With first start in rearview, LaNorris Sellers hopes to follow up with stronger outing and 'be myself'
Think about this for a second. Imagine you’re the starting quarterback at South Carolina. You’ve got 80,000 people going to watch you play, with tons of them wearing your jersey.
All of the pressure from an entire state is on your shoulders. The way in which you play will either have people continuing to cheer you on or criticizing you for every little thing you do. Sounds tough, doesn’t it?
Going into last Saturday, that’s what LaNorris Sellers was going through. After two strong years from Spencer Rattler, the keys to the car were turned over to a redshirt freshman who had never started in college before.
Spin it however you want, but there’s not much that can prepare you for everything Sellers has to endure as the new leader of the Gamecock offense in 2024. So when he did take the field for his first start, there were obvious jitters and rookie mistakes.
“He was really excited about the opportunity. He knows the burden of that job, what it entails,” offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains said. “But you really don’t feel it until you have to go do it for the first time. And that was the first time he ever went out there to start. It was the first time he felt that pressure of what it’s like to play in front of 80,000 and having a lot of people depending on you and counting on you.”
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It was far from a perfect outing for South Carolina’s new quarterback. Sellers finished 10-for-23 passing for 114 yards. Some of his throws were off the mark. But what mattered most was the fact that he survived it and got his team in the win column.
“You’re judged as a starting quarterback with your win-loss record. So, mission accomplished there,” Loggains said. “In the process of playing that game, I think he looked like a guy that was getting his first start and played for 15 plays up to that point.”
With strings of inconsistency in the passing game, Sellers became more reliant on his feet. It’s a great weapon to have in the back pocket.
He ended up rushing 22 times for 68 yards and managed to score the game-winning touchdown from three yards out. It worked out for him in the end, but against SEC competition, that may not always be the case.
“Definitely thought the game was fast for him and I think you saw that with his technique and pulling down some,” Loggains said. “Too quick to run at times, not trusting his feet and trusting his training. But it’s an awesome opportunity to grow and he’ll get better every week.”
Part of his decision-making had to do with the giant elephant in the room. There were some nerves. It’s human to feel the way he did.
“I played timid a little bit, kind of nervous, scared to make a mistake,” Sellers said. “I just got to go out there and play. Just be myself.”
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In the days following the win, Sellers dove right into watching the game tape. Almost immediately, he could tell he wasn’t himself out there. But it doesn’t change the fact he knows he could’ve played better.
“I’m usually like a self-critic. I criticized myself a lot,” he said. “I was kind of jumpy, I was kind of fast. Going through my reads fast, probably skipping some reads here and there. But I just need to just be more patient.”
And he’ll get his opportunity to do that fairly soon. South Carolina hits the road for a date with Kentucky in Lexington on Saturday. It will mark Sellers’ first road start, with arguably more pressure since it’s the first SEC game of the season.
However, head coach Shane Beamer has plenty of reason to believe Sellers will be just fine. The anticipated debut is out of the way. Now, it’s about getting back to keeping things simple and trusting the players around him.
“I told him (last) Friday that he didn’t need to go out there and be Superman. Just go out there and relax and we’re better around him. And I believe that,” Beamer said. “I told him we’re better around him on offense than what Spencer had around him last year. … He just needs to know that he doesn’t need to try and do too much. Just go out there and have fun and play, work hard and prepare the right way during the week. And then game day should be the fun part for him.”
