2008 South Carolina Gamecocks football team

2008 Southeastern Conference football standings
	Eastern Division
	Western Division
	Championship: Florida 31, Alabama 20
	# – BCS National Champion; $ – BCS representative as conference champion; % – BCS at-large representative; x – Division champion/co-champions; Rankings from AP Poll

2008 South Carolina Gamecocks football
2008 South Carolina Gamecocks football
Outback Bowl, L 10–31 vs. Iowa
Conference	Southeastern Conference
	Eastern Division
2008 record	7–6 (4–4 SEC)
Head coach	Steve Spurrier (4th season);
Defensive coordinator	Ellis Johnson (1st season)
Home stadium	Williams-Brice Stadium (c. 80,250, grass)
	Seasons ← 2007 2009 →

The 2008 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team's head coach was Steve Spurrier, who served his fourth season at USC. The Gamecocks played their home games at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina.

Preseason[]

Carolina had their first spring practice on March 21, 2008. It was the first of 15 spring practice sessions for the Gamecocks, who return 54 lettermen in Steve Spurrier's fourth season. The annual Garnet & Black Spring Game was scheduled for 1:00 p.m., Saturday, April 19.

Schedule[]

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 28	8:00 pm	NC State*		Williams-Brice Stadium Columbia, SC	ESPN	W 34–0	80,616
September 4	8:30 pm	at Vanderbilt	No. 24	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	ESPN	L 17–24	36,850
September 13	3:30 pm	No. 2 Georgia		Williams-Brice Stadium Columbia, SC (rivalry)	CBS	L 7–14	83,704
September 20	7:00 pm	Wofford*		Williams-Brice Stadium Columbia, SC	PPV	W 23–13	76,599
September 27	7:00 pm	UAB*		Williams-Brice Stadium Columbia, SC	PPV	W 26–13	78,286
October 4	2:00 pm	at Ole Miss		Vaught–Hemingway Stadium Oxford, MS	PPV	W 31–24	54,628
October 11	12:30 pm	at Kentucky		Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY	Raycom	W 24–17	70,822
October 18	8:00 pm	No. 13 LSU		Williams-Brice Stadium Columbia, SC	ESPN	L 17–24	82,477
November 1	7:00 pm	Tennessee		Williams-Brice Stadium Columbia, SC	ESPN2	W 27–6	81,731
November 8	1:00 pm	Arkansas		Williams-Brice Stadium Columbia, SC	PPV	W 34–21	80,290
November 15	3:30 pm	at No. 3 Florida	No. 24	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL	CBS	L 6–56	90,646
November 29	12:00 pm	at Clemson*		Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC (Palmetto Bowl)	ESPN2	L 14–31	81,500
January 1	11:00 am	vs. Iowa*		Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL (Outback Bowl)	ESPN	L 10–31	55,117
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^[1]

Radio coverage for all games was provided by the Gamecock Sports Radio Network.^[2]

Game summaries[]

North Carolina State[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wolfpack	0	0	0	0	0
Gamecocks	0	3	10	21	34

Vanderbilt[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Gamecocks	7	3	0	7	17
Commodores	0	3	14	7	24

Georgia[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	0	6	8	0	14
Gamecocks	0	7	0	0	7

Wofford[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Terriers	0	7	3	3	13
Gamecocks	0	10	3	10	23

UAB[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Blazers	3	3	0	7	13
Gamecocks	10	10	3	3	26

Mississippi[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Gamecocks	3	14	7	7	31
Rebels	14	7	0	3	24

Kentucky[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Gamecocks	7	7	0	10	24
Wildcats	7	10	0	0	17

LSU[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Tigers	3	7	7	7	24
Gamecocks	0	17	0	0	17

Tennessee[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Volunteers	0	0	6	0	6
Gamecocks	7	14	3	3	27

Arkansas[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Razorbacks	0	7	7	7	21
Gamecocks	10	7	3	14	34

Florida[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Gamecocks	0	3	3	0	6
Gators	21	7	14	14	56

Clemson[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Gamecocks	0	7	7	0	14
Tigers	10	14	7	0	31

Players[]

Depth chart[]

These are the projected starters and primary backups for the Outback Bowl on January 1, 2009.

