2012 South Carolina Gamecocks football team

2012 South Carolina Gamecocks football
Outback Bowl champion
Outback Bowl, W 33–28 vs. Michigan
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Division	East Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 7
AP	No. 8
Record	11–2 (6–2 SEC)
Head coach	Steve Spurrier (8th season)
Co-offensive coordinator	Steve Spurrier Jr. (1st as Co OC, 8th overall season)
Co-offensive coordinator	Shawn Elliott (1st as OC, 3rd overall season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Lorenzo Ward (1st as DC, 4th overall season)
Base defense	4–2–5
Home stadium	Williams-Brice Stadium
Seasons ←  2011 2013  →

2012 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
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
# – BCS National Champion $ – BCS representative as conference champion % – BCS at-large representative x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant * Ole Miss and LSU vacated all wins due to NCAA violations. Rankings from AP Poll

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.

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]}

Due to their talent, win total, iconic moments, only losses coming against top-10 teams, wins over three ranked teams, dominant win over a top-5 team, and thirteenth-ranked defense, the 2012 Gamecocks have often been considered the greatest team in program history. ^{[14] [15] [16]}

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. ^[17]

Schedule

The October 6 game against Georgia played host to ESPN's College GameDay, the school's sixth time hosting the popular ESPN show. ^[18]

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 30	7:00 pm	at Vanderbilt	No. 9	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	ESPN	W 17–13	38,393
September 8	12:21 pm	East Carolina *	No. 9	Williams-Brice Stadium Columbia, SC	SECN	W 48–10	77,006
September 15	7:00 pm	UAB *	No. 8	Williams-Brice Stadium Columbia, SC	SECRN	W 49–6	77,963
September 22	3:30 pm	Missouri	No. 7	Williams-Brice Stadium Columbia, SC	CBS	W 31–10	80,836
September 29	7:00 pm	at Kentucky	No. 6	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY	ESPN2	W 38–17	49,810
October 6	7:00 pm	No. 5 Georgia	No. 6	Williams-Brice Stadium Columbia, SC (rivalry) (College GameDay)	ESPN	W 35–7	85,199‡
October 13	8:00 pm	at No. 9 LSU	No. 3	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	ESPN	L 21–23 ‡	92,734
October 20	3:30 pm	at No. 3 Florida	No. 9	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL (College GameDay)	CBS	L 11–44	90,833
October 27	12:00 pm	Tennessee	No. 17	Williams-Brice Stadium Columbia, SC (rivalry)	ESPN	W 38–35	80,250
November 10	12:00 pm	Arkansas	No. 12	Williams-Brice Stadium Columbia, SC	CBS	W 38–20	78,772
November 17	1:00 pm	Wofford *	No. 12	Williams-Brice Stadium Columbia, SC	PPV	W 24–7	79,982
November 24	7:00 pm	at No. 12 Clemson *	No. 13	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC (Palmetto Bowl)	ESPN	W 27–17	84,513
January 1	1:00 pm	vs. No. 19 Michigan *	No. 11	Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL (Outback Bowl)	ESPN	W 33–28	54,527
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll All times are in Eastern time

^[19]

• ‡ 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. ^[20]

Game summaries

Vanderbilt

See also: 2012 Vanderbilt Commodores football 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

See also: 2012 East Carolina Pirates football 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

See also: 2012 UAB Blazers football 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

See also: 2012 Missouri Tigers football 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

See also: 2012 Kentucky Wildcats football 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

See also: 2012 Georgia Bulldogs football 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

See also: 2012 LSU Tigers football 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

See also: 2012 Florida Gators football 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

See also: 2012 Tennessee Volunteers football 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

See also: 2012 Arkansas Razorbacks football 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

See also: 2012 Wofford Terriers football 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)

See also: 2012 Clemson Tigers football team

Game Twelve– No. 12 South Carolina Gamecocks (9-2) at No. 11 Clemson Tigers (10-1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 12 South Carolina	7	3	10	7	27
No. 11 Clemson	14	0	3	0	17

at Memorial Stadium • Clemson, South Carolina

• Date: Saturday, November 24, 2012
• Game time: 7:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Temperature: • Wind: • Weather: Clear
• Game attendance: 82,000
• TV: ESPN

Game information

First quarter (5:27) CLEM – Tajh Boyd 3-yard run (Chandler Catanzaro kick) (Drive: 16 plays, 85 yards, 6:14; Clemson 7-0) (1:46) SC – Bruce Ellington 13-yard pass from Dylan Thompson (Adam Yates kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 63 yards, 3:41; Tied 7-7) (1:22) CLEM – DeAndre Hopkins 43-yard pass from Tajh Boyd (Chandler Catanzaro kick) (Drive: 2 plays, 75 yards, 0:24; Clemson 14-7) Second quarter (2:40) SC – Adam Yates 27-yard field goal (Drive: 12 plays, 79 yards, 6:14; Clemson 14-10) Third quarter (11:48) SC – Ace Sanders 34-yard pass from Dylan Thompson (Adam Yates kick) (Drive: 10 plays, 85 yards, 3:12; South Carolina 17-14) (6:56) SC – Adam Yates 43-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 42 yards, 3:08; South Carolina 20-14) (5:07) CLEM – Chandler Catanzaro 37-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 56 yards, 1:49; South Carolina 20-17) Fourth quarter (4:17) SC – Bruce Ellington 6-yard pass from Dylan Thompson (Adam Yates kick) (Drive: 13 plays, 65 yards, 7:39; South Carolina 27-17)

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

See also: 2012 Michigan Wolverines football 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.

