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2024 South Carolina Gamecocks football team

American college football season From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2024 South Carolina Gamecocks football team
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The 2024 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Gamecocks played their home games at Williams–Brice Stadium located in Columbia, South Carolina, and were led by Shane Beamer, who was in his fourth year as their head coach.

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Predicted to only win five games and finish thirteenth in the SEC,[1][2] South Carolina achieved the eighth nine-win season in program history.[3] The Gamecocks recorded their first 5–3 conference record since 2017 and the first of Beamer's tenure.[4] They defeated three conference opponents on the road for the first time since 2011.[5] Shane Beamer broke the record for most wins in the first four seasons by a Gamecock head coach,[6] and he was named the SEC Coach of the Year.[7][8][9]

Following a disappointing and controversial first half of the season,[a] which saw close losses to LSU and Alabama as well as a blowout loss to Ole Miss,[12] the Gamecocks won the last six games in the regular season.[12] The four-game SEC winning streak was the first since 2012,[13] while the four ranked wins and three regular season trophies were school records.[b][c] Two of those trophy wins were decided by late touchdowns.[18][19] The winning streak earned South Carolina consideration for the College Football Playoff,[d] but they were instead invited to the Citrus Bowl,[23] where they lost to Illinois.[24]

The Gamecocks were led by redshirt freshman quarterback sensation LaNorris Sellers as well as a defense that ranked among the best in the nation and school history.[22][25][26] Kyle Kennard won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, honoring him as the top defensive player in college football, and was a finalist for the Lombardi Award.[27][28] Kennard was a consensus All-American, only the fifth in program history.[29] Dylan Stewart was a finalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award.[30] Five defensive players were selected in the following NFL draft, a school record.[31] Following the regular season, Sellers began receiving consideration as one of the best players in the country.[32][33][34]

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Schedule

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South Carolina and the SEC announced the 2024 football schedule on December 13, 2023.[35][36][37] This was the first season South Carolina did not play Georgia since the Gamecocks joined the SEC in 1992, and only the sixth time the two teams did not meet since 1958.[38] South Carolina also hosted College GameDay for the first time since 2014.[39]

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Game summaries

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vs. Old Dominion

Old Dominion Monarchs (0–0) vs South Carolina Gamecocks (0–0) – Game summary
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at Williams–Brice StadiumColumbia, South Carolina

  • Date: August 31
  • Game time: 4:15 p.m. (EDT)
  • Game weather: Partly Cloudy • Temperature: 90 °F (32 °C) • Wind: E at 3 miles per hour (4.8 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 78,496
  • TV announcers (SECN): Dave Neal (play-by-play), Aaron Murray (analyst), and Ashley ShahAhmadi (sideline reporter)
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at Kentucky

South Carolina Gamecocks (1–0) at Kentucky Wildcats (1–0) – Game summary
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at Kroger FieldLexington, Kentucky

  • Date: September 7
  • Game time: 3:30 p.m. (EDT)
  • Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 70 °F (21 °C) • Wind: N at 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 61,349
  • Referee: David Smith
  • TV announcers (ABC): Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (analyst), and Molly McGrath (sideline reporter)
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vs No. 16 LSU

No. 16 LSU Tigers (1-1) vs South Carolina Gamecocks (2-0) – Game summary
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at Williams–Brice StadiumColumbia, South Carolina

  • Date: September 14
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. (EDT)
  • Game weather: Overcast, Partly cloudy, Humid
  • Game attendance: 79,531
  • Referee: Jason Autrey
  • TV announcers (ABC): Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst), and Holly Rowe (sideline)
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vs Akron

Akron Zips (1-2) vs South Carolina Gamecocks (2-1) – Game summary
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at Williams–Brice StadiumColumbia, South Carolina

  • Date: September 21
  • Game time: 7:30 (EDT)
  • Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 81 °F (27 °C) • Wind: SSE at 3 miles per hour (4.8 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 78,704
  • Referee: Jeff Heaser
  • TV announcers (ESPNU): Clay Matvick (play-by-play) and Steve Addazio (analyst)
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vs No. 12 Ole Miss

No. 12 Ole Miss Rebels (4-1) vs South Carolina Gamecocks (3-1) – Game summary
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at Williams–Brice StadiumColumbia, South Carolina

  • Date: October 5
  • Game time: 3:30 p.m. (EDT)
  • Game weather: Sunny, 83 °F (28 °C)
  • Game attendance: 79,837
  • Referee: David Smith
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Dusty Dvoracek (analyst), and Taylor McGregor (sideline)
  • Pregame line: Ole Miss –10.5 • O/U: 51.5
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at No. 7 Alabama

South Carolina Gamecocks (3-2) at No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide (4-1) – Game summary
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at Bryant–Denny StadiumTuscaloosa, Alabama

  • Date: October 12
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. (EDT)
  • Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 73 °F (23 °C) • Wind: N 1 mph
  • Game attendance: 100,077
  • Referee: Matt Loeffler
  • TV announcers (ABC): Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), Jesse Palmer (analyst), and Katie George (sideline)
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at Oklahoma

South Carolina Gamecocks (3-3) at Oklahoma Sooners (4-2) – Game summary
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at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial StadiumNorman, Oklahoma

  • Date: October 19
  • Game time: 12:45 p.m. (EDT)
  • Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 68
  • Game attendance: 83,331
  • Referee: Wayne Winkler
  • TV announcers (SEC Network): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Cole Cubelic (analyst), and Alyssa Lang (sideline)
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vs No. 10 Texas A&M

