South Carolina breaks multiple records in Citrus Bowl defeat
South Carolina football fans didn’t get the results they were hoping for in Orlando. In the Gamecocks’ Citrus Bowl matchup with the Illinois Fighting Illini, Shane Beamer’s team fell 21-17. However, despite the loss, the 2024 version of USC’s football team bested almost all external expectations en route to a 9-4 season.
The Gamecocks broke several records this year, including a few that fell even during the Tuesday defeat. In the Citrus Bowl, Carolina broke two participation records, one freshman mark, and set a new all-time offensive number.
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Kai Kroeger and Tonka Hemingway
On Tuesday, redshirt seniors Kai Kroeger and Tonka Hemingway set a new record for South Carolina football. Previously, all-time leading scorer Parker White owned the Gamecocks’ games played record. White saw action in 60 contests in garnet and black.
Now, Kroeger and Hemingway share the record with 61 games played. The duo tied White’s 60 games in November against Clemson but surpassed him against Illinois.
For the game, Hemingway logged a pair of tackles, while Kroeger had two punts that traveled an average of 52.5 yards each.
Kroeger also set a new single-season punting mark. He trailed Joseph Charlton’s 2019 season by a slim margin through the season’s first 12 games. However, with his two long punts, Kroeger set a new standard with a season average of 47.8 yards per punt. His career 44.6 average only trails Charlton’s 45.5.
LaNorris Sellers
Redshirt freshman LaNorris Sellers surpassed Todd Ellis in the USC freshman record books. Back in 1986, Ellis (who also was a redshirt freshman) threw for 3020 yards and finished the year with 2975 total yards thanks to sack yardage. Sellers’ 279 yards in the Citrus Bowl pushed his total yardage for the season to 3208. He earned 2534 yards threw the air and 674 on the ground.
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Sellers previously bested Ellis’ total touchdowns freshman record. Against Clemson, the 2025 Heisman Trophy candidate passed Ellis’ mark of 23. Sellers finished the season with 25 total touchdowns.
Against Illinois, Sellers went 24-for-34 for 260 yards and one touchdown. He also added 19 yards on the ground.
Josh Simon
Tight end Josh Simon had a great year in his final go round with South Carolina football. He caught 40 passes for 519 yards and seven touchdowns. After a touchdown grab against Illinois, Simons owns Carolina’s single-season record for tight end touchdown receptions. Earlier this season, he tied Clyde Bennett’s record of six.
Simon’s nine career touchdown catches (in just two seasons) trails only Bennett’s career total among USC tight ends.
On Tuesday, Simon caught six balls for 69 total yards and his record-setting touchdown reception.