Defense

FS
Chris Culliver
Akeem Auguste

WLB	MLB	SLB
⋅	Jasper Brinkley	⋅
Dustin Lindsey	Rodney Paulk	⋅

SS
Darian Stewart
Dion LeCorn

CB
Captain Munnerlyn
Addison Williams

DE	DT	DT	DE
Jordin Lindsey	Nathan Pepper	Ladi Ajiboye	Cliff Matthews
Clifton Geathers	Travian Robertson	Jonathan Williams	Byron McKnight

CB
Stoney Woodson
Carlos Thomas

Offense

WR
Jason Barnes
Moe Brown

LT	LG	C	RG	RT
Jarriel King	Jamon Meredith	Garrett Anderson	Terrence Campbell	Justin Sorensen
Hutch Eckerson	Kevin Young	Seaver Brown	Quintin Richardson	Hutch Eckerson

TE
Jared Cook
Weslye Saunders

WR
Kenny McKinley
Joe Hills

QB
Stephen Garcia
Chris Smelley

RB
Mike Davis
Eric Baker

FB
Patrick DiMarco
Bryan Kingrey

Key Committed Freshmen

Antonio Allen – DB Akeem Auguste – DB Eric Baker – RB Reggie Bowens – LB Jarrett Burns – ATH Ronald Byrd – DL Kenny Davis – DL Aramis Hillary – QB T.J. Johnson – OL Jarriel King – DL Reid McCollum – QB Kenneth Miles – RB D.L. Moore – WR Darrell Simmons - DB Jay Spearman – DB Chaz Sutton – DL Devin Taylor – DL Mike Triglia – TE Charles Whitlock – DB/WR Elliot Williams - OL LaCharles Lindsey - WR

Roster[]

valign="top"

Wide Receiver

4 Jason Barnes -Freshman
8 Larry Freeman - Sophomore
11 Kenny McKinley - Senior^[3]
13 Mark Barnes - Freshman
14 La’Charles Lindsey Freshman
17 Chris Culliver - Sophomore^[4]
18 Dion Lecorn - Sophomore
81 Paul Haile - Junior
82 Freddie Brown, III - Junior
83 Scott Spurrier - Junior
85 Joe Hills - Freshman
89 Leon Gamble - Senior
14 LaCharles Lindsey - “Sophomore”

Offensive Lineman

54 Hardee Sanders - Junior
57 Lemuel Jeanpierre - Junior^[5]
62 Pierre Andrews - Sophomore
63 Seaver Brown - Sophomore
64 Kevin Young - Sophomore
65 Ryan Broadhead - Freshman
66 Hutch Eckerson - Junior
68 Kyle Nunn - Freshmen
70 Garrett Anderson - Junior
72 Quintin Richardson - Freshman
74 Heath Batchelor - Sophomore
75 Gurminder Thind - Senior
76 Jeremy Burgess - Senior
77 Jamon Meredith - Senior^[6]
78 Justin Sorensen - Senior

Tight End

19 Nick Prochak - Sophomore
84 Jared Cook - Junior
87 Alex McGrath - Senior
88 Weslye Saunders - Sophomore
90 Foxy Foxworth - Sophomore

Quarterback

5 Stephen Garcia - Freshman
6 Tommy Beecher - Junior
7 Chris Smelley - Sophomore
16 Michael McQueeney - Junior
17 Zac Brindise - Sophomore

Running Back

10 Brian Maddox - Sophomore
22 Bobby Wallace - Junior
20 Taylor Rank - Junior
25 Mike Davis - Senior

Fullback

35 Jim Hutton - Junior
44 Clark Gaston - Sophomore
46 Bryan Kingrey - Senior
47 Patrick DiMarco - Sophomore

Defensive tackle

61 Donte'e Nicholls - Freshman
79 Marque Hall - Senior
81 Terrence Campbell - Sophomore
91 Ladi Ajiboye - Sophomore
95 Nathan Pepper - Junior
97 Kenrick Ellis - Sophomore

Defensive End

40 Eric Norwood - Junior
42 Travian Robertson - Sophomore
83 Cliff Matthews - Sophomore
92 Byron McKnight - Freshman
96 Clifton Geathers - Sophomore^[7]
99 Jonathan Williams - Senior

Cornerback

1 Captain Munnerlyn - Junior'
5 Carlos Thomas - Senior
7 Addison Williams - Sophomore
28 Chris Hail - Junior
36 Stoney Woodson - Senior
4 Cedric Snead - Freshman

Defensive Back

23 Jamire Williams - Freshman

Linebacker

4 Alonzo Winfield - Freshman
6 Melvin Ingram - Sophomore
30 Yvan Banag - Senior
31 Gerrod Sinclair - Junior
44 Dustin Lindsey - Senior
45 Rodney Paulk - Junior
48 Vandaral Shackleford - Junior
49 Damien Wright - Junior
53 Marvin Sapp - Senior
58 John Guerry - Junior
52 Jasper Brinkley - Senior

