LaNorris Sellers is expected to be out there Saturday night, and that changes everything for South Carolina.
No. 17 South Carolina heads to Arkansas riding a four-game winning streak, with Sellers set to play despite the ankle injury he suffered in the second quarter of last Saturday’s 17-9 home win over Texas A&M. He left for X-rays at halftime, came back, and finished the job with a hobbling 41-yard touchdown run with 1:19 left.
That kind of grit has helped fuel Shane Beamer’s latest surge. After opening Southeastern Conference play with three straight losses and taking plenty of heat following a 35-34 home defeat to Kentucky on Oct.
3, South Carolina has flipped the script with four consecutive wins. Beamer has done this before, too.
In 2024, he guided the Gamecocks through a six-game run to close the regular season after they were 3-3 following a 27-25 loss at No. 7 Alabama and briefly worked their way into the CFP conversation.
Beamer said Sunday night that Sellers would play, and he repeated that message Tuesday.
"Gave you one Sunday night, and nothing has changed since Sunday night," Beamer said curtly. "We’ve got an injury report that comes out tomorrow night."
South Carolina enters at 6-3 overall and 4-3 in the SEC, while Arkansas is 3-6 and 1-5. But Beamer isn’t buying the easy read on the Razorbacks.
He said Arkansas is playing better than the record suggests after watching the tape, even after the Razorbacks fell 26-23 at Auburn on Saturday. Arkansas led 10-3 at halftime before getting worn down in the second half, when Auburn outscored it by 10.
The Razorbacks gave up 12 tackles for loss and six sacks, including eight tackles for loss and five sacks after the break. Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown threw for 180 yards, ran for 120 more and accounted for three touchdowns, two through the air and one on the ground.
That sets up a difficult assignment if Sellers is fully available in Fayetteville, where the teams meet for the first time since 2022.
Sellers has been the engine for South Carolina all season. The Florence, S.C., native has completed 62.8% of his passes for 2,100 yards, 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions, good for a 142.5 rating.
He has also run for 637 yards at 6.1 yards per carry and scored seven times on the ground. That dual-threat element is exactly what makes him such a problem.
Arkansas first-year starting quarterback KJ Jackson has had a more uneven year. Against Auburn, he finished 14 of 30 for 180 yards with one touchdown and one interception, slipping below 50.0 percent completions for only the second time this season.
South Carolina’s offense also comes with a familiar face on the other side. First-year Gamecocks offensive coordinator Kendal Briles ran Arkansas’ offense and quarterbacks from 2020 to 2022, including the Razorbacks’ 44-30 win in the last meeting between the schools.
Ryan Silverfield knows what his defense is walking into.
"They spread it around and go up-tempo, but (Sellers) is their leading rusher and is obviously dynamic," Silverfield said. "He can throw in the pocket and make any throw out there -- on the run or run it himself."
Silverfield also pointed to wide receiver Nyck Harbor’s rare athleticism and an NFL-caliber defensive line led by likely future first-rounder Dylan Stewart as major challenges.
"They’ve got some explosive playmakers," added Silverfield. "I’ve talked to quite a few NFL scouts that’ve come through here and they said, by far and away, South Carolina arguably has one of the best rosters in college football."
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