COLUMBIA – A big lead, a frenzied crowd, hope turning into belief that this time would be different…

No. South Carolina was once again not ready for prime time.

Sixteenth-ranked LSU overcame a 17-0 second-quarter deficit and trailed 33-29 with 3:46 left to beat the Gamecocks 36-33 on Saturday. USC had a good excuse: Starting quarterback LaNorris Sellers injured his right ankle just before halftime and backup Robby Ashford, either a scrambler or a short-throw passer, played all but one series in the second half.

But afterwards, no one mentioned this topic. Not when the perpetrator stared at them with dark eyes.

“I want to apologize to our fans. Thirteen penalties. You don’t win football games in the SEC with 13 penalties,” said a disappointed coach Shane Beamer. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen two defensive touchdowns taken back by penalties.”

The flags totaled 123 yards. Two pick-sixes and a two-point conversion were nullified. The Gamecocks (2-1, 1-1 SEC) gave LSU a first down when Kyle Kennard jumped offsides on a Tigers fourth down that became the game-winning drive, among a number of other mistakes.

That’s why no one blamed Alex Herrera when he missed a career-high 49-yard field goal that could have sent the game into overtime. It seemed like scoring only delayed the inevitable.

That was the Gamecocks blowing the game. When you’re up 17-0, no matter what time, you have to win. The Gamecocks can still have a good season, maybe even a great season…but they let an advantage slip away that could have been the dividing line between the two options.

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier was cut into 6-foot-2 pieces by the Gamecocks’ massive pass rush, but after USC’s special teams blocked a punt that led to the Gamecocks’ second touchdown, he went a step further and moved the pocket to give his receivers all the time they needed to find an open patch of grass.