Free Safety

32 Darian Stewart - Junior
42 Mike Newton - Senior

Strong Safety

21 Emanuel Cook - Junior
34 Douglas Peterson - Senior

Long Snapper

59 Charles Turner - Sophomore

Punter / Place Kicker

14 Ryan Succop - Senior^[8]
87 Spencer Lanning - Sophomore
97 Nate Spurrier - Junior

Awards[]

Rankings[]

Ranking Movement
Poll	Pre	Wk 1	Wk 2	Wk 3	Wk 4	Wk 5	Wk 6	Wk 7	Wk 8	Wk 9	Wk 10	Wk 11	Wk 12	Wk 13	Wk 14	Final
AP	NR	24	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	24	NR	NR	NR
Coaches	NR	24	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	23	NR	NR	NR
Harris	Not released				NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	24	NR	NR	NR
BCS	Not released								NR	NR	NR	25	NR	NR	NR	NR

Statistics[]

Team[]

	USC	Opp
Scoring	270	274
Points per Game	20.8	21.1
First Downs	241	214
Rushing	91	98
Passing	129	95
Penalty	21	21
Total Offense	4115	3795
Avg per Play	4.7	4.7
Avg per Game	316.5	291.5
Fumbles-Lost	23-11	21-13
Penalties-Yards	75-640	69-586
Avg per Game	49.2	45.1

	USC	Opp
Punts-Yards	49-2019	70-2986
Avg per Punt	41.2	42.4
Time of Possession/Game	29:42	30:18
3rd Down Conversions	70/180	66/177
4th Down Conversions	12/18	5/11
Touchdowns Scored	30	34
Field Goals-Attempts	20-30	12-19
PAT-Attempts	30-30	32-32
Attendance	563,703	334,446
Games/Avg per Game	7/80,529	5/66,889

Scores by quarter[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
South Carolina	44	102	39	85	270
Opponents	72	78	76	48	274

Offense[]

Rushing[]

Name	GP-GS	Att	Gain	Loss	Net	Avg	TD	Long	Avg/G
Mike Davis	12-11	163	615	42	573	3.5	3	50	47.8
Brian Maddox	7-0	32	128	7	121	3.8	1	13	17.3
Eric Baker	9-0	46	191	9	182	4.0	0	20	20.2
Bobby Wallace	8-0	25	110	11	99	4.0	0	21	14.1
Stephen Garcia	8-3	70	289	91	198	2.8	2	25	24.8







Total		403	1489	309	1180	2.9	7	50	98.3
Opponents		429	1872	328	1544	3.6	20	80	128.7

Passing[]

Name	GP-GS	Effic	Cmp-Att-Int	Pct	Yds	TD	Lng	Avg/G
Chris Smelley	12-9	114.78	169-302-15	56.0	1922	14	66	160.2
Stephen Garcia	8-3	113.60	65-122-8	53.3	832	6	41	107.6
Tommy Beecher	2-1	63.8	26-14-4	53.8	126	0	18	63.0

Total		113.9	249-452-27	55.1	2892	20	66	222.5
Opponents		110.0	189-328-14	57.0	1923	9	70	159.2

Receiving[]

Name	No.	Yds	Avg	TD	Long	Avg/G
Kenny McKinley	54	642	11.9	4	41	64.2
Jared Cook	37	573	15.5	3	66	44.1
Moe Brown	30	391	13.0	1	34	30.1
Jason Barnes	27	346	12.8	2	38	28.8
Mike Davis	24	213	8.9	1	18	17.8
Weslye Saunders	16	214	13.4	3	27	16.5
Dion LeCorn	14	106	7.6	2	20	17.7
Joe Hills	11	87	7.9	1	24	7.9
Freddie Brown	7	66	9.4	1	16	9.4





Total	249	2842	11.6	20	66	222.5
Opponents	189	2070	11.0	9	70	159.2

Defense[]

Name	GP	Tackles				Sacks	Pass Defense		Interceptions				Fumbles		Blkd Kick
Name	GP	Solo	Ast	Total	TFL-Yds	No-Yds	BrUp	QBH	No.-Yds	Avg	TD	Long	Rcv-Yds	FF	Blkd Kick


Total		332	156	488	36-140	12-81	19	24	8-126	15.8		46	6-81	7	1

Special teams[]

