Mike Shula came in with a lot of hype with his two decades of NFL experience, but after averaging 297.7 yards per game, which is the worst in the SEC, things went south fast. Against Alabama, however, a key adjustment from head coach Shane Beamer allowed LaNorris Sellers to finally find a rhythm in Mike Shula’s system. While the Gamecocks ultimately fell to the Crimson Tide (22-29), Sellers delivered some of his most dynamic plays of the season (fourth quarter fumble aside).

Beamer made a critical call as he instructed offensive coordinator Mike Shula to keep Sellers moving out of the pocket rather than forcing him to sit and wait for plays to develop. “I told Mike that LaNorris can’t sit in the pocket on every pass. We need to move the pocket and get the ball out to our playmakers quickly,” Beamer said. Well, the offensive line couldn’t give LaNorris Sellers a clean pocket against Alabama either, but he made sure that he extended plays to keep them in the game.

As Jordan Kaye points out, “There are certainly changes in Mike Shula’s offense this week. On that last play, Sellers ran a sprint option to his right and threw the pass in space. Haven’t seen that all season. Love that Shula is at least trying to move the pocket.” After the change, in the game against Bama, Sellers finished the game with 18-of-32 passing for 222 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and a fumble, adding 67 rushing yards on 18 carries with a rushing score. His mobility and decision-making out of the pocket made him the focal point of South Carolina’s late-game surge.

The changes were clearly visible. Highlights of the game included a perfectly timed 54-yard touchdown to Nyck Harbor and a 22-yard fourth-and-12 connection to his freshman brother Jayden Sellers. As Kaye quotes his words: “Asked Shane Beamer about this. Said that he told Mike Shula that LaNorris Sellers can’t sit in the pocket on every pass. That they need to move the pocket and make sure Sellers gets the ball out to playmakers quick.”

This was a much-needed step after last week’s mess-up against Oklahoma, where he went 17 of 25 passes for 124 yards with one touchdown and -9 rushing yards on 14 carries. And because of Sellers staying too long inside the pocket, he had to take 6 sacks for the loss of 53 yards. They sure didn’t win against Bama, but inconsistencies were cut short.

And a shaky offensive line didn’t make things easier for LaNorris Sellers either. As he had to face 42.5% of his dropbacks, the eighth-highest rate in the FBS. With that, he was sacked on 12.4% of his attempts, which is the worst in the FBS. Then his average time to throw is 2.95 seconds, ranking 120th out of 138 quarterbacks. All this was also ruining Sellers’ Heisman chances and draft picks. But after Bama’s game, that might not be the case.

It looks like all of this is a result of the constant fire rant against Mike Shula.

Mike Shula’s firing rants boosted Sellers’ fate

After a great start last season with a 9-4 finish, Shane Beamer’s team ended up losing against Vanderbilt and Missouri. This didn’t just impact their championship run but also their playoff chances. Now, after losing against Bama, this season also looks like a lost case for them. But it was the offensive struggles that halted their run throughout. Especially impacting Sellers’ gameplay.

As this guy just threw for 200 passing yards twice this season before going up against Bama. And looking at all the offensive struggles, fans went over the board, showing their frustration. Their move? Organizing a protest to get Mike Shula fired. As per an X flyer, they even asked students to hop into the Greene Street for the meet, where they hosted the “Fire Mike Shula” protest.

Even Beamer couldn’t hold back from addressing it: “I made a change last week,” he said. “And every week we’re continuing to look at how to be better, and every week I do that. And every week I will continue to do that and continue to evaluate that.”  He even fired OL coach Lonnie Teasley, but that wasn’t enough for fans. Now that the OL finally saw some consistency and even Sellers’ game got better, let’s hope Shula doesn’t have to face the heat again.