LaNorris Sellers’ first college start left South Carolina fans wondering if the former unheralded quarterback recruit could handle life in the SEC. The opponent was Old Dominion. Trailing 19-16 in the fourth quarter, LaNorris misfired while throwing downfield on a third-and-3, passing up a 5-yard out route near midfield, drawing some groans. The Gamecocks lined up to go for it, but a false start by a freshman left tackle snuffed out that idea, which garnered loud boos. South Carolina’s defense responded, forcing a fumble inside Old Dominion’s 10 before LaNorris barrelled in on a three-yard touchdown run that secured a 23-19 win.
His passing numbers: 10 of 23 for 114 yards.
LaNorris’ father, Norris, said his biggest fear was that “the blogs would crush him” if and when his son struggled. And sure enough, LaNorris saw the criticism.
“(LaNorris) called me and said, ‘Yo, people are killing me on Twitter,’” said then-South Carolina offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains, now the head coach at Appalachian State. “I said, ‘I’ve been an offensive coordinator for nine years. They’re gonna kill you and me every week, but don’t worry about it.’
“He said, ‘Hey, I was nervous.’ And I said it’s OK to be nervous. You played in front of 80,000 people in a program that you grew up watching. He grew up real fast.”
