The South Carolina Gamecocks had plenty to celebrate after knocking off the No. 10 Texas A&M Aggies 44-20 Saturday night.
Freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers tallied 244 passing yards and accounted for three total touchdowns to lead the Gamecocks to a win. He was also second in rushing with 106 yards, behind senior running back Raheim Sanders who picked up 144 yards and two touchdowns.
"He's special. He's just going to get better," Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer said about Sellers. "When he had those two losses against LSU and Alabama he was inexperienced."
South Carolina's defense came up big by shutting out Texas A&M in the second half -- including stopping the Aggies twice on fourth-and-1 and forcing quarterback Marcel Reed to turn the ball over in the fourth quarter.
Fans at Williams-Brice Stadium stormed the field after Gamecocks' first win of the season over a ranked opponent and SEC contender -- but the real celebration ensued in the locker room.
Wearing a thick black chain with a Gamecock logo around his neck, Beamer called his wife, Emily, to join him for the festivities, and told the players that her birthday is next week.
"I told my kids all week that if we won this football game, I was going to do a little celebration for her," Beamer said.
Emily was treated to a musical moment when Beamer and the Gamecocks performed Fantasia Barrino's song "When I See U" for her.
And they say romance is dead pic.twitter.com/FlMx9XSOIJ
— Gamecock Football (@GamecockFB) November 3, 2024
"When I See U" is the second single from Fantasia's 2006 self-titled sophomore album.
It peaked at No. 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for nine weeks in 2007.
The single picked up two Grammy Award nominations for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song. It was also certified Gold.
Fantasia is a native of High Point, N.C., and was the season three winner of "American Idol" in 2004.