COLUMBIA, S.C. — The two South Carolina players most tied to Saturday’s upset of No. 11 Tennessee in Columbia SC picked up Southeastern Conference awards on Monday, Oct. 26. Sophomore kicker Malik Orsan was named the league’s Special Teams Player of the Week, and fifth-year center Nolan Hay was picked as its Offensive Lineman of the Week.
Orsan won the game 27-24 with a 48-yard field goal as the clock ran out at Williams-Brice Stadium. He had also connected from 22 yards near the end of the first half and made all three extra-point tries, giving him nine points on the night.
It was the first walk-off kick of his career. The Gamecocks had not beaten a ranked opponent on a game-winning field goal since 2019, when Parker White hit from 23 yards in double overtime for a 20-17 win at No. 3 Georgia.
Since taking over the kicking job before the Sept. 19 conference opener, Orsan has made 10 of 12 field-goal attempts and is 22-for-22 on extra points. His 52 points lead the team.
Hay made his second straight start at center against one of the nation’s stingiest defensive fronts. The offense piled up 344 yards, including 134 on the ground, and two rushing touchdowns from quarterback LaNorris Sellers. Coaches credited Hay with a 91 grade over 69 snaps, the best mark among the team’s linemen.
The Katy, Texas, native is the fifth Gamecock to win the offensive line award since Shane Beamer became head coach. Tennessee came in allowing 14.7 points per game, the best average in the league, before giving up 27.
South Carolina, now 4-3, plays at Oklahoma on Saturday, Oct. 31, with kickoff set for 4:15 p.m.
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