South-Carolina
First look at South Carolina vs. Akron: Gamecocks a big betting favorite at home
South Carolina football is coming off a heartbreaking 36-33 home loss to LSU. Now comes a tune-up game in which they can bounce back.
The Gamecocks are set to host Akron, their second mid-major opponent of the season. The Zips are well-coached and creative, but they are not particularly talented.
SOUTH CAROLINA VS. AKRON GAME, TV INFO
Who: South Carolina (2-1) vs. Akron (1-2)
Where: Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C.
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
TV: ESPNU
VEGAS ODDS, POINT SPREAD
The Gamecocks are 27.5-point favorites against the Zips, according to the Action Network. The over/under is 46.5 points.
LAST MEETING, TRENDS
The Gamecocks won the last and only meeting between the teams, a chilly 28-3 victory in a cold and wet game in 2018 that was played in December as a makeup when a hurricane canceled an early-season contest.
STATE OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS
South Carolina let one slip away Saturday, blowing a 17-0 lead to LSU and losing late in an avalanche of mistakes and ill-timed penalties. The Gamecocks were painfully close to pulling off a 2-0 start in conference play.
The offense showed more potential, with more than 350 yards of explosive plays. The defense had some good moments but seemed to wear down and struggle with tackling down the stretch. The offensive production came despite QB LaNorris Sellers missing half of the game with an ankle injury.
Missing the chance to get to 3-0 means Shane Beamer’s team will still need to pull one SEC or Clemson upset to reach a bowl game. Had they won last week, they’d be in pole position to make the postseason and almost guarantee minimal uncomfortable questions in the offseason.
State of the Akron Zips
In Year 2 under Joe Moorhead, the Zips are trying to make progress after consecutive 2-10 seasons. They took a pair of brutal losses (outscord 101-23 by Ohio State and Rutgers) before topping FCS Colgate.
Moorhead, a former ace Penn State offensive coordinator and failed Mississippi State head coach, has been scheming things up to take most advantage of what he has. His quarterback, Ben Finley, bounced back from getting knocked out of the Ohio State game and torched Colgate. The defense plays hard and gets after it, but they were at such a talent disadvantage the first two weeks that the numbers were ugly.
Life for the Zips program is always going to be difficult and an uphill battle. Since returning to Division 1-A/FCS in 1988, they’ve posted only eight winning seasons and played in three bowls.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers: In less than a half of work, Sellers had some moments against LSU. The second-year player hit a few nice passes and broke off a 75-yard run before tweaking an ankle. He’ll probably be fine for the Zips and could probably use a game where he can slow down a bit.
South Carolina RB Rocket Sanders: The former Arkansas star started the season slowly, then got lathered up against LSU. He posted 143 yards, including a 66-yarder. The Zips give up 5.9 yards per carry to power conference opponents, so Sanders might have a chance to feast.
South Carolina DE Kyle Kennard: The LSU game featured a lot of positives for the veteran pass rusher, but he also committed a (controversial) penalty that took a potential game-icing score off the board. He’s already been terrorizing offensive linemen, and Akron has a decidedly struggling pass protection situation.
Akron QB Ben Finley: After stints at N.C. State (where his brother starred) and Cal, Finley has finally found a place in a lineup. He just got hammered by Ohio State, but he finally got going with 358 yards and four scores vs. Colgate.
Akron DE C.J. Nunnally: A quick and tough defensive end at 6-foot-3, 240 pounds, Nunnally can be a dangerous pass rusher for the Zips. He’s already got a sack and 1 .5 tackles for loss after posting seven and 13.5 last season.
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — One person was critically injured in a motorcycle crash in the Longs area on Thursday afternoon, according to Horry County Fire Rescue (HCFR).
Just before 2:00 p.m., crews responded to the area of Old Highway 31 near Hidden River Road.
MORE: 1 critically injured in vehicle rollover near International Dr.
One person was transported to the hospital as a result of the motorcycle crash, HCFR said.
Officials ask that drivers avoid the area as lanes of traffic are currently blocked.
The incident is under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol with assistance from the Horry County Police Department.
Dawn Staley & Gamecocks on ‘rusty’ start in huge win over Southern U
Dawn Staley and Joyce Edwards on their ‘rusty’ start in their first game in two weeks that turned into a massive 69-point win NCAA tournament.
Sports Pulse
COLUMBIA, SC ― With the clock winding down and pressures of the Women’s NCAA Tournament rising, South Carolina senior guard Raven Johnson isn’t playing just to win. She plays in honor of a voice she can no longer hear – but that she still carries with her every time she steps onto the court.
