Two South Carolina programs will square off this week
Two South Carolina programs will square off this week after both suffered high-scoring defeats in their previous games. The Chanticleers faced a significant setback when quarterback Samari Collier exited early against Georgia Southern with a knee injury, while the Gamecocks blew a 27-point lead in a stunning loss to the third-ranked Texas A&M Aggies.
Coastal Carolina
Coastal Carolina posted their fourth game of the season with 40 or more points, but their usually stifling defense, which had been strong all year, gave up 45 points and struggled to contain Georgia Southern’s powerful rushing attack.
Both teams traded scores in a first-half shootout that kept the game lively. Late in the first quarter, Samari Collier exploded for a 47-yard run before suffering a knee injury at the end of the play. Although Collier was able to walk off with assistance, he was later seen on the sideline wearing a leg brace and using crutches, ruling him out for the remainder of the game.
Redshirt sophomore Tad Hudson stepped in as quarterback for the Chanticleers. In his four starts this season, Hudson has thrown for three touchdowns and four interceptions, totaling 405 passing yards. Hudson completed 15 of 28 passes for 173 yards after relieving Collier, who had contributed 69 rushing yards, including a touchdown, before exiting.
Wide receivers Bryson Graves and Robby Washington each threw a touchdown pass for Coastal Carolina. Graves caught a lateral pass and then threw a 75-yard touchdown to Jameson Tucker in the first quarter. Washington took a jet sweep to the left and aired out a pass to Karmello English that cut the deficit 35-33 after the 2-point conversion failed early in the second quarter.
Defensively, the Chanticleers allowed 653 total yards of offense, and Jeremiah Johnson’s unit had no answer for running back OJ Arnold, who delivered the single greatest performance in Georgia Southern history. Arnold became the first player in program history to record a passing touchdown, a receiving touchdown, and a rushing touchdown all in one game. He rushed for 267 yards and two scores on 21 carries, caught four passes for 53 yards and a touchdown, and threw a 73-yard touchdown pass, accounting for four total touchdowns in the 45-40 win.
Senior wide receiver Camden Brown played a crucial role in the Eagles’ win, recording five catches for 133 yards and three touchdowns. Dalen Cobb led the team in receptions with six catches for 81 yards. Quarterback JC French IV completed 22 of 33 passes for 264 yards, throwing two touchdowns and one interception.
With just over 11 minutes remaining in the game, freshman running back Dominic Knicely broke free for an untouched 16-yard touchdown run, narrowing the score to 40-45 and giving the Chanticleers a chance to win. The defense stepped up, forcing stops on back-to-back drives. Unfortunately, the Chanticleer offense stalled, punting on its final two drives and ultimately sealing the win for Georgia Southern.
South Carolina
No. 3 Texas A&M pulled off the biggest comeback in school history to beat South Carolina 31-30.
The Gamecocks made life difficult for Marcel Reed in the first half, intercepting him twice and forcing a fumble that was returned for a score to put the Aggies in a 30-3 hole.
Reed threw for a career-high 439 yards and three touchdowns to remain undefeated with the victory. Entering Saturday, teams were 0-286 in Southeastern Conference play since 2004 when trailing by 27 points or more.
“I’m not lost for words very much, but I was lost for words with the team in the locker room after the game,” coach Mike Elko said. “A lot of that emotion was just pride in who they were, how they conducted themselves. There’s not a lot of teams that have a culture and a core that will just keep going.”
South Carolina took a 10-3 lead when quarterback LaNorris Sellers connected with Vandrevius Jacobs on a 50-yard touchdown pass. They extended the lead to 17-3 when defensive tackle Nick Barrett scooped up a fumble by Reed and ran 17 yards for a touchdown late in the first quarter.
With just under a minute left in the first half, Vicari Swain intercepted Marcel Reed in the end zone, setting up the Gamecocks for another scoring opportunity. They capitalized right away, as Sellers found Nyck Harbor for an 80-yard catch-and-run touchdown on the first play of the drive, putting South Carolina firmly in control with a 27-3 lead over the Aggies.
Texas A&M scored touchdowns on four consecutive possessions and took the lead early in the fourth quarter when EJ Smith rushed for a 4-yard touchdown, a drive set up by a 31-yard pass to KC Concepcion. This sequence gave the Aggies their first lead of the game and ultimately ignited their historic comeback victory over South Carolina.
After forcing Texas A&M to punt, the Gamecocks recovered a critical fumble by Jamarion Morrow on a trick play near the goal line with about three minutes remaining, giving South Carolina another opportunity.
Dalton Brooks and Cashius Howell sacked Sellers on consecutive plays, bringing up a crucial fourth-and-16 with about 90 seconds left in the game. Sellers scrambled on fourth down but was stopped short of the first down marker, sealing the victory for Texas A&M.
Sellers finished the game with 246 passing yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. South Carolina dropped its fifth straight game, falling to 3-7 overall and 1-7 in conference play.
“To say that I’m hurt for our guys is an understatement,” South Carolina coach Shane Beamer said. “I know the rest of the country was surprised with what was going on in the first half, we weren’t. And when you’re dominating, you don’t look at the scoreboard, you just keep going and that’s what we talked about. In the second half, I’m just feeling disappointed with the way that we performed.”
South Carolina looks to bounce back and end their losing streak as they host Coastal Carolina on Saturday, Nov. 22, with kickoff scheduled for 4:15 p.m. EST.
Both teams have notable strengths and key performers who are expected to have a major impact on the rivalry game. However, Coastal Carolina faces some injury concerns, including the questionable status of starting quarterback Samari Collier.
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