COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Gamecocks (2-0) overcame a weather delay and a slow start Saturday night, thanks to a pair of electrifying punt return touchdowns from redshirt sophomore Vicari Swain, who tied a school record as the Gamecocks beat SC State 45-3.
More than 79,000 fans at Williams-Brice Stadium, the most for a home opener since 2017, endured a two-and-a-half-hour lightning delay and were rewarded with a dominant third quarter from the home team.
The Gamecock offense was sluggish in the first half, but Swain provided the spark. He took his first punt return to the house from 65 yards out late in the second quarter to give Carolina its first lead at 7-3. Just a few minutes later, Maurice Brown II blocked another punt, which Swain scooped up and returned for his second touchdown of the night.
With those two scores, Swain now has three punt return touchdowns on the season, tying the program record set by Dick Harris in 1971.
“It was a huge factor because we needed a spark, and somebody had to spark the team,” Swain said.
The special teams heroics sent the Gamecocks into halftime with a 17-3 lead, and they didn’t look back. The offense and defense took over in the third quarter, outscoring the Bulldogs 21-0.
Quarterback LaNorris Sellers settled in, completing 11 of 19 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown. The offense also added two rushing touchdowns, one from Oscar Adaway III and a 35-yard reception by Vandrevius Jacobs, the first of his career.
The defense also had a field day, shutting out the Bulldogs in the second half. They recorded a season-high four sacks and held SC State to just 270 total yards. Defensive end Bryan Thomas Jr. forced a fumble, which was returned for a touchdown by Jaron Willis.
After the game, coach Shane Beamer praised the fans for their loyalty after the long delay.
“99.9% of schools in the country, if they had a two-and-a-half-hour weather delay, they would have came out to a half empty stadium,” Beamer said. “We came out to a packed stadium for pre-game warmups. It’s amazing.”
The Gamecocks now have an eight-game regular-season winning streak and will look to continue their momentum as they head into SEC play.
