GAINESVILLE - South Carolina finally got the version of LaNorris Sellers it had been waiting for, and it showed up in a major way inside the Swamp.
Sellers piled up five total touchdowns, four of them through the air, and the Gamecocks rolled past No. 16 Florida 38-19 on Saturday to snap an eight-game SEC losing streak. It was the kind of night South Carolina had been chasing all season from its quarterback, and it was easily Sellers’ sharpest performance in nearly two years.
“He was a freaking dude today,” South Carolina coach Shane Beamer said after the win, one that also stopped a string of blown chances in league play. “Some of the throws in tight windows, running the ball, just poised, confident.”
Sellers finished 23 of 35 for 279 yards and hit Nyck Harbor, Mazeo Bennett Jr., Donovan Murph and Lex Cyrus for touchdowns. Against Florida’s struggling pass defense, he kept finding answers, and South Carolina kept cashing them in.
The game’s defining moment came on a 3-yard Sellers run in the third quarter. He brushed off a defender on the way to the goal line and nearly scored on the play before punching it in on the next snap. That drive helped put the game out of reach for the Gamecocks, who improved to 3-3 overall and 1-3 in the SEC.
South Carolina’s last league win had come against Kentucky in September 2025. Beamer’s group had also coughed up four major leads in its previous five SEC games, but this one never slipped away. The Gamecocks also won in Gainesville for the first time since 2014.
For Sellers, it marked his best outing since he threw five touchdowns against Missouri in November 2024.
“I knew when I signed up to play this position when I was a young kid. I knew you get all the hate and you get all the love when we’re playing good,” Sellers said. “It’s just going to come with it.”
Florida came in as a double-digit home favorite and left with a second straight lopsided loss. After getting hammered 45-17 at then-No.
25 Missouri, the Gators were supposed to bounce back. Instead, they were overwhelmed again and are likely headed out of the AP Top 25.
“We’ve lost two games, man,” Florida linebacker Aaron Chiles said. “I don’t believe it’s the end of the world.”
South Carolina took control with two touchdown drives in the third quarter, a welcome change after the Gamecocks’ recent third-quarter breakdowns. The scoring burst came after a 45-minute lightning delay stretched halftime, and South Carolina made the most of the extra time by attacking Florida’s shaky secondary.
Beamer’s relief was obvious once the final whistle blew. He hugged both of his kids after the win.
“I get it; what comes with the jobs, and we haven’t been good enough,” I was a 2-3 football coach coming into this game that had blown leads and lost three SEC games in a row. I get the criticism.
I do. But it’s hard on your families because they don’t sign up for it.”
Florida had few answers on offense or defense. The Gators couldn’t run the ball with any consistency, as Jadan Baugh carried 15 times for 59 yards and added a garbage-time touchdown. Aaron Philo turned it over twice, and the defense never generated enough heat on Sellers to slow South Carolina down.
The frustration spilled over to the sideline, where Jon Sumrall drew boos for the first time since taking over in Gainesville. Fans were especially upset with his clock management before halftime, when Florida ran out of time and then missed a long field goal.
“Disappointing football,” Sumrall said. “No excuse for it.
Not many words that are going to make any of it right. ... I’m frustrated with every part of what we did today.”
South Carolina also got a boost from Dylan Stewart, who returned from a one-game suspension and forced two fumbles. Stewart had been suspended for throwing a punch at an Alabama player two weeks ago and missed last week’s overtime loss to Kentucky.
There were injury issues on both sides. South Carolina starting cornerback Judge Collier left in the first half with a concussion. Florida backup running back Duke Clark hobbled to the locker room just before halftime, and the Gators were again without leading receiver Vernell Brown III because of a knee injury.
For South Carolina, this was the kind of performance Beamer had been demanding and the kind the Gamecocks have been waiting to see. For Florida, the problems looked bigger than one bad night. Both lines need work, the secondary was exposed, and the Gators were left with more questions than answers.
In Other News...
South Carolina Has One Lingering Injury Concern Before Tennessee
South Carolina came out of the Florida game already juggling its depth chart, with several key players sidelined by injury and cornerback Judge Collier leaving early as well. Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy, Julian Walker, Quay'sheed Scott and Carter Miller were all unavailable, forcing the Gamecocks to work through the kind of next-man-up stretch that can quickly reshape both practice reps and game planning this time of year.
There is at least some good news as Tennessee approaches. Shane Beamer said every injured player except Scott is expected to be available for the matchup, leaving one lingering concern the staff still has to sort through after further testing. For a team trying to steady itself after a physical SEC game, that lone uncertainty is the one injury situation worth watching closest this week. [Read more 🡒]
Shane Beamer May Have Finally Lit A Fire Under LaNorris Sellers
Shane Beamers challenge to LaNorris Sellers seemed designed to jolt the sophomore quarterback out of any comfort zone, and it came at a time when South Carolina needed its offense to show more consistency. Instead of treating the warning as background noise, Sellers answered with one of his best outings of the season in the Gamecocks win over Florida, helping steady an attack that had been looking for a cleaner rhythm.
What stood out most was how controlled Sellers looked. He converted third downs at a strong rate, protected the football and gave South Carolina the kind of efficient quarterback play Beamer has been pushing for, while Pro Football Focus tagged him with an 80.9 offensive grade, one of the better marks among SEC passers that week. For a team trying to climb into a more reliable offensive identity, the timing could hardly be better. [Read more 🡒]
Dylan Stewart Gave South Carolina More Than A Breakout Return
Dylan Stewarts return against Florida gave South Carolina exactly what it needed on the field, and a little more besides. The sophomore defensive end finished with five tackles, a sack and two forced fumbles in the Gamecocks 38-19 win, a disruptive outing that reminded everyone why his presence changes the shape of the defense when he is right.
Shane Beamer had plenty to point to afterward, praising Stewarts performance and discipline during the game while also noting the way he handled the week in the classroom. For South Carolina, that kind of growth matters almost as much as the splash plays, because Stewarts value is tied not only to what he does off the edge, but to how quickly he keeps building into a steadier force on and off the field. [Read more 🡒]