COLUMBIA -- Everything was going right for South Carolina football.
Quarterback LaNorris Sellers faked the handoff then made one subtle juke to get away from the LSU safety before outrunning two other defenders for a 75-yard touchdown. It put the Gamecocks up 24-10 with 4:15 left until halftime and set the record for longest rushing touchdown by a quarterback in program history.
All the excitement left Williams-Brice Stadium when Sellers went down with an injury four minutes later. He didn't return and South Carolina lost 36-33 to LSU on Sept. 15, 2024.
Now the Gamecocks (3-2, 1-2 SEC) face No. 11 LSU (4-1, 0-1) in Baton Rouge on Oct. 11 (7:45 p.m., SEC Network) with coach Brian Kelly preparing for four quarters of Sellers this time around.
"He's a quarterback with great talent," Kelly said to LSU media on Oct. 6. "He makes plays outside the pocket down field. We have to avoid the big chunk plays that aren't scripted. He's a major focus of what we're doing this week."
A lot happened in the second half when these two teams met in 2024. A game-changing pick-6 was overturned by a penalty, which still haunts many South Carolina fans. Tigers fans are still celebrating overcoming a 17-point deficit.
Though there's no definite way of knowing if the outcome would have differed had Sellers stayed healthy but he had 113 passing and 88 rushing yards in less than two quarters.
Sellers finished 2024 with 674 rushing yards, as the LSU game was just an early sign of what he could do on the ground.
"Last year Sellers hurt us running the football," Kelly said. "We have to have a plan in place to stop the quarterback run. You have to keep him in the pocket; he operates best when he's outside the pocket."
Over the summer, Sellers and LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier were Heisman Trophy favorites but are no longer top contenders. A major reason is neither of their offenses are putting up big numbers.
The Tigers are 12th in the SEC in total offense (364.2 ypg) and the Gamecocks are last (308.6). In rushing yards per game, LSU is 15th with 104.8, just ahead of South Carolina, which is averaging 99.8.
Nussmeier has 1,159 passing yards and seven touchdowns, more than Sellers' 886 passing yards and three scores.
"There's a lot of new faces and young players around him," coach Shane Beamer said when asked about Sellers in regard to South Carolina's inconsistencies on offense. "The thing I love and respect so much about him is his steadiness. Nothing bothers him, he stays steady ... just continues to work and get better."
Though Sellers didn't speak to media ahead of the game, Beamer said he knows Sellers is excited, but it's a new LSU defense, which Beamer says is improved from last year.
LSU was 11th in the SEC in total defense last season compared to sixth this season.
Against Missouri, Sellers went 18-of-28 for 302 passing yards and two touchdowns but the offense logged minus-9 rushing yards, and Sellers got sacked for a loss of 28 yards
He rebounded with 81 rushing yards on 14 carries against Kentucky, but the Tigers will try to force Sellers to find his success through his receivers, limiting the "LaMagic" he makes on his own two feet.
"As we know he's very athletic, very talented," South Carolina offensive coordinator Mike Shula said of Sellers. "He's a unique runner but main thing is whether or not he's running the football or throwing it, continuing to make good decisions that keep us on the field."