Honestly, if you just glance at the final record, you’d think the 2025 season was a total wash for Shane Beamer. A 4-8 finish usually means the wheels have fallen off. But if you actually dig into the university of south carolina football stats, you start to see a weird, frustrating, and oddly promising picture of what happened in Columbia.
It was a year of "almost."
The Quarterback Conundrum: LaNorris Sellers by the Numbers
Everyone wanted to see if LaNorris Sellers was the real deal. He’s got the size—6-3 and 240 pounds—and he’s basically a human bowling ball with an arm. The stats are a bit of a rollercoaster, though. He finished the 12-game stretch with 2,437 passing yards. That's not Earth-shattering, but he completed 60.8% of his throws.
He threw 13 touchdowns against 8 interceptions.
The rushing numbers are where it gets interesting. Or messy. He had 149 carries for 270 yards. Now, before you think he's slow, remember that college football counts sacks against rushing yards. Sellers got dropped 42 times. Forty-two! When you're spending that much time on your back, it’s hard to find a rhythm. Yet, he still managed 5 rushing touchdowns.
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His season finale against Clemson was probably his best game, statistically speaking. He put up a career-high 381 passing yards on 23 completions. It wasn't enough to win, but it showed that when the protection holds up, he can sling it.
A Defense That Deserved Better
It’s kinda tragic when you look at how hard the defense played. The university of south carolina football stats show an opponent scoring average of 22.1 points per game. In the SEC, that’s actually pretty solid. They ranked 45th nationally in scoring defense, which is lightyears better than their offensive ranking (104th).
They were absolute monsters against the run at times. Take the Coastal Carolina game, for example. The Gamecocks held them to 46 rushing yards. For a team that usually averages nearly 200 on the ground, that's a total shutdown.
But the "losses" column doesn't care about defensive stands. In their 8 losses, the defense gave up an average of 28 points. In their 4 wins? Just 10.3. It’s a massive gap that shows just how much pressure the offense put on the guys on the other side of the ball.
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Breaking Down the Schedule Stress
You can't talk about these stats without talking about the SOS (Strength of Schedule). South Carolina played 9 bowl-eligible teams. They faced 6 teams that were ranked at the time of the kickoff.
They went 0-6 against those ranked opponents.
That’s the stat that sticks in the throat of Gamecock fans. They were competitive, though. In 10 of their 12 games, they either had the lead or were within a single touchdown going into the fourth quarter. They just couldn't close. The 30-31 loss to Texas A&M is the perfect example—a game they had in their hands that slipped away in the final minutes.
The Hidden Wins in Special Teams
Special teams under Beamer are usually a highlight, and 2025 had its moments. The punt return average was 13.39 yards. That’s elite. They also didn't miss a single PAT, going 32-for-32. Kai Kroeger continued to be a weapon, averaging 44.2 yards per punt, which kept the Gamecocks in the field position battle even when the offense went three-and-out.
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Total Offense: The Hard Truth
- Total Yards per Game: 336.3
- Rushing Yards per Game: 111.1
- Passing Yards per Game: 225.3
- Third Down Conversion Rate: 31.8%
That third-down number is the killer. Converting only 31.8% of third downs means you aren't sustaining drives. It means your defense is back on the field before they can even grab a cup of water. You've got to wonder how much the offensive line struggles—specifically those 42 sacks—impacted the ability to stay on schedule.
What Actually Matters Moving Forward
Looking at the university of south carolina football stats from 2025, the takeaway isn't that the team is bad; it’s that they are inefficient in the red zone and porous on the offensive line. They reached the red zone only 26 times all year. Contrast that with their opponents, who got there 43 times.
You can't win in the SEC when your opponents are getting nearly double the scoring opportunities.
If you're tracking this team for next season, ignore the wins and losses for a second. Watch the "Yards Per Play" and the "Sacks Allowed." Those are the metrics that will decide if Shane Beamer can turn this around. The talent is clearly there—Sellers has the tools, and the defense is gritty—but the execution in the fourth quarter (where they struggled most) has to change.
To get a better handle on where this program is headed, keep an eye on the transfer portal activity specifically for offensive tackles. The stats prove that the current protection scheme is the biggest bottleneck to Sellers' development. Also, check the mid-week injury reports during the season; South Carolina's depth has historically been thin, and 2025 showed that any dip in the starting rotation leads to a massive drop-off in efficiency.