Atlanta, GA — No. 13 South Carolina used a mix of explosive special teams, timely defense, and a few big-play moments to pull away from Virginia Tech, earning a 24-11 win in the season opener at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday.
The turning point came in the fourth quarter when sophomore Vicari Swain erased a shaky earlier moment by returning a punt 80 yards for a touchdown, breaking open a tight 10-8 contest and injecting life into a South Carolina team still finding its rhythm on offense.
Swain’s play was especially symbolic — a highlight in a game steeped in “Beamerball” tradition, the aggressive, opportunistic brand of football built by legendary Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer and carried on by his son, South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer.
“You probably enjoyed that special teams touchdown,” Shane told his father, who watched the game from the stands wearing South Carolina black.
Earlier in the game, Swain had muffed a punt but managed to recover. Rather than pulling him from return duties, Beamer encouraged the young defensive back.
“Coach told me, ‘It happens — just make the next one count,’” Swain said. “So I told myself, I can’t mess up twice. I had to make it count. That was my shot.”
Make it count he did — weaving through defenders and racing untouched into the end zone to give the Gamecocks breathing room in the final quarter.
Just minutes later, South Carolina’s offense delivered its biggest strike of the night. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers connected with a wide-open Nyck Harbor on a 64-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 24-11. It was Harbor’s third reception of the game, and he finished with 99 yards — including a second long catch that was later reversed by replay.
Sellers added a rushing touchdown earlier in the contest and completed 12 of 19 passes for 209 yards in his first start. While he showed flashes of playmaking ability, he was sacked multiple times and gave up a safety when Virginia Tech’s Kelvin Gilliam Jr. and Kody Huisman brought him down in the end zone.
South Carolina’s defense also made its mark. The Gamecocks intercepted Hokies quarterback Kyron Drones twice — once in the red zone by Fred Johnson to halt an early scoring threat, and again by Peyton Williams in the fourth quarter to help close the door.
Virginia Tech’s offense never found the end zone, settling for three field goals from John Love, including an impressive 56-yarder. Drones completed just 15 of 35 passes for 221 yards, with two costly interceptions.
“We just kept hurting ourselves,” Drones said. “You can’t beat a good team like that when you’re making that many mistakes. We’ve got to clean it up.”
Virginia Tech’s defense was a bright spot, racking up four sacks and five tackles for loss, including the early safety.
Still, the Hokies couldn’t overcome South Carolina’s second-half surge — fueled by Beamer’s trust in his players and the kind of game-changing special teams play that runs in the family.
What’s Next:
Virginia Tech will try to rebound when it hosts Vanderbilt next Saturday.
South Carolina will welcome South Carolina State for its home opener.
