South Carolina has already cleared one of the biggest hurdles on its schedule, but the next one is the kind that can still trip up a team if it isn’t locked in.
That’s the conversation around the Gamecocks’ trip to Arkansas, a game that arrives with No. 1 Georgia waiting next week and the College Football Playoff picture suddenly in view. The term “trap game” has been floating around for weeks, and tight end Brady Hunt put the idea in plain language.
“I think a trap game is any game you have the potential to take your foot off the gas. That’s the biggest thing we’ve been preaching, is no letup.
Just keep on going,” Hunt said. “Every week in the SEC can be that way so you got to show up ready to play, no matter what.”
That risk looked even bigger in the preseason, when South Carolina’s trip to Arkansas in the 10th game of the season seemed like the kind of matchup that could wreck a bowl bid. The Gamecocks were expected to be solid.
The Razorbacks were not. A loss there, with Georgia and Clemson still ahead, would have been a brutal turn.
Instead, South Carolina already took care of bowl eligibility last week. But the stakes have only climbed from there.
The Gamecocks have known for four weeks that one loss would knock them out of the College Football Playoff race, and after stacking wins, they’ll head into this one at No. 17.
With five spots to climb into the Top 12, three more wins could do the job. One loss ends the dream.
Still, the coaches aren’t interested in the label.
“We haven’t really talked about those kinds of things. I hear them on the TV and just don’t believe in that whole little mantra in sports,” defensive coordinator Clayton White said.
“It’s really about today, it’s about getting better. I think that’s really what we focus on.
I truly believe that we’re a team that just wants to get better, every second, every minute, not just in football but in life. Just to be better.”
Shane Beamer took the same line Tuesday, steering the focus away from the noise and back to the week in front of them.
“We’re focused on going 1-0 this week and playing to our standard,” he said.
Beamer had plenty on his plate after the win over Texas A&M, a game South Carolina didn’t play especially well in and one that also came with LaNorris Sellers injured. Sellers is “ questionable ” to play, though Beamer said nothing had changed since Sunday, when he said he had little doubt Sellers would be available.
There was also the issue of South Carolina having only 10 men on the field on defense for three straight plays while Texas A&M was threatening to tie the game. That was not a topic Beamer seemed eager to revisit.
He did make one thing clear before the Arkansas discussion even got rolling: the Razorbacks are better than their record shows.
“They’re playing hard,” he said. “They present a lot of problems in all three phases, and we know we’ve got a big challenge Saturday night in Arkansas.”
And that’s really the point. Whether anyone wants to call it a trap game or not, South Carolina is walking into a matchup that demands full attention.
The challenge is there. The Gamecocks just have to meet it.
In Other News...
Clemson Fans Have One Reason To Watch South Carolina This Week
South Carolina heads into its matchup with Arkansas trying to extend a conference surge that has changed the feel around the program over the past month. The Gamecocks have put themselves in position to chase a fifth straight league win, and the conversation around this one is centered on two familiar pressure points: whether quarterback LaNorris Sellers is healthy enough to steer the offense and whether the defense can keep building on the improvements that have helped fuel the run.
For Clemson fans with an eye on the scoreboard, there is also the broader backdrop of the rivalry and the way South Carolinas season has started to take shape in November. Arkansas offers a chance for the Gamecocks to keep momentum rolling, but it also brings the kind of test that can expose any lingering issues, especially if Sellers is not at full strength. The game will be available on broadcast television, giving plenty of viewers a chance to see whether South Carolina can keep the streak alive. [Read more 🡒]
Gamecocks Sent Clemson A Rivalry Message In The Second Half
For a half, South Carolina had to work through the kind of rivalry game that can get sticky fast, but the Gamecocks turned the temperature up after halftime and took control with defense. Clemson was held in check as South Carolina used a dominant third quarter to separate itself, leaning on the sort of pressure and pace that has long defined its best stretches.
Tessa Johnson led the scoring with 13 points, while Chloe Kitts added a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds to help steady the effort on both ends. The Gamecocks forced 21 turnovers and turned them into 19 points, a swing that helped turn a tense matchup into a 65-44 win and sent a clear message in the second half. [Read more 🡒]
Rare FAA Shutdown Put A Major South Carolina Sports Weekend On Edge
A rare nationwide ground stoppage from the Federal Aviation Administration on Friday put a major South Carolina sports weekend briefly on edge, with all departing flights paused because of a telecommunications error. The biggest immediate ripple for the local scene came in womens basketball, where No. 3 Southern Cal was grounded in Los Angeles while trying to get to Greenville for a scheduled showdown with No. 1 South Carolina.
For the Gamecocks, the timing was the only real concern, since the rest of the states marquee teams were not caught in the mess. South Carolina football had already traveled before the stoppage, and Clemson football was unaffected as well because its travel plans involved buses, leaving the Trojans delayed trip as the most visible reminder of how quickly a travel issue can complicate a high-profile weekend. [Read more 🡒]