UPDATED - This is South Carolina Football

Dec 14, 2022, 12:40 PM

I finally got around to updating it since 2017. Enjoy! (Let me know of any spelling/grammar errors or mistakes) Thanks

THIS IS SOUTH CAROLINA FOOTBALL

PREFACE

In the 81 seasons South Carolina has been affiliated with a conference, they have won that conference once...the ACC in 1969, with a 7-4 record. Since the Associated Press began ranking football teams in 1936, the ##### have finished in the Top 20 of the rankings only eight times in those 86 years. South Carolina has finished in the Top 10 of a major recognized poll...THREE times, in 2011, 2012 and 2013, the best seasons in their entire history with 11 wins. In 2011 the entire team received rings for going 11-2 and for finishing a tough, hard fought 5th place in the SEC. As they say in tee ball, everyone is a winner. This is South Carolina football.

The first year of Gamecock football was in 1892, South Carolina won its first bowl game 103 years later under BRAD SCOTT. In 130 seasons of football, South Carolina never participated in a pre-BCS major bowl (Rose, Fiesta, Orange, Cotton, and Sugar) never received a BCS invite during the BCS era and has yet to be chosen for the College Football Playoff or Access bowls. As South Carolina just finished their 130th season of collegiate football, they have won 11 or more games in a single season only three times. In 130 seasons, South Carolina has won more games than it lost only 61 times. In 130 seasons, South Carolina has won more than 6 games in a season 28 times, and lost 6 or more 44 times. This is South Carolina football.

CHAPTER 1 - By the numbers

South Carolina has had 36 different head coaches in its storied tradition...only six of them have stayed longer than 5 seasons, while 25 of them have losing records. “It’s another Carolina Touchdown!?”…not quite. Of the 56 programs, which have played more than 1000 games all-time, only four have scored fewer points than South Carolina in their school’s history. This is South Carolina football.

Since joining the SEC in 1992, South Carolina has had a winning record in the conference 8 times in 30 years. Although South Carolina has yet to win the SEC, they have finished 0-8 in the conference twice. South Carolina has won 6 conference games in a season only 3 times. Only Kentucky and Vanderbilt have less 6 conference win seasons. This is South Carolina football.

Of the most memorable moments in their history is the fact that South Carolina went two consecutive seasons without winning one conference game. That’s right, not one. Carolina had an impressive string of 21 consecutive games with a loss snapped in 2000 by beating New Mexico State (and to let the rest of the country know what South Carolina football was all about, their fans commenced to tear down the goal-posts. No, I am not kidding). This is South Carolina football.

Since 1992, only three non-probation members of the conference failed to win two or more games overall in a season…South Carolina has accomplished this feat three times, Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Missouri once (excluding Vanderbilt’s reduced 2020 season). Since 1992, only once has a conference member failed to win a game overall in a single season…you guessed it, South Carolina (excluding Vanderbilt’s reduced 2020 season). South Carolina’s all-time record versus other current conference members is even more impressive: 4-11 vs Alabama, 10-14 vs Arkansas, 3-10-1 vs Auburn, 10-30-3 vs Florida, 19-54-2 vs Georgia, 19-14-1 vs Kentucky, 2-19-1 vs LSU, 8-9 vs Ole Miss, 9-7 vs Mississippi St., 11-28-2 vs Tennessee, 5-8 vs Missouri, 1-8 vs Texas A&M and 28-4 vs Vanderbilt. That’s correct, South Carolina leads the all-time series against 3 SEC Teams...Kentucky, Miss St. and Vanderbilt. This is South Carolina football.

But, the comparison of only 23 seasons in one conference does no justice to the tradition of South Carolina football. Comparing the ##### record versus FBS schools they have played 20 or more times: 43-72-4 vs Clemson, 17-24-3 vs Duke, 8-26-3 vs Florida, 10-30-2 vs Georgia, 28-26-4 vs NC State, 9-12 vs Georgia Tech, 11-17 vs Maryland, 20-35-4 vs North Carolina, 3-17 vs Florida State, 11-28-2 vs Tennessee, 21-13-1 vs Virginia, 19-14-1 vs Kentucky, 10-14 vs Arkansas, 2-19-1 vs LSU, 11-7-2 vs Virginia Tech, 28-4 vs Vanderbilt, and 34-20-2 vs Wake Forest. That’s correct, South Carolina leads the all-time series against 6 of these 17 teams. This is South Carolina football.

