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South Carolina

National reactions to South Carolina's season opening win over Virginia Tech

Screenshotby: Kevin Miller09/01/25kevinmillerGC
south carolina mascot virginia tech
Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images

On Sunday, South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer led his Gamecock team to a win over his alma mater, the Virginia Tech Hokies. When the dust settled on the season opener, the neutral-site contest went USC’s way by a score of 24-11.

There were plenty of national reactions to the Gamecocks’ victory.

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There were a lot of “Beamer Ball” references on Sunday, including social media shoutouts from ESPN’s Ryan McGee, That SEC Podcast host Michael Bratton, and CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli.

During his See Ball Get Ball show, former Georgia All-American and college football personality David Pollock was critical of South Carolina, saying they were not “clean or perfect by any stretch of the imagination.” He even said, “There were a lot of things to look at and go, ‘I didn’t like that.'” That was especially true on offense, outside of quarterback LaNorris Sellers and wide receiver Nyck Harbor.

However, he and co-host Brent Rollins praised the Carolina defense and special teams. Pollock’s final verdict included the descriptor of “good team” for USC.

Pollock’s and Rollins’ take was a common one on Sunday following the South Carolina victory. The offense wasn’t good enough outside of its stars, but the other two phases handled their business.

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Some individual Gamecocks picked up national flowers after the Sunday showdown.

On3’s Ari Wasserman–who also shared a close-up photo of wide receiver Nyck Harbor–referred to Harbor, quarterback LaNorris Sellers, and EDGE Dylan Stewart as “aliens.”

LaNorris Sellers performed another one of his patented Superman-Houdini crossover impressions, and Philadelphia Enquirer sports editor Devin Jackson (accurately) called No. 16 “impossible to bring down.”

Bussin’ with the Boys’ JP Hovey, a University of South Carolina alum, said he thinks that Vicari Swain’s punt return touchdown (the first for a Gamecock since Ace Sanders in the 2012-2013 Outback Bowl) will be one that fans will be watching for “many years to come.”

Legendary South Carolina corners Stephon Gilmore and Jaycee Horn were impressed by what they saw from new coverman Brandon Cisse. Outside of one 50-50 ball, Cisse had a great day.

The Gamecocks’ 1-0 start could move them up a spot or two in the polls. Several teams ahead of South Carolina in the rankings lost in week one. Both the AP poll and USA Today coaches poll will come out on Tuesday.

The Gamecocks will play at home in week two against the South Carolina State Bulldogs. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. under the lights at Williams-Brice Stadium. While the game will not be on national television, ESPN+ will stream the contest.

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