South Carolina kept the momentum rolling with its 27-24 win over Tennessee, and the payoff arrived again on Monday in the form of SEC weekly honors for Malik Orsan and Nolan Hay.
Orsan was named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week after delivering the finish of the night: a 48-yard game-winning field goal as time expired in Williams-Brice Stadium. He also connected from 22 yards just before halftime and went 3-for-3 on extra points, finishing with nine points.
It was his first career walk-off kick, and it gave South Carolina its first game-winning field goal over a top-25 opponent since Parker White’s 23-yarder in double overtime against No. 3 Georgia in 2019.
Orsan’s rise has been quick since winning the starting job going into SEC play on Sept. 19.
He is now 10-for-12 on field goals this season and perfect on extra points, 22-of-22, for a team-high 52 points. The St.
Louis native also gave Shane Beamer his 12th SEC Special Teams Player of the Week honor since 2021. Vicari Swain claimed the same award earlier this season after his two punt return touchdowns against Towson on Sept.
Hay earned SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week after anchoring the center spot against one of the nation’s toughest fronts. He started there for the second straight game and played all 69 snaps, helping an offense produce 344 total yards, including 210 through the air and 134 on the ground. South Carolina averaged 5.5 yards per play, its best mark of the season against Tennessee’s defense, and quarterback LaNorris Sellers added multiple rushing touchdowns in a game for the second time this season against the Vols.
Hay’s effort was graded at 91 by the coaches, the top mark among Gamecock offensive linemen who played at least 50 snaps. The Katy, Texas native became the fifth player in Beamer’s tenure to land SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week and the first since Torricelli Simpkins III on Nov. 4, 2024.
The Tigers? No - the Volunteers allowed 27 points, the most Tennessee has surrendered in a game this season. The Vols came in giving up just 14.7 points per game, best in the SEC and 11th nationally.
The win also kept South Carolina’s recent surge intact. It was the third time under Beamer that the Gamecocks have strung together consecutive top-25 wins, and the first since 2024.
Beamer now has nine top-25 victories in his first 70 games, matching a school record held by Steve Spurrier. Since 1962, South Carolina has posted back-to-back AP Top-20 wins five times overall, and only three of those came in the regular season.
Two of those three have happened under Beamer, in 2024 and 2026.
In Other News...
South Carolina Now Faces A Costly Williams-Brice Decision
The celebration after South Carolinas upset win over No. 11 Tennessee came with a hefty price tag at Williams-Brice Stadium. Roughly 30,000 fans rushed the field, and the surge left the Ligustrum hedges behind the north end zone badly damaged, turning a memorable night into a maintenance problem for the athletic department.
Head groundskeeper Tim Flanagan said the damage was extensive, and replacing the hedges could cost a substantial amount, with repair decisions still pending. It was the third field storm of Shane Beamers tenure, following similar scenes in 2022 and 2024, another reminder that the Gamecocks biggest emotional wins can leave a lasting mark beyond the scoreboard. [Read more 🡒]
South Carolinas Next SEC Test Just Got A Lot More Real
South Carolinas next SEC home test now has a firmer feel to it, with Texas A&M set to visit on Nov. 7 for a 3 p.m. kickoff on ESPN. The matchup lands just after the Gamecocks Oct. 31 date with Oklahoma, giving Shane Beamers team a chance to reset before another league game that figures to carry plenty of weight in the late-season race.
Texas A&M will arrive with a week off in hand, while South Carolina will be coming through a stretch that already includes recent results and the Oklahoma game on deck. In a conference schedule where every slot seems to matter a little more as November approaches, the TV window and kickoff time only sharpen the attention on what comes next at home. [Read more 🡒]
South Carolinas Newest Commit Could Answer A Big Frontcourt Need
South Carolina added another piece to its recruiting class with the commitment of Johnson, a promising interior prospect who could eventually help address a need in the frontcourt. She joins point guards Jezelle Banks and Taylor Brown as the third player in the class, giving the Gamecocks another young building block as they look ahead to future roster construction.
Johnson brings a productive high school rsum from Biloxi High School, where she averaged 14.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game as a junior. She has already cleared 1,000 career points and rebounds, and while she may need time to adjust to the college game, her size and physical tools give South Carolina something to work with in the paint. [Read more 🡒]