Gamecock fans justify their horrible football record thru the strength of the SEC conference. But let’s look at the Gamecock’s record against the other big 5 conferences. South Carolina is 193-236-22 vs the ACC, 10-11-1 vs the Big 12, 18-26 vs the Big Ten, 1-1 vs Pac12 and 5-6 vs Independents. This is South Carolina Football.

Chapter 2 – Legendary Coaches to the Rescue

Prior to the start of the 1999 season the Gamecocks lured legendary National Championship coach Lou Holtz out of retirement to take over the 1-10 Gamecock football team in Columbia. It was a foregone conclusion to Gamecock fans that Uncle Lou would take them to the promised land. In his first season, Coach Holtz failed to win a single game. Holtz did manage to rebound and spark Gamecock nation with back to back 8 and 9 seasons in 2000 and 2001 on their way to their 2nd and 3rd bowl games. In August of 2002 Gamecock fans were sure they were headed for the National Championship. The team failed to reach a bowl game again under Lou Holtz going 5-7 back to back in 2002 and 2003. This is South Carolina Football.

That 2003 season under Holtz was the season that the ##### would rebuild and compete for a SEC title with their consecutive top 10 recruiting classes. Yet, they finished the season with another sub 500 performance. That season ended with a 63-17 thumping at home from archrival Clemson. This is South Carolina football.

Surely 2004 would be the year. After all, Holtz was a recruiting machine. Not to be. They managed just one more win than the previous year and, after taunting Clemson at the bottom of their famed hill, ended up in an on field brawl that would lead to their school keeping them from a bowl game. Lou Holtz would never coach another college football game again. This is South Carolina Football.

In 2005 a new era began for the Gamecocks as they hired yet another legendary coach, Steve Spurrier. As they say, if at first you don’t succeed try, try again. They opened up their wallets (and another grave plot in their cemetery of washed up head coaches) for what surely would be the coach to get them on the road to glory. Spurrier would take the Gamecocks to bowl games in his first two seasons in 2005 and 2006 and won his first game vs Clemson. Surely they were on their way to prominence?

In 2007 the Gamecocks got off to a roaring 6-1 start after beating #12 Georgia and #8 Kentucky. Surely this would be the year that all the Gamecock faithful had been yearning for. It was finally the “Next Year”! But hold the presses. After beating #8 Kentucky and garnering a rank as high as #6 in the country, those Gamecocks lost to lowly Vanderbilt that started a Gamecock trademarked “fall from grace” to lose their last 5 games, including arch rival Clemson, and finish 6-6 for the season. Yes, it was #6 to 6-6 for the Gamecocks This is South Carolina football.

The very next season, in 2008, those South Carolina Gamecocks got right back up and at it again beginning the season with a 7-2 record. But again those BCS hopes were dashed by a 56-6 drumming by the Florida Gators. South Carolina would go on to lose their last 3 games of the season to finish 7-5. This is South Carolina football.

In 2009, with rival Clemson clinching the Atlantic Division in the ACC, the South Carolina Gamecocks had lost 3 straight and were sitting on a 6-5 record. When those Tigers came to town, those Gamecocks took advantage of turnovers and dampened the mood for the ACC Championship bound Tigers…. “Was this the end of the dreaded Chicken Curse?” the faithful coots prayed. But Ol’ Pitchfork Ben Tillman could only chuckle as UConn slammed the Gamecocks 20-7 in the Papa Johns.com bowl. This is South Carolina football.

