South Carolina looking to turn up heat on Old Dominion

Seeking a good start to the season after a rocky 2023, South Carolina takes on visiting Old Dominion on Saturday in Columbia, S.C.

The Gamecocks finished 5-7 a year ago, with all their victories in home games, as coach Shane Beamer experienced his first losing season since taking over in 2021.

Redshirt freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers is set to make his first career start for South Carolina.

"No matter what their demeanor is, it's still going to be a lot on Saturday," Beamer said. "With LaNorris' demeanor, he gives you a quiet confidence."

Eight of the 14 returning starters are on the defensive side for the Gamecocks, who are counting on their depth.

"It's going to be hot Saturday, so play our players," Beamer said. "We're going to play a lot of defensive linemen."

Old Dominion, coming off a 6-7 season, has 57 players who weren't on last season's roster.

Communication for the Monarchs will be crucial, so coach Ricky Rahne had noise pumped into practice sessions to get a sense of the volume expected at Williams-Brice Stadium. It likely will be the largest crowd that the Monarchs have ever played in front of.

"We know it's going to be loud down there," Rahne said. "They have such great fans down there."

Rahne said the Monarchs can't afford to give up big plays and they put an emphasis on tackling during the offseason.

"You never feel like you've tackled enough, but I feel like we've done a pretty good job with that," he said.

The Monarchs feature linebacker Jason Henderson, who has led the country in tackles per game for two consecutive seasons (14.2 last year).

There's also a level of consistency at quarterback for Old Dominion, with Grant Wilson making his second straight season-opening start.

"An athletic quarterback who can make plays for them," Beamer said.

This will be the first meeting between the programs. Old Dominion hasn't faced a Southeastern Conference team since losing at Vanderbilt in 2014. Last year, the Monarchs opened with a loss at Virginia Tech.

--Field Level Media