South Carolina’s stars answered the call in the biggest moments

On Sunday Afternoon, the South Carolina Gamecocks had their first chance to prove that the 2024 season wasn't a fluke year and that they're a true College Football Playoff contender. The Gamecocks aren't the perfect team coming into the year, as they lost so many impactful pieces, especially on defense, to the NFL Draft.

In this game, the defense answered every question, holding Virginia Tech to 3 field goals while the offense allowed a safety, allowing Virginia Tech to reach 11 points. While the defense was lights out, this game hung in the balance for the most of the day but, when it came down to it, South Carolina's stars were better than Virginia Tech's.

When the offense was struggling to get anything going, in a two-point game, it was fittingly the special teams that came through. After Virginia Tech committed a penalty on a punt, Shane Beamer opted to make the Hokies kick it again, and it paid off as Vicari Swain took it 80 yards for a touchdown.

As the Hokies tried to mount a comeback, Dylan Stewart was once again the best player on the field making incredible plays against the run while constantly putting pressure on Kyron Drones.

After Virginia Tech kicked a field goal to once again make it a one-score game, the offense needed to find a way to put this game out of reach. When you have an Olympic-level track star at wide receiver, it seems pretty easy to just throw it deep, and that's exactly what Mike Shula called, and LaNorris Sellers executed, hitting Nyck Harbor deep.

After scoring to stretch the lead, South Carolina needed just one more stop and Peyton Williams got Shane Beamer the football back with an interception to nearly put the game away.

Virginia Tech still had timeouts to try and get the ball back, but the difference is that South Carolina has LaNorris Sellers and Virginia Tech does not. Every time that it looked like the Hokies might get the ball back, LaNorris Sellers outpowered the defense, picking up first downs with his legs, and in the end, he got to take his snaps in victory formation.

The saying goes "Sometimes it's about Jimmy's and Joe's not X's and O's" and on Sunday, South Carolina's biggest stars helped get the team bring home an impressive victory. Based on how Saturday played out, the SEC may be wide open and if South Carolina can continue improving week to week, they'll have a real shot to break through into the College Football Playoff.

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