Play-by-play announcer Chris Fowler described the September 14 contest between LSU and South Carolina as “gritty” and later added that there would be “a lot of chatter because the officials played a large part in deciding things.”
Fowler was of course referencing the three calls that dramatically impacted the early-season SEC showdown.
First, South Carolina was called for a horse collar that wiped away an interception returned for a touchdown.
Later, the Gamecocks were called for offensive pass interference on a chunk play past midfield.
And with 6:14 remaining in the fourth quarter and a four-point Gamecock lead hanging in the balance, South Carolina felt the impact of the most questionable call of the game.
Third and 11 for LSU. Ball on the Gamecock 13-yard line.
LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier takes the shotgun snap and quickly scans to the right. He’s looking for a quick-strike completion near the pylon.
He massively underthrows the ball and it floats into the arms of South Carolina defensive back Nick Emmanwori. Emmanwori secures the football and immediately makes a bee-line down the sideline, eluding the LSU offensive line’s attempts to make a game-saving tackle. He goes untouched to the end zone for what would’ve been a 100+ yard interception return for a touchdown.
As Emmanwori is streaking for the end zone, Fowler points out a flag was thrown and questions whether the game-changing play could be nullified. He notes that this would be “the second interception returned for a touchdown wiped off the board today” for the Gamecocks.
After some deliberation, officials call unnecessary roughness on the return, indicating that standout South Carolina defensive end Kyle Kennard made an illegal hit on Nussmeier during the return.
Upon further review, the “hit” wasn’t even really a hit at all. It was a hard, two-handed shove if anything. Was it forceful? Yes. Was it excessive? Not at all.
The game unraveled for upset-minded South Carolina from that point onward.
On the next drive, the Gamecocks ran three plays, gained two yards and were forced to punt. With one more undeserved bite at the proverbial apple, LSU engineered a strangely effective eight-play, 26-yard drive that resulted in a two-yard rushing touchdown to put the Tigers up 36-33 with just a minute and change left to play.
South Carolina did its best to answer, but the upset bid fell short on the final play of the game when kicker Alex Herrera missed a game-winning, 49-yard field goal attempt as time expired.
What if South Carolina hadn’t gotten robbed against LSU?
It’s difficult to say for certain, but had that nullified interception for a touchdown gone the other way, South Carolina would’ve likely been a College Football Playoff team.
If you wipe away that LSU loss, South Carolina is a two-loss SEC team at the end of the regular season and would’ve surely represented the conference in the 12-team playoff field. Post-LSU, South Carolina only lost two more games, a 24-point beatdown against Ole Miss and a two-pointer on the road against Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama.
How does South Carolina fare in a hypothetical 2024 College Football Playoff scenario? Your guess is as good as mine.
The Gamecocks won their last six games of the regular season, in large part due to the development of budding star quarterback LaNorris Sellers. The defense was already littered with playmakers, so once Sellers got settled in about halfway through the season, this team really took off. Sellers was so sensational that many consider him a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate for 2025. That doesn’t ordinarily happen at a place like South Carolina.
I was banging the table for South Carolina down the stretch of the regular season. And while I think the College Football Playoff committee got the 12-team field right (yes, despite the lopsided results) if a fourth SEC team was to get an invite, I hoped it would’ve been the Gamecocks.
How does that blown call impact South Carolina in 2024 and beyond?
Every play in college football needs a healthy dose of context, but this one, in particular, was massive for the Gamecocks in the grand scheme of things. If that call goes the other way and LSU doesn’t win that game, does South Carolina make the CFP? Does head coach Shane Beamer get a new contract?
Beyond 2024, making the College Football Playoff would’ve done wonders for the Gamecock program. It would’ve elevated the program into a different echelon of the SEC. And you can almost guarantee it would’ve done wonders for retaining talent and recruiting new players.
Mid-September games don’t usually alter the trajectory of an entire season.
Unfortunately for South Carolina, this one did.