2012 South Carolina Gamecocks football team
American college football season
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The 2012 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Gamecocks were led by eighth-year head coach Steve Spurrier and played their home games at Williams–Brice Stadium. They were a member of the East Division of the Southeastern Conference. The season finished with 11–2, 6–2 in SEC to finish in third place in the East Division.
| 2012 South Carolina Gamecocks football | |
|---|---|
Palmetto Bowl champion | |
| Conference | Southeastern Conference |
| East Division | |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 7 |
| AP | No. 8 |
| Record | 11–2 (6–2 SEC) |
| Head coach |
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| Co-offensive coordinators |
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| Offensive scheme | Fun and gun |
| Defensive coordinator | Lorenzo Ward (1st season) |
| Base defense | 4–2–5 |
| Home stadium | Williams-Brice Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. T–5 Georgia xy | 7 | – | 1 | 12 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 9 Florida x% | 7 | – | 1 | 11 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 South Carolina | 6 | – | 2 | 11 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 23 Vanderbilt | 5 | – | 3 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Missouri | 2 | – | 6 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee | 1 | – | 7 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kentucky | 0 | – | 8 | 2 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 Alabama x$# | 7 | – | 1 | 13 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 14 LSU * | 6 | – | 2 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. T–5 Texas A&M | 6 | – | 2 | 11 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mississippi State | 4 | – | 4 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ole Miss * | 3 | – | 5 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arkansas | 2 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Auburn | 0 | – | 8 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship: Alabama 32, Georgia 28 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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South Carolina started the season 6–0, capped off by a blowout win over No. 5 Georgia at home.[1] By this point, the Gamecocks were on a school-record ten-game winning streak dating back to last season and were subsequently ranked No. 3 in the country.[1][2] This was the program's highest ranking since 1984,[3] and the 2012 Gamecocks began receiving comparisons to that 1984 team, which started 9–0 and came close to winning a national championship.[2] This ten-game winning streak and No. 3 ranking in 2012 has not been matched or surpassed by the program since.[3] Back-to-back losses on the road to top-10 opponents (No. 9 LSU and No. 3 Florida) sent South Carolina plummeting in the rankings and out of national championship contention.[1] The Gamecocks rebounded, winning the rest of their games in the regular season, including against archrival No. 12 Clemson.[1] They were invited to the Outback Bowl, where the Gamecocks defeated No. 19 Michigan 33–28 by a game-winning touchdown with eleven seconds remaining in the game.[4] South Carolina finished the season with eleven wins and ranked in the top ten for only the second time in school history.[5]
Sophomore defensive end Jadeveon Clowney emerged as the best defensive player in college football.[6] Clowney had thirteen sacks and 23.5 tackles for loss, both school records.[7] He won the Ted Hendricks Award and finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting.[8][9] Clowney was a unanimous All-American, only the second in program history.[7] He won the ESPY Award for best play of the sporting year for his Outback Bowl tackle on Michigan running back Vincent Smith,[10] since regarded as one of the greatest plays in college football history.[11][12][13]
Preseason
On April 14, 2012, the Black squad defeated the Garnet squad, 38–24, in the annual Garnet & Black Spring Game, in front of a crowd of 34,513. Quarterback Connor Shaw finished the day 6–7 for 128 yards and two touchdowns for the Black team, while Garnet QB Dylan Thompson was 15–20 for 168 yards and a rushing touchdown.[14]
Schedule
The October 6 game against Georgia played host to ESPN's College GameDay, the school's sixth time hosting the popular ESPN show.[15]
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 30 | 7:00 pm | at Vanderbilt | No. 9 | ESPN | W 17–13 | 38,393 | |
