How Gamecocks’ offense leaned on these three heroes to pull upset on Aggies

The biggest question mark all season for South Carolina has been its offense.

On Saturday night, however, it was like a switch flipped. And it came on the backs of the trio of LaNorris Sellers, Raheim “Rocket” Sanders and Joshua Simon, who all played perhaps the best games of their careers in a 44-20 win over No. 10 Texas A&M.

“In a game like this, we need our best players to step up and play well,” head coach Shane Beamer said after the win. “... And just some awesome individual efforts out there.”

USC scored 44 points against a formidable Texas A&M defense — one that has allowed less than 20 points per game in SEC play en route to a 5-0 conference record.

The Gamecocks (5-3, 3-3 SEC) produced 530 yards of total offense, including 286 rushing. They also had nine plays of 20 or more yards.

Beamer didn’t expect the USC to go out and put up such as dominating performance. But it means they have higher expectations for themselves going forward.

“It means we’re one of the best teams in the SEC, and if you’re one of the best teams in the SEC, you’re one of the best teams in the country,” Beamer said.

Rocket is cleared for takeoff

One of Sanders’ former coaches passed away recently, and it was one of the driving forces for his performance Saturday. He said his brother played on the coach’s team. Sanders was a younger player trying to play with the older kids, and the coach let him.

Those memories were important to Sanders on his journey through football, and his admiration for his former coach pushed him to dedicate Saturday’s game to him.

He finished with a season-high 144 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries, which was his best production since 2022 when he was with Arkansas. He also had five catches for a career-high 92 receiving yards.

There has been a microscope on South Carolina when it comes to protecting the ball and not turning it over this season. The Gamecocks have been one of the worst teams in the country in that regard.

Sanders fumbled in the first quarter in Aggies territory with the Gamecocks leading 14-3 and looking to put their foot on the gas. It was a tough spot for that to happen.

Still, Beamer didn’t say anything to Sanders about it. He’s a veteran, plus his surplus of rushing attempts left ample opportunities for one to slip away.

“We spend a lot of time on ball security, and nobody felt worse about it than he did,” Beamer said. “But it was just a ‘Don’t do it again’ type moment. I wasn’t worried about Rocket.”

Sellers’ growth continues

When Beamer saw LaNorris Sellers’ father, Norris, in the hallway after the game, he felt compelled to stop and give him a special message: “I told him he’s got one hell of a son. That kid is special.”

Sellers hasn’t really had the opportunity to get comfortable on the field. He didn’t play the second half of the loss to LSU. He missed the Akron game. The loss to Alabama was only Sellers’ second game starting this season. And even in that second game, he played his best game of the season at that point.

He followed that up with an even better performance Saturday against Texas A&M. He completed 13 of 27 passes for a career-high 244 yards and two touchdowns. He also had 15 carries for a career-high 106 carries.

“He just continues to get better,” Beamer said.

Sellers knew tough times were coming in his first season as a starter, but he’s making progress.

“Since the first game, it’s slowing down for me, so just gotta keep doing that,” he said when asked about his progression through the season.

With that comfort has come an increased physical presence on the field from Sellers. Beamer said he noticed it through the week in practice. It carried over to the game. In the second quarter, he ran over a defender to convert on third down on one of his scrambles.

Beamer said he needed Sellers to play at the level he did in a high-level SEC matchup like the one against Texas A&M.

“In a game like this, with two evenly matched, physical SEC teams, it comes down to quarterback play, and we got the better quarterback,” Beamer said.

Simon’s best game yet

Tight end Joshua Simon also made his impact on the game Saturday. He finished with a career-high 132 yards and two touchdowns on four catches.

It was the coming-out party for the sixth-year pass catcher, an effort that was needed for an offense that has yet to find an identity with its receivers.

But even it means even more in the eyes of Beamer.

“Just so happy for our players, especially our seniors,” Beamer said. “The guys that — after last season, the disappointment of finishing 5-7 — easily could have bounced, gone somewhere else. … And they hung in there with us for nights like this.”