Name	Punting								Kickoffs
Name	No.	Yds	Avg	Long	TB	FC	I20	Blkd	No.	Yds	Avg	TB	OB
Spencer Lanning	22	932	42.4	52	5	2	5	0
Ryan Succop									40	2743	68.6	15	0
Total	22	932	42.4	52	5	2	5	0	40	2743	68.6	15	0

Name	Punt Returns					Kick Returns
Name	No.	Yds	Avg	TD	Long	No.	Yds	Avg	TD	Long
Captain Munnerlyn	15	105	7.0	0	35	3	106	35.3	0	84
Chris Culliver						19	438	23.1	0	50
Larry Freeman						1	24	24.0	0	24
Total

Coaching staff[]

Steve Spurrier - Head Coach
Ellis Johnson - Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers & Assistant Head Coach
Shane Beamer - Cornerbacks
Ron Cooper- Safeties
Robert Gillespie- Running Backs
John Hunt- Offensive Line
Brad Lawing - Defensive Line
David Reaves - Quarterbacks & Recruiting Coordinator
Ray Rychleski - Special Teams</ref>
Steve Spurrier, Jr. - Wide Receivers

References[]

^ "University of South Carolina Official Athletic Site - Football". Archived from the original on 2007-12-30. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
^ "Gamecock Sports Radio Network". Archived from the original on 2007-12-17. Retrieved 2008-03-27.
^ "Player Bio: Kenny McKinley - SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS". Archived from the original on 2011-10-01. Retrieved 2008-11-30.
^ "Player Bio: Chris Culliver - SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS". Archived from the original on 2010-09-19. Retrieved 2008-11-30.
^ "Player Bio: Lemuel Jeanpierre - SOUTH CAROLINA OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE". Archived from the original on 2009-07-11. Retrieved 2008-11-30.
^ "University of South Carolina Official Athletic Site - Football". Archived from the original on 2008-12-23. Retrieved 2008-11-30.
^ "Player Bio: Clifton Geathers - SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS". Archived from the original on 2010-04-19. Retrieved 2008-11-30.
^ "SOUTH CAROLINA OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE - Football". Archived from the original on 2009-04-29. Retrieved 2008-11-30.

[1] "University of South Carolina Official Athletic Site - Football". Archived from the original on 2007-12-30. Retrieved 2007-12-30.

[2] "Gamecock Sports Radio Network". Archived from the original on 2007-12-17. Retrieved 2008-03-27.

[3] "Player Bio: Kenny McKinley - SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS". Archived from the original on 2011-10-01. Retrieved 2008-11-30.

[4] "Player Bio: Chris Culliver - SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS". Archived from the original on 2010-09-19. Retrieved 2008-11-30.

[5] "Player Bio: Lemuel Jeanpierre - SOUTH CAROLINA OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE". Archived from the original on 2009-07-11. Retrieved 2008-11-30.

[6] "University of South Carolina Official Athletic Site - Football". Archived from the original on 2008-12-23. Retrieved 2008-11-30.

[7] "Player Bio: Clifton Geathers - SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS". Archived from the original on 2010-04-19. Retrieved 2008-11-30.

[8] "SOUTH CAROLINA OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE - Football". Archived from the original on 2009-04-29. Retrieved 2008-11-30.

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v t South Carolina Gamecocks football
Venues	Old State Fairgrounds (1894, 1896–1898) Shandon Park (1895) College Park/Davis Field (1899–1925) Melton Field (1926–1934) Williams–Brice Stadium (1934–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Clemson Georgia North Carolina
Culture & lore	Spurrier Cocky "The Fighting Gamecocks Lead the Way" Mighty Sound of the Southeast "Sandstorm" The Brawl
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders NFL draftees
Seasons	1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

2008 Southeastern Conference football standings
v t	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Eastern Division
No. 1 Florida x$#		7	–	1		13	–	1
No. 13 Georgia		6	–	2		10	–	3
Vanderbilt		4	–	4		7	–	6
South Carolina		4	–	4		7	–	6
Tennessee		3	–	5		5	–	7
Kentucky		2	–	6		7	–	6
Western Division
No. 6 Alabama x%		8	–	0		12	–	2
No. 14 Ole Miss		5	–	3		9	–	4
LSU		3	–	5		8	–	5
Arkansas		2	–	6		5	–	7
Auburn		2	–	6		5	–	7
Mississippi State		2	–	6		4	–	8
Championship: Florida 31, Alabama 20
# – BCS National Champion $ – BCS representative as conference champion % – BCS at-large representative x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll