The Gamecocks fell to the LSU Tigers on Saturday with a final score of 36-33. While there were many things the Gamecocks did well, the positives are largely overshadowed by the questionable calls and penalties down the stretch of this game which greatly affected the outcome.

There were several controversial and avoidable events that affected the game’s result. The two that were most influential were the Sellers’ injury and the Kyle Kennard personal foul penalty that negated Emmanwori’s likely game sealing pick-6.

Sellers’ Injury

I put the blame for his injury directly on Dowell Loggains. South Carolina was on the fringe of field goal range for Alex Herrera with a little over twenty seconds left on the clock and two timeouts. They needed realistically 5-10 yards to set up a comfortable FG to end the half. They easily could have utilized the middle of the field either through a pass or run to pick up those yards given their ability to stop the clock.

Loggains, though, was locked in on passing to the sidelines which I feel like made it easier for the LSU pass rush to get to Sellers given that the defense knew not only that a pass was coming but that it was going to the perimeter. This disrupted the offensive rhythm and made Sellers a sitting duck in the pocket. Had the Gamecocks continued to run their regular offense instead of trying to force it to the perimeter, not only would they have at least gotten a FG attempt (and likely made it), but the injury would have likely been avoided.

There’s no denying that his injury drastically altered the Gamecocks’ offense and reduced their chances of winning. Prior to his injury, I thought Carolina’s offense was getting the better of the LSU defense. In fact, Brian Kelly put it best after the game when he said, “They (the Gamecocks) were able to stay on schedule earlier with Sellers in the game, but when Ashford came in, we were able to get him off schedule, and that was really the difference.” I agree fully with this statement.

The LSU defense had no answers for the two headed rushing attack of Sellers and Sanders. Once Sellers got hurt and the threat to throw was no longer a viable element of the Carolina offense, the Gamecocks had little success outside of a Rocker Sanders rushing TD. Put simply: If Sellers had not gotten injured, the Gamecocks would have held onto the victory.

Kyle Kennard’s Personal Foul Penalty

Nonetheless, the Gamecocks, even with Ashford in at QB, found themselves up four with only six minutes left to play. Emmanwori’s pick-6 would have likely sealed the game as this would have put the Gamecocks up two scores, and I think the momentum from the pick-6 would have given the defense the juice to finish the game out.

Was it the most malicious hit in the history of the sport? No. Was there ill-will behind it where he meant to harm Nussmeier? No. Did Emmanwori’s return to the endzone hinge solely on Kennard needing to hit/block Nussmeier? No. There is no question that it was absolutely a controversial call, and it could have gone either way. My point is this though, in that scenario, as a senior and one of the leaders of the defense, you have to have the presence of mind to not give an official any reason to blow his whistle.

There is no one on the field that the officials will be more likely to protect at that moment than the QB. Get in his way, run beside him, do anything but knock him to the ground and give the official a reason to call a penalty. As questionable of a call as it was, the whole thing could have been avoided.

The Positives

It was not all bad for the Gamecocks. I thought they did some things very well and can take some positives away from the game.

First and foremost, they were prepared to play in this game, evidenced by them jumping out to a 17-0 lead. The environment was crazy, and I thought they embraced it perfectly and let it fuel them to an early lead. They will have other opportunities to take down a ranked opponent.

The rushing attack was another positive as it was the most efficient it’s been all season. Sanders had a breakout game and the ground game performed at the level we all hoped it would. 

Lastly, and maybe a bit controversially, I thought the defense played well. In the first half, LSU only put together two scoring drives not assisted by a turnover. Their only other score of the half was a FG on a drive that netted only seven yards after a LaNorris Seller’s fumble. I think fatigue was a major factor in the second half due to Seller’s injury and the subsequent lack of offensive production. 

The outcome was not what any Gamecock fan wanted, but there is no doubt there was a lot to be proud of. If they can carry these positives into the games to come, Carolina has nothing to worry about.