The South Carolina Gamecocks pulled off one of their biggest victories of the season Saturday afternoon, October 10th, knocking off 16th-ranked Florida 38-19 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville.
Quarterback LaNorris Sellers turned in a spectacular performance, accounting for five touchdowns as the Gamecocks snapped an eight-game Southeastern Conference losing streak and picked up their first conference victory of the season.
Sellers completed 23 of 35 passes for 279 yards and four touchdowns while adding another score on the ground.
Florida struck first with a 59-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Philo to Bailey Stockton, but South Carolina answered when Sellers connected with Nyck Harbor on a 15-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at seven.
After the teams exchanged field goals in the second quarter, the Gamecocks took advantage of a Florida turnover. Vicari Swain intercepted a Philo pass, setting up a 12-yard touchdown strike from Sellers to Mazeo Bennett Jr. that gave South Carolina a 17-10 halftime advantage.
The Gamecocks took control in the second half.
Sellers connected with Donovan Murph on a 26-yard touchdown pass before scoring himself on a one-yard quarterback sneak to extend South Carolina’s lead to 31-13.
The Gamecocks added another touchdown in the fourth quarter when Sellers found Lex Cyrus on a 21-yard scoring pass, putting the game out of reach.
South Carolina finished with 393 yards of total offense and did not commit a turnover, while the Gamecock defense forced three Florida turnovers.
The victory was especially impressive considering Florida entered the contest as a double-digit favorite and had started the season with four consecutive victories.
The win improved South Carolina to 3-3 overall and 1-3 in SEC play, while Florida dropped to 4-2 overall and 2-2 in conference action.
For head coach Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks, Saturday’s victory provided a much-needed boost after a difficult start to conference play.
And for LaNorris Sellers, it was a reminder of why he entered the season regarded as one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in college football.
South Carolina walked into The Swamp as the underdog and walked out with a convincing 19-point victory over a nationally ranked opponent.