Defense FS D. J. Swearinger Kadetrix Marcus WLB MLB SLB ⋅ Reginald Bowens ⋅ Quin Smith Damario Jeffery ⋅ SS Brison Williams Jared Shaw CB Victor Hampton Ahmad Christian DE DT DT DE Devin Taylor Kelcy Quarles Byron Jerideau Jadeveon Clowney Aldrick Fordham J.T. Surratt Gerald Dixon, Jr. Chaz Sutton CB Akeem Auguste Jimmy Legree Offense WR Ace Sanders Nick Jones LT LG C RG RT Corey Robinson A. J. Cann T.J. Johnson Ronald Patrick Brandon Shell Brandon Shell Will Sport Kyle Harris Kaleb Broome Cody Gibson TE Justice Cunningham Rory Anderson WR Bruce Ellington Damiere Byrd QB Connor Shaw Dylan Thompson Key reserves RB Mike Davis WR D.L. Moore WR DeAngelo Smith WR Shaq Roland WR K.J. Brent TE Jerell Adams DE Gerald Dixon LB Cedrick Cooper RB Kenny Miles Mike Davis FB Qua Gilchrist Connor McLaurin Special teams PK Adam Yates P Tyler Hull KR Bruce Ellington PR Ace Sanders LS Walker Inabinet H Seth Strickland

Awards

• Jadeveon Clowney – SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week, 9/17/12; ^[21] SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week, 10/1/12; ^[22] SEC Defensive Lineman and Co-Defensive Player of the Week, 11/26/12 ^[23]
• T.J. Johnson - SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week, 10/8/12 ^[24]
• Marcus Lattimore – SEC Offensive Player of the Week, 9/3/12 ^[25]
• Ace Sanders - SEC Co-Special Teams Player of the Week, 9/24/12, ^[26] SEC Co-Special Teams Player of the Week, 10/8/12 ^[24]
• Connor Shaw - SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week, 9/24/12, ^[26] SEC Offensive Player of the Week, 10/29/12 ^[27]
• D. J. Swearinger - Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week, 11/11/12 ^[28]

Rankings

See also: 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	9	9	8	7	6	6	3	9	17	11	12	12	13	11	11	8
Coaches	9	9	9	8	6	6	3	8	16	11	11	11	12	10	10	7
Harris	Not released						3	7	16	11	11	11	12	10	10	Not released
BCS	Not released							7	13	8	8	9	12	10	10	Not released

Coaching staff

• Steve Spurrier – Head coach ^[29]
• Lorenzo Ward – Defensive coordinator ^[30]
• Kirk Botkin - Linebackers, spurs coach ^[31]
• Grady Brown - Secondary coach, assistant special teams coordinator ^[32]
• Shawn Elliott – Co-offensive coordinator, offensive line coach ^[33]
• Brad Lawing – Defensive line coach ^[34]
• G. A. Mangus – Quarterbacks coach ^[35]
• Joe Robinson - Special teams coordinator, tight ends coach ^[36]
• Everette Sands - Running backs coach ^[37]
• Steve Spurrier Jr. – Recruiting coordinator, wide receivers coach ^[38]

References

1. "2012 South Carolina Gamecocks Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
2. Gillespie, Bob (October 9, 2012). "1984 team, 2012 Gamecocks have a lot in common". The State. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
3. "South Carolina Gamecocks Poll History". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
4. "South Carolina 33-28 Michigan (Jan 1, 2013) Game Recap". ESPN. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
5. "South Carolina Gamecocks College Football History, Stats, Records". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
6. "Ask 5: Is Clowney top defensive prospect in last decade?". NFL.com. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
7. "Jadeveon Clowney". University of South Carolina Athletics. June 22, 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
8. "South Carolina's Clowney wins Hendricks Award". wltx.com. December 5, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
9. "Low: Clowney has lived up to the hype". ESPN.com. December 31, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
10. "The Hit lives on: Clowney wins ESPY for play of the year". The State. July 17, 2013. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
11. "Jadeveon Clowney wins ESPY for 'Best Play'". wistv.com. July 18, 2013. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
12. Kirshner, Alex (January 8, 2020). "84 plays that defined 2010s college football". Banner Society. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
13. "The top 10 defensive college football plays of all time - ESPN Video". ESPN.com. October 10, 2019. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
14. "Ranking the top 10 Gamecock teams of all time". The State. January 9, 2013. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
15. "South Carolina Football's GOAT Series: Top-10 greatest Gamecock football seasons of all-time". Garnet and Cocky. May 12, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
16. "5 best seasons in South Carolina history". Saturday Down South. May 11, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
17. Black Defeats Garnet in Spring Game
18. ESPN's GameDay is Coming To Our City
19. SEC 2012 TV Schedule Archived July 23, 2012, at the Wayback Machine , Matt Sarz Sports, retrieved April 12, 2012
20. Low, Chris (June 16, 2009). "What does vacating wins really mean?". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
21. Clowney Named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week
22. Clowney Honored by SEC
23. Clowney Honored by SEC
24. Johnson and Sanders Honored by SEC
25. "Lattimore Named SEC Offensive Player of the Week". Archived from the original on September 8, 2012. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
26. Shaw and Sanders Receive SEC Honors
27. Shaw Named SEC Offensive Player of the Week
28. Swearinger Named National Defensive Player of the Week
29. "Bio: Steve Spurrier". Archived from the original on December 23, 2008. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
30. "Bio: Lorenzo Ward". Archived from the original on October 8, 2009. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
31. Bio: Kirk Botkin
32. Bio: Grady Brown
33. Bio: Shawn Elliott
34. "Bio: Brad Lawing". Archived from the original on December 25, 2008. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
35. "Bio: G.A. Mangus". Archived from the original on October 8, 2009. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
36. Bio: Joe Robinson
37. Bio: Everette Sands
38. "Bio: Steve Spurrier, Jr". Archived from the original on October 1, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2012.