In 2010 the Gamecocks got off to yet another historical start with a 9-3 record. They finally managed to win the SEC East division title. “This is it!” Gamecock fans exclaimed. “This is the moment that we have all been waiting for! The SEC Championship game in Atlanta!” The gamecocks, as 9-3 SEC East Champions, hoped to defeat Auburn in the SEC Championship game for their first conference title since winning the ACC in 1969! But…….that was not to be as Auburn pounded the Gamecocks 56-17 to set the largest margin of defeat in an SEC Championship game. The Gamecocks would go on to lose the Chick Fil A bowl to Florida State 26-17. This is South Carolina football.

As starting QB for South Carolina from 2009-2011, Stephen Garcia had managed 3 arrests, 5 different suspensions and never missed one minute of playing time. In the summer of 2011, the reason behind Garcia’s behavior and lack of punishment became crystal clear to all the critics. An incident occurred that explained everything to those wondering how a young man could get away with so much. With Garcia already serving an indefinite suspension for violation of team rules, on July 26th, 2011 Quarterbacks coach G.A. Mangus was arrested in Greenville, SC after urinating on Main Street. G.A. was immediately suspended indefinitely by Coach Spurrier. Seven days later both G.A. and Garcia were reinstated to the team on the same day, just in time for the start of fall camp. This is South Carolina football.

The 2011 season brought yet another heart break for those poor Gamecocks. In 2011 the Gamecocks went 11-2 with a bowl win over Nebraska. However, they became the first collegiate football team in history to defeat all of their division rivals but still lose their division. They also became the first team in history to defeat all of their division rivals and finish 5th or worse in overall conference play. "But that's ok", they say. “We will make rings for our players anyway.” After finishing 5th in the conference every player got a ring. This is South Carolina football.

In 2012, the Fighting Gamecocks once again beat the SEC East division winner only to be left out of the SECCG once again. This is South Carolina Football.

2013 started out with a great optimism for Gamecock nation but was brought to reality quickly after a loss to UGA, who lost to Clemson the week before. Jadeveon Clowney, the best football player who ever lived, sandbagged his way to a mediocre season and NFL draft as he blames his 15 different high school injuries on his lack of production. He is made fun of on national TV. When things couldn’t get any worse, SC loses to a pathetic Tennessee team on a last minute field goal. The up and down season drove Coach Spurrier to drink as he filmed a coaches show drunk. The Gamecocks, once again defeating the eventual SEC East Champion, were left out of a trip to Atlanta. Meanwhile, rival Clemson became the first and only team from the state of SC to play in and win a BCS game. This is South Carolina Football.

The 2014 season, as usual in Columbia, began with the gamecocks being August Pre-season National Champions. The Gamecocks were #9 in preseason polls and picked to win the SEC east by most and the SEC Championship by some. A great optimism surrounded the first game in which SC faced Texas A&M. The game was at home and was the inaugural game to introduce the much anticipated SEC Network. The Gamecocks were heavily favored and many didn’t give the Aggies a chance. That optimism soon turned to despair as SC allowed the first year Texas A&M QB to break passing yard records and gave up 680 total yards. The Gamecocks were embarrassed on national TV in front of millions 52-28. This is South Carolina Football.

The Gamecocks, still delusional as could be went on to beat a tough ECU and squeaked out a win against UGA. It was now clear that the Texas A&M game was a fluke. The Gamecocks would surely run the table and be included in the new 2014 playoffs. That was not to be. The Gamecocks went on to lose the next 4 out of 6 games, including juggernaut Kentucky. The Gamecocks would give up several big leads late in the 4th quarter on the way to a 4-5 record. This is South Carolina Football.

But all was not lost. The Gamecocks, having defeated a tough 5-3 Florida in OT, still had Clemson to play. And the Gamecocks just knew their streak of 5 wins over the Tigers would go to 6 wins in 2014. After all, there was just no way the over rated defense of Clemson would beat the best offense in SC history. And surely struggling QB Cole Stoudt or hurt freshman phenom Deshaun Watson would never be able to score enough points. SC was destined to finish 7-5 and make it to a decent bowl game.