| September 8 | 12:21 pm | East Carolina* | No. 9 | SECN | W 48–10 | 77,006 | |
| September 15 | 7:00 pm | UAB* | No. 8 |
| SECRN | W 49–6 | 77,963 |
| September 22 | 3:30 pm | Missouri | No. 7 |
| CBS | W 31–10 | 80,836 |
| September 29 | 7:00 pm | at Kentucky | No. 6 | ESPN2 | W 38–17 | 49,810 | |
| October 6 | 7:00 pm | No. 5 Georgia | No. 6 |
| ESPN | W 35–7 | 85,199‡ |
| October 13 | 8:00 pm | at No. 9 LSU | No. 3 | ESPN | L 21–23 ‡ | 92,734 | |
| October 20 | 3:30 pm | at No. 3 Florida | No. 9 | CBS | L 11–44 | 90,833 | |
| October 27 | 12:00 pm | Tennessee | No. 17 |
| ESPN | W 38–35 | 80,250 |
| November 10 | 12:00 pm | Arkansas | No. 12 |
| CBS | W 38–20 | 78,772 |
| November 17 | 1:00 pm | Wofford* | No. 12 |
| PPV | W 24–7 | 79,982 |
| November 24 | 7:00 pm | at No. 12 Clemson* | No. 13 | ESPN | W 27–17 | 84,513 | |
| January 1 | 1:00 pm | vs. No. 19 Michigan* | No. 11 | ESPN | W 33–28 | 54,527 | |
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- ‡ New Williams–Brice Stadium Attendance Record
‡ As part of their penalty for NCAA violations, LSU has retroactively vacated its 2012 victory over South Carolina. However, the penalty to vacate victories does not result in a loss (or forfeiture) of the affected game or award a victory to the opponent, therefore South Carolina still considers the game a loss in their official records.[17]
Game summaries
Vanderbilt
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • #9 South Carolina | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| Vanderbilt | 0 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
- Date: August 30
- Location: Nashville, Tennessee
- Game start: 6:01 pm
- Elapsed time: 3:15
- Game attendance: 38,393
- Game weather: 86, Partly Cloudy
- Referee: Matt Austin
- TV announcers (ESPN): Rece Davis (play-by-play), David Pollack and Jesse Palmer (color), Samantha Steele (sideline)
East Carolina
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Carolina | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| • #9 South Carolina | 14 | 7 | 14 | 13 | 48 |
- Date: September 8
- Location: Columbia, South Carolina
- Game start: 12:21 pm
- Elapsed time: 3:19
- Game attendance: 77,006
- Game weather: 88, Sunny
- Referee: Wayne Winkler
- TV announcers (SEC Network): Dave Neal (play-by-play), Andre Ware (color), Cara Capuano (sideline)
UAB
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UAB | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| • #8 South Carolina | 7 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 49 |
- Date: September 15
- Location: Columbia, South Carolina
- Game start: 7:08 pm
- Elapsed time: 3:22
- Game attendance: 77,963
- Game weather: 84, Fair
- Referee: Ken Williamson
- Television network: FSN
Missouri
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| • #7 South Carolina | 0 | 21 | 7 | 3 | 31 |
- Date: September 22
- Location: Columbia, South Carolina
- Game start: 3:39 pm
- Elapsed time: 3:02
- Game attendance: 80,836
- Game weather: 88, Fair
- Referee: Matt Loeffler
- TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (color), Tracy Wolfson (sideline)
Kentucky
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • #6 South Carolina | 0 | 7 | 14 | 17 | 38 |
| Kentucky | 3 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
- Date: September 29
- Location: Lexington, Kentucky
- Game start: 7:10 pm
- Elapsed time: 3:08
- Game attendance: 49,810
- Game weather: 70, Fair
- Referee: Tom Ritter
- TV announcers (ESPN2): Mike Patrick (play-by-play), Ed Cunningham (color), Jeannine Edwards (sideline)
Georgia
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #5 Georgia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| • #6 South Carolina | 21 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
- Date: October 6
- Location: Columbia, South Carolina
- Game start: 7:10 pm
- Elapsed time: 3:13
- Game attendance: 85,199
- Game weather: 78, Clear
- Referee: Matt Austin
- TV announcers (ESPN): Brent Musburger (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (color), Heather Cox (sideline)
LSU
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #3 South Carolina | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| • #9 LSU | 3 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 23 |
- Date: October 13
- Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Game start: 7:06 pm
- Elapsed time: 3:27
- Game attendance: 92,734
- Game weather: 79 Degrees
- Referee: Hubert Owens
