GAINESVILLE, Fla. – South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers delivered the signature performance of his career on Saturday, accounting for five touchdowns to lead the Gamecocks to a 38-19 upset of No. 16 Florida. The victory effectively snapped South Carolina’s eight-game SEC losing streak and provided a massive relief for head coach Shane Beamer.
“He was a freaking dude today,” Beamer said of his quarterback. “Some of the throws in tight windows, running the ball, just poised, confident.”
Sellers dominated the league’s worst passing defense, completing 23 of 35 passes for 279 yards and four touchdowns. He spread the wealth, finding Nyck Harbor, Mazeo Bennett Jr., Donovan Murph, and Lex Cyrus in the end zone. The dual-threat signal caller also added a gritty 3-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter—a play where he physically shed a defender to reach the goal line—that effectively sealed the Gamecocks’ first win in Gainesville since 2014.
For South Carolina (3-3, 1-3), the win was a long-awaited turnaround. The team had been haunted by blown leads in their previous five SEC outings, but on Saturday, they closed the door firmly. The return of defensive end Dylan Stewart, who missed last week’s loss due to a suspension, proved critical as he forced two fumbles to stifle the Florida attack.
Florida (4-2, 2-2) looked like a shell of itself. Coming off a 45-17 blowout loss to Missouri, the Gators were expected to rebound, but instead suffered a humiliating defeat that will likely see them plummet out of the AP Top 25. Florida’s struggles were systemic: the offensive line failed to generate a consistent running game, quarterback Aaron Philo committed two turnovers, and the secondary was picked apart repeatedly.
The frustration inside The Swamp was palpable, with coach Jon Sumrall hearing boos from the home crowd for the first time in his tenure. Criticism centered on poor clock management at the end of the first half, which left the Gators empty-handed before a lightning-delayed halftime.
“Disappointing football,” Sumrall said. “No excuse for it. Not many words that are going to make any of it right. I’m frustrated with every part of what we did today.”
The loss leaves Florida with little margin for error, with a daunting road game against top-ranked Texas looming next Saturday. For South Carolina, the victory provides a much-needed morale boost ahead of their bye week before they host No. 15 Tennessee on Oct. 24.
Reflecting on the pressure of the past few weeks, Sellers remained grounded. “I knew when I signed up to play this position when I was a young kid, I knew you get all the hate and you get all the love when we’re playing good,” he said. “It’s just going to come with it.”
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