her at bcarpentier@gannett.com
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