The Gamecock football team got back on the field this past weekend, earning its second win of the season after a 45-9 victory over Towson. 

It’s been an unusual first two weeks in Williams-Brice Stadium as the team had to deal with turbulent weather conditions for the second week in a row. 

In game one, the Gamecocks had to play the hottest game in the history of the stadium. This week, the team was forced to sit through an extended lightning delay as rain poured from the sky. 

“I want to thank our fans, the student section that stayed there to the end. That was awesome seeing them when the rain started right before halftime,” head coach Shane Beamer said after the game. “Really proud of the response of the team after halftime and after the weather delay.”

It wasn’t always pretty, but South Carolina settled into the game and used all three phases to secure the win. 

Here are three takeaways from the victory over Towson. 

South Carolina is going through some offensive growing pains

The Gamecocks offense was far from perfect last week. After a strong showing against Kent State, the team came out a bit sluggish in the first half. 

South Carolina came away with no points on its first three drives thanks to a fumble, punt and missed field goal. Fortunately for the team, the special teams were able to get a touchdown on the board thanks to a long punt return for a touchdown by Vicari Swain. 

“On offense, if one guy is not doing his job, it makes everything look terrible, and that's where we were tonight,” Beamer said. “We're just a little bit off.”

The team got points on its fourth drive as kicker Max Kelley nailed a 33-yarder to redeem his earlier miss. While the Gamecocks got points, it was a bittersweet end to an 11-play, 66-yard drive that took over five minutes off the game clock. 

South Carolina finally got into the end zone on offense near the end of the second quarter when Matt Fuller broke free for a 55-yard touchdown. 

Fuller has been a bright spot as the run game has excelled the first two weeks. His touchdown rush was the spark the Gamecocks needed to get it going again. 

The Gamecocks finished the game with 405 yards on the ground. Fuller had 125 of them. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers had another 119. Fuller, Sellers and Isaiah Augustave all had a run for over 50 yards. 

“I'm not used to looking at the stat sheet and seeing 405 yards rushing on there. I mean, that's pretty cool,” Beamer said. “We need to continue to be able to run the ball effectively, and we need to be able to continue to run the ball effectively with all those guys that did it tonight. We've got some dudes at running back. We really do.”

The run game took off, but the passing left plenty of room for improvement. Sellers finished the game 10-23 for 96 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. 

Receivers had trouble hanging on to the ball as there were multiple dropped passes, including one on a fourth-and-goal to wide-open Nyck Harbor. 

There were also a few moments of miscommunication, the most notable coming between Sellers and Mazeo Bennett. The pair could be seen having a heated discussion after the play.

“He was willing to be vocal and express how he wanted it done. Now, could we have handled it a little bit better? Maybe, but I love the fact that he's willing to challenge those guys,” Beamer said. “Mazeo thought he was correct in what he was running based on the coverage they were in. LaNorris saw the coverage and what Mazeo did a little bit differently.” 

With SEC play on the horizon, the Gamecocks will look to make the necessary adjustments to have a more balanced offense moving forward. 

Vicari Swain is one of the best return men in program history 

Without the efforts of Vicari Swain, this game would’ve been a lot more concerning. 

For the second time in his Gamecock career, Swain had two punt returns for a touchdown in a single game. He did it last season against South Carolina State, and this year versus Towson. 

Swain is now the program record holder for punt return touchdowns, with five to his name. He broke the previous record of four held by Dickie Harris. 

“When the ball is in his hands, the ability to break tackles, make people miss, the vision when you run, he has all that as a returner,” Beamer said. “I was at Oklahoma and we had CeeDee Lamb as our punt returner. I was at Georgia and we had Mecole Hardman. Both those guys are playing in the NFL. DeAngelo Hall, so many years that my dad was at Virginia Tech. I think with all those guys, there's a fearlessness to them. There's a speed element. There's just a playmaking ability, and I see all that with Vicari. He's fearless back there.”

Swain was an All-SEC selection for his work last season. He was left off the 2026 preseason team, but is making a case early for why those voters were wrong. 

Two strong showings to start, but is it enough?

Two games into the season and the Gamecocks are looking much improved from last season, but the team has yet to be truly tested. 

Next week will be South Carolina’s toughest challenge so far this season as the Gamecocks begin SEC play. Mississippi State will come to town fresh off a commanding win over Minnesota. 

The Gamecocks' 2025 season started to unravel once they reached conference play. The team was blown out at home against Vandy, and then went on the road and lost to Missouri. 

South Carolina finished the 2025 conference season with just one win. 

To avoid that same fate, the team will need to maintain its current level of play. So far things have been clicking in all phases of the game, but it’s only going to get tougher from here. 

Right after Mississippi State, the Gamecocks will hit the road for the first time this season to face No. 10 Alabama.

South Carolina and Mississippi State will kick off at 4:15 p.m.