- TV announcers (ESPN): Brent Musburger (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (color), Heather Cox (sideline)
Florida
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #9 South Carolina | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 11 |
| • #3 Florida | 7 | 14 | 16 | 7 | 44 |
- Date: October 20
- Location: Gainesville, Florida
- Game start: 3:39 pm
- Elapsed time: 3:22
- Game attendance: 90,833
- Game weather: 79, Sunny
- Referee: Matt Loeffler
- TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (color), Tracy Wolfson (sideline)
Tennessee
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | 7 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
| • #17 South Carolina | 7 | 21 | 7 | 3 | 38 |
- Date: October 27
- Location: Columbia, South Carolina
- Game start: 12:01 pm
- Elapsed time: 3:34
- Game attendance: 80,250
- TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Brian Griese (color), Jenn Brown (sideline)
Arkansas
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | 0 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 20 |
| • #12 South Carolina | 7 | 14 | 17 | 0 | 38 |
- Date: November 10
- Location: Columbia, South Carolina
- Game start: 12:10 pm
- Elapsed time: 3:26
- Game attendance: 78,772
- TV announcers (CBS): Tim Brando (play-by-play), Steve Beuerlein (color), Marty Snider (sideline)
Wofford
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wofford | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| • #12 South Carolina | 0 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 24 |
- Date: November 17
- Location: Columbia, South Carolina
- Game start: 1:05 pm
- Elapsed time: 2:44
- Game attendance: 79,982
- Television network: PPV
at No. 11 Clemson (rivalry)
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 12 South Carolina | 7 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 27 |
| No. 11 Clemson | 14 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
| Game information |
|---|
|
| Statistics | SC | CLEM |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 26 | 18 |
| Total yards | 86–444 | 59–328 |
| Rushing yards | 45–134 | 35–145 |
| Passing yards | 310 | 183 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 23–41–1 | 11–24–2 |
| Time of possession | 39:34 | 20:02 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | Passing | Dylan Thompson | 23/41, 310 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Rushing | Kenny Miles | 16 carries, 45 yards | |
| Receiving | Ace Sanders | 6 receptions, 119 yards, TD | |
| Clemson | Passing | Tajh Boyd | 11/24, 183 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Rushing | Andre Ellington | 15 carries, 72 yards | |
| Receiving | Jaron Brown | 3 receptions, 68 yards |
Michigan
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • #11 South Carolina | 14 | 7 | 0 | 12 | 33 |
| #19 Michigan | 3 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 28 |
- Date: January 1, 2013
- Location: Tampa, Florida
- Game start: 1:00 pm
- Elapsed time: 3:45
- Game attendance: 54,527
- Referee: Jeff Maconaghy (Big East)
- TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Jon Gruden (color), Shannon Spake (sideline)
Players
Depth chart
Projected starters and primary backups versus Clemson on November 24, 2012.
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Awards
- Jadeveon Clowney – SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week, 9/17/12;[18] SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week, 10/1/12;[19] SEC Defensive Lineman and Co-Defensive Player of the Week, 11/26/12[20]
- T.J. Johnson - SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week, 10/8/12[21]
- Marcus Lattimore – SEC Offensive Player of the Week, 9/3/12[22]
- Ace Sanders - SEC Co-Special Teams Player of the Week, 9/24/12,[23] SEC Co-Special Teams Player of the Week, 10/8/12[21]
- Connor Shaw - SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week, 9/24/12,[23] SEC Offensive Player of the Week, 10/29/12[24]
- D. J. Swearinger - Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week, 11/11/12[25]
Rankings
Coaching staff
- Steve Spurrier – Head coach[26]
- Lorenzo Ward – Defensive coordinator[27]
- Kirk Botkin - Linebackers, spurs coach[28]
- Grady Brown - Secondary coach, assistant special teams coordinator[29]
- Shawn Elliott – Co-offensive coordinator, offensive line coach[30]
- Brad Lawing – Defensive line coach[31]
- G. A. Mangus – Quarterbacks coach[32]
- Joe Robinson - Special teams coordinator, tight ends coach[33]
- Everette Sands - Running backs coach[34]
- Steve Spurrier Jr. – Recruiting coordinator, wide receivers coach[35]