COLUMBIA (Interstat) — South Carolina scored on two punt returns and four rushing touchdowns Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, to beat Towson 45-9 at Williams-Brice Stadium in an NCAA Football Bowl Division game. The Gamecocks improved to 2-0. The Tigers fell to 0-3. South Carolina had opened the season with a 57-0 win over Kent State on Sept. 5. Towson had lost at Navy 42-15 on Sept. 5 and to Maine 21-18 on Aug. 27.

South Carolina struck first in the opening quarter. With 9:37 remaining, Towson punter O. Scheihing sent a 50-yard punt to the South Carolina 42. V. Swain returned it 58 yards for a touchdown, and M. Kelley made the extra point. Later in the quarter, Kelley attempted a 45-yard field goal that was no good. With two seconds left in the period, M. Fuller rushed left for a 14-yard touchdown, but the score was nullified by a South Carolina holding penalty.

The Gamecocks extended their lead in the second quarter. Kelley made a 33-yard field goal with 12:44 remaining. With 3:44 left before halftime, Fuller rushed middle for a 55-yard touchdown, and Kelley added the extra point. Towson got on the board with 1:04 remaining when Z. Faridi made a 41-yard field goal.

South Carolina added to its lead in the third quarter. With 12:07 remaining, L. Sellers rushed left for a 58-yard touchdown, and Kelley made the extra point. Towson answered with 7:03 remaining when Andrew Indorf completed a deep left pass to A. Enterline for a 23-yard touchdown. Faridi’s extra-point attempt failed. With three seconds left in the quarter, Scheihing punted 41 yards, and Swain returned it 45 yards for a touchdown. Scheihing was injured on the play. M. Orsan made the extra point.

In the fourth quarter, South Carolina scored twice more. J. Coleman rushed middle for a 3-yard touchdown with 8:29 remaining, and Orsan made the extra point. With 6:32 remaining, I. Augustave rushed middle for a 55-yard touchdown, and Orsan again made the extra point. That closed the scoring at 45-9.

Fuller’s first-quarter touchdown run was wiped out by a holding penalty, but his 55-yard second-quarter run counted. Sellers broke free for a 58-yard score in the third quarter. Coleman and Augustave added fourth-quarter rushing touchdowns of 3 and 55 yards. Swain’s two punt returns covered 58 and 45 yards. Kelley made a 33-yard field goal and a 45-yard attempt that missed. Orsan converted extra points after South Carolina’s final three touchdowns.

Towson’s key performers included quarterback Andrew Indorf, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound player from Miami, Fla. He threw the touchdown pass to Enterline. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina’s 6-foot-3, 245-pound quarterback from Florence, S.C., had a 58-yard touchdown run. Towson also listed Seth Hampton, a 5-foot-11, 215-pound linebacker from Alabaster, Ala.; Seth Chestnut; Myles Johnson, a 5-foot-11, 175-pound defensive back from Upper Marlboro, Md.; TJ Sands, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound defensive back from Orlando, Fla.; Jaydyn Johnson, a 6-foot-2, 211-pound safety from Dunbar, W.Va.; Zakaa Brown, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound defensive back from Newark, N.J.; Peyton Faulkner, a 6-foot-4, 245-pound tight end from Pittsburgh, Pa.; Mason Cunningham; Cody Szymansky; Jarvis Jones, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound wide receiver from Jersey City, N.J.; Jashaun Amin; Aaron Enterline; Kemarrion Battles, a 5-foot-10, 190-pound running back from Quincy, Fla.; Tristen Kenan, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound running back from Baltimore, Md.; Xavier Pugh; Kahseim Phillips, a 5-foot-8, 170-pound running back from Philadelphia, Pa.; Jacob Davis; Shamir Boyd; Max Young, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound kicker from Braceville, Ohio; Owen Scheihing; Zaydaan Faridi; Will Ennis; Dennious Jackson, a 6-foot-5, 335-pound defensive lineman from Augusta, Ga.; Isaiah Yates; Zack Philpott; Xzavion Crumb, a 5-foot-11, 205-pound linebacker from Baltimore, Md.; Kyron Grayson; Ashton Siwald; Jordan Sampson; Hayden Loveless; Chris Koffi, a 6-foot-1, 225-pound linebacker from Hyattsville, Md.; Cody Williams, a 6-foot, 180-pound defensive back from Camp Springs, Md.; Weston Woodard, a 6-foot-5, 260-pound defensive lineman from Lynchburg, Va.; Ben Kumpon, a 6-foot-1, 220-pound linebacker from Avondale, Pa.; Marquis Cooper, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound defensive back from Jamaica, N.Y.; Bryan Lodge, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound defensive back from West Park, Fla.; and Asaiah Hamond, a 6-foot-5, 275-pound defensive lineman from Baltimore, Md.

South Carolina’s key performers included Mason Love, a 6-foot-1, 191-pound kicker from Riverside, Mo.; Malik Orsan; Max Kelley, a 223-pound kicker from Gallatin, Tenn.; Nitro Tuggle, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound wide receiver from Goshen, Ind.; Justin Okoronkwo, a 6-foot-3, 228-pound linebacker from Munich, Germany; Peyton Williams, a 6-foot, 200-pound defensive back from Heath, Texas; Noah Clark; Kobby Sakyi-Prah; Fred Johnson, a 6-foot-4, 240-pound linebacker from Norfolk, Va.; and Shawn Murphy, a 6-foot-2, 224-pound linebacker from Manassas, Va. No individual stat lines were provided for those players in the game summary.

Towson is scheduled to host Morgan State on Sept. 19, visit Delaware State on Sept. 26, visit Monmouth on Oct. 3, host Stony Brook on Oct. 10, visit Campbell on Oct. 17, host Hampton on Oct. 31, visit Sacred Heart on Nov. 7, visit Rhode Island on Nov. 14 and host Elon on Nov. 21. South Carolina is set to host Mississippi State on Sept. 19, visit Alabama on Sept. 26, host Kentucky on Oct. 3, visit Florida on Oct. 10, host Tennessee on Oct. 24, visit Oklahoma on Oct. 31, host Texas A&M on Nov. 7, visit Arkansas on Nov. 14, host Georgia on Nov. 21 and visit Clemson on Nov. 28.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of South Carolina 35, Towson 9. Interstat’s ELO system had projected South Carolina with a 97.9 percent probability to win. No point spread, betting line or over-under was included in the supplied information.