National reactions from a classic Palmetto Bowl victory for South Carolina
Saturday’s Palmetto Bowl was a roller coaster. South Carolina trailed or were tied with the rival Clemson Tigers for most of the day. However, LaNorris Sellers emerged from the phone booth in Memorial Stadium and heroically led the Gamecocks down the field for a game-winning touchdown with just over a minute remaining in the game. Poetically, as a redshirt freshman put the team ahead, a redshirt senior sealed the deal as veteran linebacker Demetrius Knight picked off a Cade Klubnik pass just inches from the turf as the Tigers threatened to tie the game or take the lead at the end of regulation.
The 17-14 victory gave Shane Beamer 29 in his first four years as the Gamecocks’ head coach. That number is one better than Steve Spurrier, the previous holder of that record. In the win, quarterback LaNorris Sellers also set a new single-month record for South Carolina with 16 touchdowns in November.
No. 15 beating No. 12 wasn’t a shocking outcome, but it reinforced the notion that South Carolina is legitimate. The Gamecocks are right on the College Football Playoff bubble and could be the hottest team in the sport. Time will tell how much the CFP Selection Committee values USC compared to the rest of the field.
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However, in the immediate aftermath of the Gamecocks’ second win in a row in the Upstate, several prominent national college football voices sang the praises of Shane Beamer’s team.
Former Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray, who has been hyping up the Gamecocks for weeks, thinks USC belongs in the College Football Playoff.
Perhaps the only national name higher on the Gamecocks this year than Murray has been Dan Orlovsky. On Saturday, the ESPN NFL and college football analyst took a victory lap.
Speaking of victory laps, Charles Power (who is the director of scouting and rankings at On3) took one. On3 was the only major recruiting outlet to rank LaNorris Sellers as a 4-star prospect.
Long-time recruiting guru Gerry Hamilton made a bold claim about No. 16.
National analyst Josh Pate was impressed by the Gamecocks and, specifically, quarterback LaNorris Sellers. He added that he believes South Carolina is heading to the College Football Playoff.
Former ESPN and Fox analyst Skip Bayless even argued he “[hasn’t] seen a better college football team than South Carolina” over the past six weeks.
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Barstool’s Kayce Smith, who drew the Gamecock fanbase’s ire ahead of the Texas A&M game, made amends with the South Carolina faithful with her take on Saturday.
Even Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney was extremely complimentary of South Carolina and LaNorris Sellers.
Some current players also reflected on this year now that the regular season has come to a close. Probable All-American Kyle Kennard was among them.
Another likely Gamecock All-American, safety Nick Emmanwori, also had his eyes on the future. The Columbia native had big words of adulation for Carolina’s young quarterback.
The Gamecocks’ first six-game winning streak since 2013 moves their record to 9-3. South Carolina has secured a very nice bowl game at the very least. Depending on how the Selection Committee is feeling over the next two weeks, though, Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks could find themselves in the College Football Playoff.
For now, though, it is a waiting game for South Carolina. The College Football Playoff Ranking show will air on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN. Then, on Sunday, December 8th, Selection Sunday will arrive. The 12-team College Football Playoff field will be announced that day, and the Gamecocks certainly will be part of the discussion. The Selection Sunday show will be from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on ESPN.