Old Dominion mistakes save South Carolina in 23-19 win over Monarchs

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina recovered two fumbles inside the 10 leading to its only two touchdowns and the Gamecocks beat Old Dominion 23-19 on Saturday night.

South Carolina freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers ran for a 4-yard touchdown with 6:11 to go to finally push the Gamecocks (1-0) past the Monarchs (0-1), picked to finish sixth in the seven-team Sun Belt Conference East Division.

Sellers did not have a stellar debut. He completed just 10 of 23 passes for 114 yards and carried the ball 22 times for 68 yards.

Old Dominion quarterback Grant Wilson struggled too. He had both fumbles deep in his own territory, threw a second quarter interception in the end zone and ended the Monarchs last chance with another interception with 1:29 left in the game.

THE TAKEAWAY

Old Dominion: The Monarchs will likely lament squandering an opportune chance for their first-ever SEC win. Old Dominion has two wins over Power Four teams — both victories over Virginia Tech.

South Carolina: Plenty of problems from 2023 didn’t appear solved. The offensive line got pushed around though the running game looked a little better. The Gamecocks gained 193 yards but on just 3.6 yards a carry before kneeling to finish the game. But South Carolina did avoid another loss to a Sun Belt team. Appalachian State beat them 20-15 in November 2019.

Old Dominion: The Monarchs play East Carolina on Sept. 7 in their home opener.

South Carolina: The Gamecocks open Southeastern Conference play at Kentucky on Sept. 7.

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