COLUMBIA – South Carolina is off to a fast start fueled by first-time starters in quarterback LaNorris Sellers and edge rusher Dylan Stewart. LSU coach Brian Kelly has noticed and knows his 16th-ranked Tigers have, too.
The Tigers (1-1) open Southeastern Conference play Saturday against first-place South Carolina (2-0, 1-0), whose 31-6 win at Kentucky last week is the only SEC game played so far. Kelly was impressed early by Sellers and Stewart.
Kelly sees a physical player in Sellers – he compared him to ex-Florida quarterback and first-round NFL draft pick Anthony Richardson – who uses his 6-foot-3 frame to make plays through the air and on the ground.
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“He has a cannon for an arm and can throw it 65 or 70 yards,” Kelly said. “He just reminds you of that physical presence, but he is a new starter.”
Stewart is a 6-6, 248-pound true freshman who has gained a starting spot with his speed and ability to get into the backfield. He has 2.5 sacks and forced a pair of fumbles his first two games.
“Stewart is a pure pass rusher. That doesn’t mean he can’t defend the run,” Kelly said. “He is a guy who they want in there to get after the quarterback.”
Kelly has some significant counters to the Gamecocks’ young talent.
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Garrett Nussmeier, LSU’s quarterback, has had 300-plus yards in each of the first two games and leads the SEC with eight touchdown passes. The Tigers offensive line features experienced tackles in Will Campbell and Emory Jones Jr., who are both considered high NFL draft prospects next spring.
South Carolina coach Shane Beamer said LSU’s offensive line will present a big challenge.
“There’s a reason why they’re going to be high draft picks,” Beamer said. “But like I told our players, that’s life in the SEC.”
GUILLORY OUT FOR SEASON
LSU defensive line lost tackle Jacobian Guillory to a season-ending Achilles tendon injury in last week’s win over Nicholls State. Junior college transfer Shone Washington got the bulk of the work after Guillory went down, but Kelly said he may go with other options including adding a faster, end-type to the line to spark the pass rush.
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LSU RUNNING BACKS
The Tigers have had to scramble after expected tailback starter John Emery Jr. sustained a season-ending injury at practice. Safety Ju’Juan Johnson was moved to running back to add some depth. Through two games, LSU has run for 181 yards and has no rushing TDs.
GETTING HIS KICKS
South Carolina punter Kai Kroeger can’t wait for the weekend, not only because of the chance to play LSU but because former NFL punter and ESPN personality Pat McAfee will be on hand. “I’d love to meet him, if he’s around,” said Kroeger, who was named the SEC special teams player of the week for his effort in a 31-6 victory at Kentucky last week.
LONG TIME BETWEEN VISITS
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LSU and South Carolina have played three times since 2008, all in Baton Rouge. The teams were scheduled to play in South Carolina in 2015, but that game was moved to LSU because of severe flooding from a storm.
REMEMBERING 2008
The LSU-South Carolina game here 16 years ago included an unusual sidelight as official Wilbur Hackett Jr. appeared to step into Gamecocks quarterback Stephen Garcia for a tackle not far from the end zone. The Gamecocks scored three plays later before faltering in a 24-17 defeat. South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier and the SEC said Hackett, a former linebacker at Kentucky, was in proper position and did nothing improper. LSU coach Les Miles, with a smile on his face, took a different tack. Miles joked that Hackett needed some coaching. “He didn’t wrap up,” he said.
The UCLA women’s basketball put the country on notice, defeating the #1 South Carolina Gamecocks 77-62 at home on Sunday.
The sold out crowd at Pauley Pavilion was engaged all night, with UCLA never trailing in the win, a signature victory for Cori Close’s program. South Carolina entered Sunday’s game winners of 43 in a row, including an undefeated season last year that ended with a national title.
UCLA took a 43-22 lead into halftime, taking an early first quarter lead and never looking back. UCLA didn’t allow a South Carolina basket in the game’s first five minutes, holding the Gamecocks for the first half of the first quarter. A three by junior guard Londynn Jones gave the Bruins a 15-2 lead with 2:36 to play in the opening quarter.
Junior guard Kiki Rice was a full-go for UCLA for the first time all season, with Rice scoring 11 points on 5-11 shooting in 28 minutes. It was a modest scoring night for junior center Lauren Betts, finishing with 11 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks while playing 37 minutes. Jones led the Bruins with 15 points, as UCLA had five players with double figures.
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South Carolina shot the three ball well, going 8-12 from deep but just 29.6% on two point shots. The Gamecocks would win the second half 40-34 but after the dominant first half by the Bruins, it was too late.
The #5 Bruins are due to climb in the rankings after doing what no other women’s college basketball team has done since April of 2023, beat the South Carolina Gamecocks.
No. 5 UCLA pulled off something no team has been able to do since the 2023 NCAA Tournament — it defeated No. 1 South Carolina. And soundly.
The Bruins downed the Gamecocks, 77-62, at Pauley Pavilion on Sunday, ending South Carolina’s 43-game win streak,
The defending national champions, who went undefeated last season, hadn’t lost a game since the 2023 Final Four when they fell to Caitlyn Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes. Ironically, the Gamecocks had defeated UCLA in the Sweet 16 of that tournament.
The Bruins were led by five double-digit scorers in Sunday’s win, including junior guard Londynn Jones, who led all Bruins with 15 points.
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Junior center Lauren Betts recorded yet another double-double, posting 11 points while grabbing 14 boards.
Freshman guard Elina Aarnisalo tallied 13 points, and junior guards Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez each finished with 11 points.
UCLA shot 47.5& from the field, including 47.6% from distance, as the Bruins made 10 3-pointers in the win.
They were able to come away with a double-digit victory despite turning the ball over 16 times. Meanwhile, they forced 11 turnovers, eight of which were steals. UCLA also recorded five blocks.
The Bruins won the battle of the boards, out-rebounding South Carolina 43 to 35. They also bested the Gamecocks in the assists department, 16-13.
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UCLA never trailed and, at one point, held a 23-point lead.
With the win, the Bruins improve to a perfect 5-0 start. They will next face UT Martin on the road on Friday at 3 p.m. PST, 6 p.m. EST.
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After this weekend’s action, did the college football playoff open up enough for South Carolina to get in?
It was a chaotic weekend of college football as Ole Miss lost to Florida, Oklahoma dominated Alabama, Auburn beat Texas A&M in a thriller, Ohio State handled Indiana and Kansas upset Colorado. A lot of teams that were ahead of the South Carolina Gamecocks in the rankings, but the more important question is did enough spots open up for South Carolina to potentially sneak in?
The Gamecocks will certainly rise closer to the top 12 in the next release of the rankings. They came in at No. 18 this last week and will likely be somewhere around 15 in this week’s rankings. South Carolina might have been too far back to be on the back end of the playoff this go around, but they are certainly inching closer and closer.
There is however one problem for South Carolina. Despite Alabama losing, the Crimson Tide have virtually every edge for a playoff spot over the Gamecocks if a decision came down between them. Alabama has the head to head, they have the better win against Georgia, South Carolina lost to LSU and Alabama dominated LSU on the road. South Carolina does have the better strength of schedule ranking, but that hasn’t seemed to matter too much to the college football playoff committee.
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The bottom line is South Carolina has played like on the best teams in college football as of late and has certainly done enough to put themselves into the conversation. However, if the decision came down to “which three loss SEC team do we want to put in?” the Crimson Tide likley check more boxes than South Carolina does.
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