South Carolina starting quarterback LaNorris Sellers went down with an ankle injury at the end of the second quarter. He didn’t return until just under seven minutes remaining in the third.
USC went three-and-out. Sellers went to the sideline. And he stayed there for the remainder of the game.
“He’s got a little bit of an ankle sprain. I think he’s going to be fine,” head coach Shane Beamer said afterward.
Sellers was sacked for a loss of four yards by LSU player Bradyn Swinson on the second-to-last play of the half. Sellers seemed to be favoring his right foot afterward. He came off the field, and backup Robby Ashford checked in.
Sellers finished the half 8-of-15 in the air for 112 yards and one interception. He ran for 88 yards and two touchdowns, including a 75-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, which set a USC record for the longest touchdown run by a quarterback.
“We’ll go in there and look at it and see where we are,” Beamer said to Holly Rowe at the half.
“It doesn’t help but we’ve got confidence in Robby Ashford and Davis Beville both.”
Three South Carolina quarterbacks — Sellers, Ashford and freshman Dante Reno — were seen throwing on the sideline when USC returned to the field after halftime. At one point before the Gamecocks had their first possession of the period, Sellers tried running but eventually stopped and threw a football to the ground in frustration.
ABC sideline reporter Holly Rowe, as the second half began, said Sellers’ ankle was heavily taped up but he’s limping: “He is going to try to play. They’re just not sure how much he can do.”
After USC went three-and-out during Ashford’s first full drive under center, coach Beamer gave Sellers a pat on the butt.
Ashford started the fourth quarter as well. A 66-yard touchdown run for Raheim “Rocket” Sanders put the Gamecocks within one point (30-29) after falling behind in a third quarter which saw South Carolina outgained 175-1 after outgaining LSU 265-169 in the first half.
Ashford threw an interception on the two-point conversion attempt (which did not impact his stats), ultimately unable to put the Gamecocks back in front.
