Sellers & South Carolina Shine in 2nd Half, Defeat VT

The first score of the 2025-26 South Carolina Gamecocks' season came on the team's first possession of the season when quarterback LaNorris Sellers kept the ball and took off to the end zone on a 15-yard run to give South Carolina the first lead of the game,7-0, at the 12:09 mark.

Virginia Tech would not have the same start, coming away with no points and punting the ball back to South Carolina.

The Gamecocks would return the ball to the Hokies with 7:27 left in the first quarter, and though quarterback Kyron Drones did elude a sack attempt in Gamecock territory on this drive, he would throw across his body and into the hands of linebacker Fred "JayR" Johnson, who took the ball out of the end zone and out to his own two-yard line.

But, wait...

The Hokies would find a way to make up for Drones' interception when defensive linemen Kody Huisman and Kelin Gilliam, Jr., got to Sellers in his own end zone, sacking him for a two-yard loss and a safety, making a defensive stop result in their first points of the 2025-26 season; this safety got the Hokies within five, down 7-2, at the 4:33 mark of the first quarter.

However, Virginia Tech would not come away with any more points on the punt that resulted from the safety, with "JayR" coming up huge for the South Carolina defense once again, this time stopping running back Jeremiah Coney for no gain on 4th-&-24, forcing a punt.

How did the Hokies respond? By shrinking South Carolina's next drive to a three-and-out.

Taking this drive into the second quarter, Drones would find wide receiver Donavon Greene for a 37-yard pass-play that took Virginia Tech from their own 41 down to the South Carolina 22-yard line. A personal foul penalty on defensive back Peyton Williams for a late hit on Greene as Greene was heading toward the South Carolina bench would move Virginia Tech half the distance to the goal, which amounted to another 11 yards ahead to the South Carolina 11-yard line.

Kicker John Love would make sure the Hokies got something on the board from this drive, connecting from 29 yards out to bring the Hokies' deficit to two, 7-5, at the 13:45 mark of the second quarter.

Another three-and-out by the Gamecocks gave the Hokies an opportunity to take their first lead of the contest.

But South Carolina would prevent that from happening, forcing Virginia Tech to punt the ball back to their offense and the Gamecocks would be the ones scoring when kicker William Joyce booted a 27-yard attempt through the uprights to make it 10-5 Gamecocks with 3:42 left in the first half.

On 3rd-&-2 from his own 44-yard line, Coney was originally said to have attained two yards. Under official review, he was ruled short of the first-down marker, bringing up 4th-&-short.

Coney would gain a yard on fourth down to keep this drive alive late in the second quarter.

With five seconds on the game clock, Virginia Tech Head Coach Brent Pry would trust in Love, and Love came through, connecting from 56 yards away for a field goal that shrunk the Hokies' deficit to two,10-8, heading into the locker room.

Love's 56-yarder tied the longest field goal ever made at the Kickoff Game, then called the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, which came from the foot of Daniel Carlson for the Auburn Tigers in a 31-24 victory over the Louisville Cardinals on September 5, 2015.

Two Virginia Tech drives and one by South Carolina into the third quarter and the score remained 10-8 at the 3:22 mark.

On the Gamecocks' second drive of the second half, Sellers was sacked twice, the first coming from linebacker Jaden Keller and defensive lineman Emmett Laws and the next by defensive linemen Kemari Copeland and Ben Bell, each for a loss of 10 yards, resulting in a punt on a three-and-out drive.

Within the first few seconds of the fourth quarter, Gamecocks' edge-rusher Jatius Geer sacked Drones for a loss of four yards. This drive would end in a three-and-out for the Hokies, who punted the ball to the Gamecocks with just shy of 14 minutes remaining.

Defensive back Vicari Swain would field the punt at his own 20 and take it all the way to "glory territory" on an 80-yard return that extended South Carolina out to a 17-8 lead with 13:36 left to play.

The Hokies would get three on their next possession, thanks to a 39-yard field goal by Love, moving the Hokies within one score of the Gamecocks, down 17-11, with exactly nine minutes to go in this Aflac Kickoff contest.

It would take South Carolina just three plays to get back into the end zone…

Following back-to-back carries by running back Rahsul Faison, Sellers aired out to wide receiver Nyck Harbor for a 64-yard pass-play that advanced the Gamecocks out to a 24-11 lead with 7:42 to play.

On the Hokies’ next drive, Drones tried to catch wide receiver Ayden Greene in stride but Greene did not gather the ball, bringing up 4th-&-10.

With the game by the five-minute mark, Pry kept his offense on the field.

Drones dropped back and sent the ball far away from any potential receiver, and it was intercepted by Peyton Williams, who would return the ball 23 yards from his own 24-yard line to the South Carolina 47.

On 3rd-&-13, Sellers would elude not one but two tackle attempts and somehow keep himself upright and inbounds for a 16-yard gain to the Virginia Tech 40-yard line, attaining a new set of downs with a little over four minutes remaining.

Sellers, on the same drive, would keep the ball on 4th-&-5 and rush forward for six yards, gaining a first down at the Hokies’ 29-yard line, taking the game to the two-minute timeout.

With Virginia Texh having no timeouts remaining, Sellers would take two knees and South Carolina would take the victory, 24-11.

Sellers would finish 12-for-19 for 209 yards, one passing and one rushing touchdown, and no interceptions.

Drones went 15-for-35 for 221 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions.

Harbor led all receivers on both teams with 99 yards.

Donavon Greene had the most receiving yards for Virginia Tech, with 94 on three catches.

Running back Oscar Adaway, III, ended atop the backfield for the Gamecocks 60 yards on 14 carries.

Marcellous Hawkins led the backfield for the Hokies, with 58 yards on 15 carries.

“JayR” led the South Carolina defense with 10 total tackles.

Edge rushers Geer and Dylan Stewart each had a sack in the game.

Safety Quentin Reddish led Virginia Tech with eight total tackles.

Laws and fellow defensive lineman Elhadj Fall had one sack apiece for the Hokies. Copeland, Gilliam, Jr., Keller, and Bell each attained a half a sack.