That motivation was on full display Monday night, as the No. 1-seeded Gamecocks took down No. 9 USC to advance to the Sweet 16. Johnson earned her 1,000th career point ― what would prove to be her last point at Colonial Life Arena ― on a steal and fast-break layup that brought a roar from the crowd. The Gamecocks will face No. 4 Oklahoma Saturday in Sacramento, with another Elite Eight appearance on the line.
For Johnson, the moment symbolized something deeper – a career shaped by the memory of her late grandfather. Johnson’s family watched as she achieved the milestone, her mother, grandmother and twin brother. It was a full circle moment for a player whose journey took root in her grandparents’ home.
Her grandparents helped raise her and her twin brother, Richard Johnson. The family lived together and she often calls her grandmother “mother” and her grandfather “papa,” reflecting the impact they had on her upbringing.
“My grandparents did a really good job,” Johnson said. “We wouldn’t be playing sports if it wasn’t for them.”
The Boones introduced the twins to basketball through their church and spent countless hours training them, often pushing them past their limits. A sergeant first class in the Army Reserves, he supervised soldiers in his unit and brought that same discipline to his grandchildren on the court, being demanding, structured and determined.
“I remember being outside and he was training us and I thought it was so hard. I wanted to give up,” Johnson said. “I used to cry, and he would be like ‘You’re not going to cry in my face, and you’re not going to give up.’ It was little things like that that made me tough.”
The standard of grit, accountability and composure, is something Johnson carries today.
“She’s just a winner and she’s a great point guard,” said South Carolina senior guard Ta’Niya Latson, who also played with Johnson at Westlake High School in Atlanta. “When she’s confident, we’re confident. When she’s poised, we’re poised. It’s hard to have that type of personality and leadership on the court, but she carries it well.”
Rodrick Boone was diagnosed with stomach cancer in December 2012 and died in April 2013 while Johnson was at a tournament in New Orleans. She was 10 years old.
“I remember I shut down,” Johnson said. “My mind went blank. I was like ‘What?’ I thought he was untouchable.”
Months after her grandfather’s death, something shifted in her mindset.
“I think that’s my why,” Johnson said. “I keep going today because he is my why.”
As a child, Johnson didn’t even like basketball. She preferred T-ball and cheerleading and thought basketball wasn’t for girls, until she saw Notre Dame’s Skylar Diggins and began to see herself differently.
“She was so pretty to me and I remember asking ‘Can I be girly and hoop?’” Johnson said.
She was the only girl on her recreational team, earning the nickname “Killer” for her defensive intensity alongside her brother, nicknamed “Thriller” for his offensive ability. The boys tested Johnson by playing physical and trying to push her out of the sport.
“I used to be cooking them out there a little bit, and I think they didn’t like that,” Johnson said.
She said the boys trying to make it hard on her actually made her tougher both physically and mentally.
Her grandmother, Connie Boone, said her grandfather would be proud of what Johnson has become.
“He might be crying but he would be happy about it,” her grandmother said. “You start them young, but you never know what the outcome is going to be.”
Johnson imagines the conversations she’d be having with her papa if he was still here.
“He would still be on my butt riding me, he’ll tell me maybe I need to fix something,” Johnson said. “He’ll be happy and I think he’ll be like ‘All right let’s get back to the drawing board. Let’s get ready for the next opponent.’”
She knows her papa is always watching, and she talks to him a lot at night.
“I just want to tell him that I’m going to keep pushing through even when it gets tough,” Johnson said. “He’s always telling me to push through because nobody cares. Nobody cares if you’re at your lowest, nobody cares.”
On Monday, fans chanted “Raven, Raven, Raven” as she walked off the court for the final time at Colonial Life Arena, Johnson’s moment was bigger than the scoreboard.
It was about diligence, progress and a promise kept.
With another game ahead and the possibility of a deeper tournament run, she isn’t finished. She continues to push and play for the voice that gave her a reason to begin.
Alyssia Hamilton is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.
Rochester, N.Y. — An Orleans County man faces a peeping tom charge in South Carolina after a woman said he left an audio recording device in her home.
According to an incident report from the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office, an officer responded to the home Jan. 24 for a report of a possible peeping tom or voyeurism incident. The victim told the officer she had been in a relationship with Nicolas Vagg from May-October 2024 and said he traveled from New York to visit her in 2024.
The woman told the officer she found a small black rectangular device in her bedroom. She later determined it was a recording device. She said she connected the device to her phone and found audio recordings captured during her time with Vagg, as well as others from her interactions with another man after she and Vagg broke up.
Vagg, 32, of Albion turned himself in Tuesday, according to the report. He was charged with sex/ peeping tom, eavesdropping or peeping.
Georgetown County Detention Center records indicate Vagg was initially held on $2,000 bond and released later Tuesday.
The victim received a no-contact order of protection, according to the incident report. Vagg’s next court date is scheduled for May 28.
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