South Carolina Gamecocks
SEC
In the end, the mid-October loss to Tennessee cost South Carolina a shot at the SEC championship. And it could have hurt the Gamecocks even more. Despite the tough losses, it was a good year for South Carolina and Coach Steve Spurrier. They did win at Missouri and against Clemson.
2013 Record: 10-2, 6-2
Coach: Steve Spurrier
Coach Bowl Record: 9-10
Big Wins: 10/26 at Missouri (27-24), 11/30 Clemson (31-17)
Bad Losses: 9/7 at Georgia (30-41), 11/19 at Tennessee (21-23)
Strengths:
What South Carolina does best is win the turnover battle. They average nearly one more turnover per game than their opponent. On the defensive side of things, the Gamecocks totaled 15 interceptions and 11 recovered fumbles. Kelcy Quarles tallied 9.5 sacks and deserves a lot of the credit for the success of the defense. Quarles makes the opposing quarterback think fast and that leads to interceptions for players like Jimmy Legree, Victor Hampton and T.J. Holloman. On offense, the lack of turnovers is on quarterback Connor Shaw. He threw 259 passes and was intercepted just once. That is amazingly efficient.
Weaknesses:
Despite Shaw’s efficiency when it comes to interceptions, the passing offense is nothing great. Shaw threw for just 2,135 yards. Bruce Ellington, Damiere Byrd and Nick Jones are decent little wide receivers and Shaq Roland is a bigger target in the red zone. Shaw is not just a passer though. He can make plays with his feet and rushed for 511 yards and five more scores on the ground. But Mike Davis is the workhorse back for the Gamecocks. He is a tough back, but South Carolina can have a difficult time moving the chains consistently. If Shaw is not finding his receivers and the opposition is keying in on the ground game, South Carolina’s offense can be extremely stagnant.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Mike Davis, RB, 1,134 yards
Passing: Connor Shaw, QB, 2,135 yards
Receiving: Bruce Ellington, WR, 635 yards
Tackles: Skai Moore, LB, 51
Sacks: Kelcy Quarles, DT, 9.5
Interceptions: Jimmy Legree, CB, 3; T.J. Holloman, LB, 3; Victor Hampton, CB, 3
2013 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 205.3 (29, 5)
Passing Offense: 248.3 (49, 6)
Total Offense: 453.5 (34, 7)
Scoring Offense: 34.1 (35, 7)
Rushing Defense: 142.3 (33, 3)
Pass Defense: 202.8 (18, 4)
Total Defense: 345.0 (17, 3)
Scoring Defense: 20.0 (15, 3)
Turnover Margin: 0.9 (13, 2)
Sacks: 2.00 (62, 5)
Sacks Allowed: 1.83 (53, 8)
Recent Bowl Appearances:
2012 Outback Bowl Michigan (33-28)
2011 Capital One Bowl Nebraska (30-13)
2010 Chick-fil-A Bowl Florida State (17-26)
2009 PapaJohns.com Bowl Connecticut (7-20)
2008 Outback Bowl Iowa (10-31)
2006 Liberty Bowl Houston (44-36)
*all team stats through 11/30
