South-Carolina
Missouri football preseason preview: What MU should expect from South Carolina in November
When Missouri football visits South Carolina in mid-November, the tone for its season will already be more or less set.
Mizzou is 46 days away from kicking off its season Thursday, Aug. 29, against Murray State on Faurot Field in Columbia. On Tuesday, Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz will be joined by wide receiver Luther Burden III, quarterback Brady Cook and defensive tackle Kristian Williams at SEC media days in Dallas.
The Tigers are among the group of teams expected to make a push for a berth to the expanded, 12-team College Football Playoff. To get there, MU will need to win a minimum of 10 games, with an 11-win regular season likely the only sure path into the playoffs.
On Nov. 16, when Mizzou faces coach Shame Beamer’s Gamecocks in Columbia, South Carolina, it will have already faced the likes of Texas A&M and Alabama on the road, and it will be coming straight off a home game against former Big 12 foe Oklahoma.
Those games likely will decide whether or not Missouri will factor into the playoff committee’s consideration.
If the Tigers are still in contention, the road trip to South Carolina becomes oh-so-important.
Here’s what to know about South Carolina’s offseason, including key additions and playmakers to keep an eye on when the teams take the field:
More: Three transfers who could help define Missouri football’s success in 2024 season
Who are the opposing names to know when Missouri football visits South Carolina?
Quarterback: LaNorris Sellers is suiting up for his first season as South Carolina’s starter, getting his shot as a redshirt freshman as ex-starter Spencer Rattler heads to the league. Sellers threw four passes as a rookie, all against FCS Furman, and went 4-for-4 for 86 yards and two touchdowns. In two other reserve appearances, against Vanderbilt and Kentucky, he rushed for 45 yards and a touchdown on three total carries.
Offensive playmakers: Coastal Carolina transfer Jared Brown is an intriguing addition after a 1,051-yard, all-purpose year for the Chanticleers, as is Louisville newcomer Ahmari Huggins-Bruce, who brings three years of experience.
But the real linchpin of this Gamecocks offense will be running back Raheim Sanders, who rushed for 1,443 yards for Arkansas in 2022 but spent half of last season sidelined with various injuries. If he stays healthy, that’s a major grab for coach Beamer’s team.
Defensive playmakers: Debo Williams was an All-SEC linebacker for the Gamecocks last season and returns as one of their top playmakers in 2024. South Carolina also has some stout options at defensive tackle, including T.J. Sanders, who registered 9.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks last season, and Tonka Hemingway, who had six quarterback hurries, seven pass breakups and two fumble recoveries last year.
What did the offseason look like for Gamecocks?
Key additions: Rocket Sanders (RB); Kyle Kennard (EDGE); Bangally Kamara (LB); Dylan Stewart (DE); Jared Brown (WR); Ahmari Huggins-Bruce (WR)
Key losses: Xavier Legette (WR); Spencer Rattler (QB); Marcellas Dial (CB); Nick Gargiulo (IOL); Mario Anderson (RB); Stone Blanton (LB); Trey Knox (TE)
Key coaching changes: NA
Here’s Beamer’s biggest issue: The Gamecocks have lost their top three pass-catchers from 2023 in Carolina Panthers first-round pick Xavier Legette, tight end Trey Knox and wide receiver Ahmarean Brown. They’ve lost their leading rusher, Mario Anderson, to Memphis in the portal. They’ve lost Rattler, their quarterback, who was a fifth-round draft pick to the Saints.
In total, per a table from ESPN’s Bill Connely, South Carolina is returning 52% of its offensive production from last season. That ranks 94th in the FBS. For reference, Mizzou returns 79%, which sits at 16th in the country.
With 22 total commitments, 247Sports ranks South Carolina’s transfer class at No. 16 nationally, a couple spots behind Missouri. Plenty of that work was acquiring offensive playmakers.
Some in-season chatter circulated last season that USC defensive coordinator Clayton White might be on the hot seat, but he remains in the role for a fourth season after giving up the third-most yards per game (395.8) in the SEC last season.
Early forecast for Mizzou at South Carolina
This has been Missouri’s game since Drinkwitz arrived in Columbia.
Mizzou has won each of its past five games against the Gamecocks, including a 4-0 record in its current head coach’s tenure. As it stands, MU should be favored this time around, too.
There aren’t many easy road trips in the SEC, though, and South Carolina has some players that could, on any given Saturday, cause a team some serious problems. Sellers is a true dual threat, and Sanders can give any team the runaround.
Mizzou completely shut South Carolina down last season. If Missouri is a two-loss team at the time of its visit to Williams-Brice Stadium, it might have to put the same type of hurt on the Gamecocks to boost its resume. If it’s managed to keep single-digit losses or fewer, any type of win will do.