Unfortunately for the feathered kind, they were sorely mistaken. Clemson QB Deshaun Watson, playing on a torn ACL, became the first Clemson true freshman to beat the gamecocks passing for 269 yards, 2 TDs and rushing for 2 more. Three different Clemson freshman had break out numbers against the Gamecocks, including a record setting day by Artavis Scott. No, the gamecocks didn’t run their streak to 6 but they did achieve 6 in a different way; a 6-6 record, even with the best offense in SC history. This is South Carolina Football.

When 2015 rolled around the best coach in Gamecock history, Steve Spurrier, received a huge raise for the great accomplishment of going 6-6. The Gamecocks hung an 85 foot banner on their stadium in honor of the coach who would never let them down. After 6 games into the 2015 season Spurrier quit after a 2-4 record. The Gamecocks would go on to win one more game, losing to the Citadel and the 2nd in a row to Clemson on the way to a 3-9 record. Meanwhile, arch rival Clemson punched their ticket to their second national championship game. Spurrier? Well, after running the program into the ground he decided to retire and never coached another college football game again. Even after winning 5 in a row against arch rival Clemson, Spurrier set off a string of Clemson wins over South Carolina that would reach 7 in a row. That’s right, after gaining a net of 5 wins in the overall streak since 2009 the Gamecocks would see that evaporate into a net loss of 2 games in just a few short years. How disheartening. This is South Carolina football.

Chapter 3 – Little Brother’s Nightmare

With a head start in the coaching search over all other teams looking for a skipper, and rival Clemson undefeated with a path to the playoffs, surely the Gamecocks would land a top Head Coach to take the helm of their sinking ship for the 2016 season. Instead, they botched the opportunity and landed one of the most under-achieving head coaches on the market in Will Muschamp. It seems the two were destined for one another. This is South Carolina Football.

The 2016 season was an up and down season for the capons but at 6-5 they had a shot at a winning season and to spoil the 10-1 Tigers playoff hopes. They were about to achieve 7 wins for the first time in 3 years. Not so fast…….The Gamecocks lost to the Tigers in the second largest margin of loss in series history. QB Jake Bentley says “Clemson wasn’t that much better if at all”. Clemson went on to face Alabama in the National Championship with Gamecock fans cheering the Tide to win them a National Championship (because that’s the only way they can win one). But the Gamecocks lost again as Clemson won its second National title. Clemson has now won more National Titles than the Gamecocks have won conferences. This is South Carolina football.

The previous season brought the emergence of young talent to the Gamecock offense and 2017 looked bright. QB Jake Bentley was poised to win the Heisman and Rico Dowdle looked to vie for the top of SEC rushing ranks. After defeating NC State and Missouri despite being outgained in both games, fans were fired up for their first home game. The night before the opening home contest a poor Kentucky fan was shot in the Vista. They were so fired up, in fact, and ready to fight that a brawl between Gamecock and Wildcat fans broke out at tailgates just before the game. At the coin flip, Gamecock players refused to shake hands with Kentucky players. Their much anticipated pyrotechnics show failed, the toilets in the stadium were backing up, their QB flopped on the field without even being touched as if he were a soccer player and the concession lines and wait times broke records. The “blackout” event turned into appropriate attire for a funeral as SC lost its 4th straight to Kentucky and 2nd loss of night following the tailgate beatdown. This is South Carolina Football.

The Gamecocks would rebound that 2017 season to earn a 24th ranking in the country going into the Clemson game. They had yet another chance to spoil Clemson’s playoffs hopes. This was it. The best moment to end the streak. Well…..maybe not. Clemson made light work of the Gamecocks on their way to their 3rd consecutive playoff appearance. This is South Carolina Football.

The 2018 season brought great hope for the feathered. Coming off of a 9 win season Muschamp finally had his own players in place. A return to the glory years under Spurrier was inevitable. But by mid October the Gamecocks were a .500 team. How could this be?....After losing to Clemson for the 5th time in a row the Gamecocks beat juggernaut Akron and had won 4 of their last 6 games. They had a chance to salvage the season in a bowl game against ACC powerhouse Virginia. And they destroyed them 28-0…….Virginia scoring 28……the Gamecocks 0. This is South Carolina Football.

