Malik Orsan had been waiting for a moment like this, and South Carolina needed every bit of it.
Orsan nailed a 48-yard field goal as time expired Saturday, lifting the Gamecocks past No. 11 Tennessee 27-24 in a finish that seemed to keep shifting until the final snap. South Carolina trailed 24-17 for much of the second half before forcing a late turnover, scrambling together just enough offense, and getting the kick that sent the home crowd into a frenzy.
The Gamecocks improved to 4-3 overall and 2-3 in the SEC with a win that looked increasingly unlikely after they let a 14-0 first-quarter lead slip away. Instead of another frustrating home collapse, USC found a way to survive the final minute, turn the game over to Orsan, and let him handle the rest.
The sequence at the end was chaotic. South Carolina tied the game, then Dylan Stewart knocked the ball out of George MacIntyre’s hand and Tomiwa Durojaiye dove on it.
From there, USC threw the ball twice, then LaNorris Sellers picked up 9 yards on a scramble to recover the lost ground from those two plays and an Emmanuel Kojo Poku false start. That finally pushed Shane Beamer to use his last timeout and set up the kick.
Orsan’s attempt would have been good from 56 yards, and he sent it through from 48 to close out the upset. Afterward, he raced into the arms of his teammates while students stormed the field. The celebration will cost South Carolina $500,000, along with new hedges, though that hardly seemed to matter in the moment.
Earlier, the Gamecocks had taken a 17-14 lead on a drive that ended in a field goal after Donovan Murph was wide open in the end zone and Sellers completely missed him. The throw sailed so far away that, as the source put it, Tom Cruise should have starred in it.
There was also a question about the clock before that scoring sequence. South Carolina snapped the ball with 10-15 seconds left before the two-minute warning would have stopped play anyway, leaving open the question of why Beamer didn’t use that time and make Tennessee’s next possession harder. In the end, it may not have mattered much, since the Vols answered with a go-ahead touchdown with 29 seconds left in the half.
A few other notes from the game stood out. Tennessee’s 14-0 hole was its largest deficit of the season.
D.J. Swearinger was in attendance, and Bennett had an excellent first half; both are Upstate natives who had originally committed to Tennessee.
Sellers’ first-half interception was his first since the Alabama game, which came two days shy of a full calendar month ago.
There were also the familiar frustrations on offense. Kendal Briles has done strong work as USC’s offensive coordinator, but his fourth-down calls have been rough.
Still, on Saturday he lined up under center and Sellers ran behind Matt Fuller for a first down. Later, Sellers held the ball too long when a receiver was open in the middle and took a sack in the third quarter.
Tennessee also had three touchdowns wiped out by penalties.
South Carolina’s next game comes Oct. 31 at Oklahoma, with kickoff set for 4:15 p.m.
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Lamont Paris Finally Has What South Carolina Fans Wanted To See
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South Carolina has already used that lift to remake the roster, bringing in 12 new players and leaning on several international transfers in the process. Greenberg praised Paris for the coaching job he has done and said the new group has enough potential to make the Gamecocks more competitive in the SEC, which is exactly the kind of development fans have been waiting to see. [Read more 🡒]