Swain's 2 punt return TDs set school career record, lead South Carolina to 45-9 win over FCS Towson

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Vicari Swain will likely always remember his 22nd birthday. It was the day he returned two punts for touchdowns to become South Carolina's career record holder with five in the Gamecocks' 45-9 victory over Towson on Saturday night.

Swain, a senior defensive back, had return scores of 58 and 45 yards, and added a blocked extra point on defense

Swain didn't know he'd set a record that had lasted since Dickie Harris left with four in 1971. “It was just another opportunity to do what we do,” he said. “I'm just beyond blessed.”

Quarterback LaNorris Sellers had a 58-yard TD run and tailback Matt Fuller scored from 55 yards out as the Gamecocks rolled up 405 yards rushing against the Tigers (0-3) of the Football Championship Subdivision.

The game was delayed by lightning and heavy rain for 74 minutes after Sellers' score. in third quarter put South Carolina up 24-3.

Swain, a senior defensive back, started the Gamecocks scoring with a his first punt return. His second made it 31-9 as Towson punted from the end zone Swain had rolled left and through several defenders, leaping to get past punter Owen Scheihing and into the end zone.

Scheihing left the field by cart, sitting up, after the collision. Towson coach Pete Shinnick said his punter would be examined back on campus, but “it didn't look good.” Scheihing would like require a cast on his injured arm, the coach said.

The Gamecocks, who started 2-0 for a third consecutive season, had come in off a dominant 57-0 showing in the opener against Kent State and figured to do the same to Towson, of the FCS. But mistakes and misconnections cost the Gamecocks throughout.

Fuller fumbled the ball twice and saw his apparent, 14-yard TD run wiped out by penalty. Max Kelley missed his first field-goal try of the season and quarterback Sellers was picked off right before halftime with the Gamecocks driving.

Twice, open receivers dropped Sellers' passes in the end zone and the senior finished with 96 yards passing, his lowest total as a starter.

Towson struggled to move the ball against the swarming South Carolina defense. The Tigers managed just 203 yards, just 21 on the ground.

Towson: Lots of positives for the Tigers who had lost a week ago to FBS program Navy 42-15. They were hanging in 24-9 before South Carolina scored the final 21 points. And they collected $550,000 from the Southeastern Conference school for the visit.

South Carolina: While the team looked on-point in the opener, coach Shane Beamer will find plenty of issues to correct after this week as South Carolina prepares to face Mississippi State which won its first two games by a combined 100-26 score.

South Carolina coach Shane Beamer knows his team can't look like it did at times — dropped passes, fumbles, penalties at the line of scrimmage — and expect to contend in the Southeastern Conference. “If we make some of the mistakes we made tonight, we're going to get our butt kicked,” he said. The Gamecocks play nine straight league opponents starting next week.

Towson returns home to play Morgan State on Saturday night.

South Carolina opens Southeastern Conference play at home against Mississippi State on Saturday.

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