As for rival Clemson? Well they were 14-0 headed into a National Championship against Alabama. And per usual the Gamecock fans put their Gamecock hats in the closet and grabbed their Roll Tide gear. They had one more shot at a win over Clemson and to their dismay Clemson blew out the Tide for their 3rd National Championship and 2nd in 3 years. This is South Carolina Football.

The 2019 season ended even worse for ##### at 4-8. The Gamecock faithful were growing weary of Muschamp. After losses to “A she she cupcake” UNC, SEC powerhouse Missouri and Sunbelt power Appalachian State, it was time for Muschamp to go. But that couldn’t happen. You see the Gamecocks gave Muschamp a big raise, extension and enormous buy out the year before meanwhile Clemson reached their 4th National Championship game in 5 years. This is South Carolina Football.

Chapter 4 – This is Beamer Ball

In August of 2020 the Gamecock fans sounded a little like Clark Griswold in Christmas Vacation after the squirrel incident. “Worse? How can this get any worse?”. They were coming off a 4 win season and in the midst of a historical pandemic with a lame duck coach. But could it get worse? Oh yeah. Losing their last 6 games in a row to finish the season the Gamecocks finished with a 2-8 record. The only bright side is that it wasn’t 2-9 because they didn’t have to play Clemson, who went on to their 6th playoff appearance in a row. But they fired Muschamp midseason and were primed to land a top coach. Or so their delusions led them to believe. This is South Carolina Football.

The Gamecocks, being the desired destination that they are, used their SEC prowess to go out and get the best up and coming coach available. Shane Beamer. No, I didn’t say Frank. I said Shane. Yeah I know, I didn’t really know Frank had a son either. The Shane Train was now in full throttle in Columbia. The culture was changing. A spirit of winning instilled. Well….they did make a bowl game at least and after winning it their new head coach was covered in Duke’s Mayonnaise. 2021 ended 7-6, shutout by Clemson but a win over UNC in the Mayo bowl. This is South Carolina Football.

The 2022 season was a major shift. Clemson was down. They only won 10 games in 2021. Their QB wasn’t very good. The Gamecocks managed to lure Heisman Trophy favorite (at least to Gamecock fans) Spencer Rattler from the portal. He brought with him the best tight end in the nation (see note above) in Austin Stogner. They picked up a few other portal players. This was going to be a top offense in the nation. By game 3 they were ready to fire their OC. And rightfully so as they weren’t even cracking the top 100 in offense. But then they rebounded. Four wins in a row. #25 ranking. The Shane train was back on the tracks. Then they lost to Missouri and got embarrassed by Florida. But there was hope. They had 2 top ten teams to end the season. Tennessee and Clemson. They beat an over ranked Tennessee handily. And then beat Clemson by 1 point despite their QB passing for 8/29 and 99 yards and handing the ball to the ##### 3 times in game defining moments. No this wasn’t a fluke! They were back! “The hottest team in America” they said. After their OC left for Nebraska they were going to get a top Offensive coordinator because of all the momentum. “Will it be Dan Mullen”, they pondered. “Maybe Phil Longo or Garrett Riley”! They tracked Shane Beamer’s plane to Fayetteville, AR. “It’s Kendall Briles!”, they exclaimed. Finally since the Spurrier days they would have a good offense. But it wasn’t Kendall Briles. It wasn’t Kendall Briles at all. It was Dowell Loggains. Who? I know! The guy who was voted worst OC in the NFL? The guy who was nicknamed “No Gains”? Gamecock starters began jumping into the portal. Recruits decooted. The NCAA paused the Park Avenue NIL program for rules violations. The Shane Train looks to be going off the tracks. And here we are, until next time, saying THIS IS SOUTH CAROLINA FOOTBALL!

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UPDATED - This is South Carolina Football

Way to go!***

Re: UPDATED - This is South Carolina Football

This has been in development for years by different people

Re: This has been in development for years by different people

Earliest version on TNET I could find is 2010

Good work but

Re: UPDATED - This is South Carolina Football

Re: UPDATED - This is South Carolina Football

Re: UPDATED - This is South Carolina Football

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