No. 10 Texas A&M Aggies (7-1) vs South Carolina Gamecocks (4-3) – Game summary
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at Williams–Brice StadiumColumbia, South Carolina

  • Date: November 2
  • Game time: 7:30 p.m.
  • Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 71 °F (22 °C) • Wind: NE 3 mph
  • Game attendance: 80,298
  • Referee: Steve Marlowe
  • TV announcers (ABC): Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (analyst), and Molly McGrath (sideline reporter)
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at Vanderbilt

South Carolina Gamecocks (5-3) at Vanderbilt Commodores (6-3) – Game summary
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at FirstBank StadiumNashville, Tennessee

  • Date: November 9
  • Game time: 4:15 p.m.
  • Game weather: Rain, 68 °F (20 °C)
  • Game attendance: 28,934
  • Referee: David Smith
  • TV announcers (SECN): Dave Neal (play-by-play), Aaron Murray (analyst), and Ashley ShahAhmadi (sideline reporter)
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vs No. 23 Missouri

No. 23 Missouri Tigers (7-2) vs No. 21 South Carolina Gamecocks (6-3) – Game summary
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at Williams–Brice StadiumColumbia, South Carolina

  • Date: November 16
  • Game time: 4:15 p.m.
  • Game weather: Sunny, 66 °F (19 °C), NW 4 mph (6.4 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 79,361
  • Referee: Lee Hedrick
  • TV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (analyst), and Cole Cubelic (sideline reporter)
  • Pregame line: SCAR −10.5 Over/Under: 42.5
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vs Wofford (FCS)

Wofford Terriers (FCS) (5-6) vs No. 18 South Carolina Gamecocks (7-3) – Game summary
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at Williams–Brice StadiumColumbia, South Carolina

  • Date: November 23
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. (EST)
  • TV announcers (SECN+): Jay Alter (play-by-play), Rocky Boiman (analyst), and Ashley Stroehlein (sideline)
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at No. 12 Clemson (rivalry)

No. 15 South Carolina Gamecocks (8-3) at No. 12 Clemson Tigers (9-2) – Game summary
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at Memorial StadiumClemson, South Carolina

  • Date: November 30
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. (EDT)
  • Game weather: Temperature: 46 °F (8 °C) • Wind: W 4 mph • Weather: Sunny
  • Game attendance: 81,500
  • Referee: Kyle Olson
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Roy Philpott (play-by-play), Sam Acho (analyst), and Taylor Davis (sideline)
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vs No. 20 Illinois (Citrus Bowl)

2024 Citrus Bowl
No. 15 South Carolina Gamecocks (9–3) vs No. 20 Illinois Fighting Illini (9–3) – Game summary
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at Camping World StadiumOrlando, Florida

  • Date: Tuesday, December 31, 2024
  • Game time: 3:00 p.m. EST
  • TV announcers (ABC): Mark Jones (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (analyst), and Quint Kessenich (sideline) (ABC)/Sean Kelley (play-by-play), Rene Ingoglia (analyst), and Marilyn Payne (sideline) (ESPN Radio)
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Potential College Football Playoff inclusion

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Beamer used South Carolina having only one road loss, to Alabama, as an argument for their inclusion in the CFP

In January 2024, despite the program just finishing a 5–7 season, South Carolina freshman Dylan Stewart made it clear to his head coach, Shane Beamer, that the team had high expectations for the next postseason.[40] Meeting these expectations would be difficult as the Gamecocks had three losses halfway through the 2024 season, making their inclusion in the newly expanded College Football Playoff unlikely.[40]

However, with South Carolina having more success in the second half of the regular season, they clawed their way into CFP contention.[40] On November 12, following a three-game winning streak and "many national college football analysts [starting] to recognize them as currently playing some of the best ball in the country",[41] the Gamecocks made their debut in the CFP rankings: No. 21 in the second week of the rankings.[42] It was South Carolina's first CFP ranking since 2022, and their earliest-ever appearance in the CFP rankings.[42] ESPN gave South Carolina a 14% chance of making the playoff, but a 47% chance if it won out, saying that the possibility of a three-loss SEC team making the playoff could not be ruled out.[41] Leading up to the final game of the regular season, the Gamecocks continued winning and climbed up to No. 15 in the rankings.[43] ESPN gave South Carolina a 58% chance to make the CFP if they defeated No. 12 Clemson on the road,[40] which they did, finishing the regular season with a 9–3 record and six-game winning streak.[12]

Arguments for South Carolina's inclusion in the CFP included: strength of schedule (No. 15 in FBS, higher than Alabama and Ole Miss), 4–1 record in "hostile" road games, the one road loss being by only two points, having only two close road games, being arguably one of the country's best teams despite their record, being arguably the country's "hottest" team, four ranked wins, the lack of a "truly ugly" loss, two of the losses being by five combined points to SEC teams, a road win over the ACC champion, wins over teams which beat Alabama and Ole Miss, and the loss to LSU "deserving scrutiny" (due to officiating controversies and the injury of quarterback LaNorris Sellers).[40][44][45][46]

South Carolina was ranked No. 14 in the penultimate rankings, at which point it became clear they were "essentially eliminated".[47] The Gamecocks were ranked No. 15 in the final rankings, and thus did not join the tournament.[48] They were instead invited to the Citrus Bowl, where they lost to Illinois.[49]

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Rankings

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Notes and references

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