More: Missouri football preseason preview: What Oklahoma will bring when old foes reunite
More: Missouri football gets 5th commit in a week, lands 4-star East St. Louis safety Charles Bass
South-Carolina
South Carolina man faces first-degree murder trial in deadly 2022 Fayetteville robbery
A South Carolina man will face a Cumberland County jury in November for his involvement in a deadly robbery at a Yadkin Road business.
Quinteel Pierre Harley, 37, of Loris, South Carolina, is charged with first-degree murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon in the death of Eddie Saez Jr., 34, of Fayetteville, who was shot and killed inside his Yadkin Road shop in 2022.
Harley’s trial is set for Nov. 14 in Cumberland County Superior Court. Assistant District Attorney Rob Thompson said it is the only murder trial scheduled for November.
Harley’s codefendant, Rasheem Grant, 32, of South Carolina, pleaded guilty March 5 to second-degree murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon in the killing. Grant was sentenced to 23 to 28 years, eight months in prison, according to court records.
Shopkeeper killed as he prepared to ring up items
According to search warrants, police responded to reports of a shooting around 3 p.m. Jan. 4, 2022, at Southern Swag City Boutique on Yadkin Road. Saez was found inside the store with a gunshot wound to the head, according to the autopsy report. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Shortly before the shooting, surveillance footage at the shop recorded a man exiting an Infiniti SUV, entering the business and browsing as if shopping, according to the warrant.
The warrant states a second man joined him in the store, and the two continued browsing before bringing items to the counter.
As Saez began folding the items, the warrant states, one of the men feigned payin,g and then two intruders pulled out weapons. The record states that the men are seen on surveillance video ordering Saez around the store before shooting him.
The warrant states that after the gunfire, one of the men collects a firearm near Saez’s body, before both left the scene in the Infiniti SUV.
The record says that several anonymous CrimeStopper tips identified Harley as one of the suspects after police released photos to the public in a bid to identify the shooters, according to the warrant.
The record also alleges that latent prints found at the scene matched Grant and that his Grant’s phone records showed he was in contact with Harley and in the area of the clothing store three minutes before the first call to 911 reported the shooting.
Grant was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Columbia, South Carolina, 10 days after the killing.
Public safety reporter Joseph Pierre can be reached at jpierre@gannett.com.
Texas A&M football will be on national television in Week 12 as it seeks revenge from a 2024 loss.
The Aggies (9-0, 6-0 SEC) will play South Carolina at 11 a.m. Saturday at Kyle Field on ESPN, A&M athletics announced Friday.
Last season’s meeting did not go as planned for the Aggies, who were 7-1 and ranked No. 10, but were upset 44-20 in Columbia, S.C. Marcel Reed was 18-for-28, totaling 206 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The loss started a 1-4 stretch to end the season.
This year, the Aggies are again in first place when they meet Shane Beamer’s 3-6 Gamecocks. The Aggies’ latest conquest was a 38-17 rout Saturday of the No. 22 Missouri Tigers.
Texas A&M is 6-0 in conference play for the first time since 1998, when the Aggies were members of the Big 12.
PINEVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) – The Berkeley 250 Francis Marion Commission and the South Carolina State Guard joined other local organizations to honor veterans at the gravesite of General Francis Marion ahead of Veterans Day.
The ceremony brought together veterans, active service members and their families at the Revolutionary War hero’s burial site.
“I served with a lot of good guys who some didn’t return, some did, but they all served with honor,” veteran Ed McCants said.
Maj. Gen. Commander Leon Lott of the South Carolina State Guard said the event highlighted the importance of remembering true heroes.
“Very important that we never forget the real heroes that we’ve got. Not a sports figure, but someone who put a uniform on, a different type of uniform that was willing to sacrifice his life,” Lott said.
The ceremony included military traditions such as the Posting of the Colors and the National Anthem to remember those who served before.
“This is someone who’s a true American patriot and a hero for South Carolina and for the United States, and we’re free today because of someone like General Francis Marion,” Lott said.
McCants emphasized the importance of recognizing those who went beyond their call of duty.
“There are many of those who serve and did more than was asked of them. And I think those people need to be recognized and those people need to be honored,” McCants said.
“If you don’t remember your past, you won’t have a future,” Lott said.
The ceremony also served as a reminder of what it means to be a veteran.
“Somebody who is willing to sacrifice whatever was necessary for the duty he was in charge to perform,” McCants said.
“You never stop serving. Once you put this uniform on, you really never take it off. You always have it on. It may not be visible, but you have it on inside your heart,” Lott said.
And it showed why it’s important to honor what our flag stands for.
“Have a duty and obligation to keep our country free,” McCants said.
The South Carolina State Guard is also assisting food banks across the state in response to the ongoing government shutdown, making sure families don’t go hungry.
Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.
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