Oct. 31, 2008
| South Carolina vs. Tennessee | 7 p.m. |
 | Live Audio  | Post-Game Presser  |
| General Information |
Game Notes  | Gameday Central |
The South Carolina Gamecocks (5-3, 2-3 SEC) return to action following an off week to host the Tennessee Volunteers (3-5, 1-4 SEC) in an SEC Eastern Division matchup on Saturday, November 1. Game time is set for 7 p.m. ET at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN2 with Mark Jones and Bob Davie describing the action. The Gamecocks have won four of their last five games, while Tennessee has split their last four contests evenly. All five of South Carolina’s SEC contests this season have been decided by exactly seven points, with wins over Ole Miss at Kentucky and losses to Vanderbilt, Georgia and LSU. In facing common opponents, both South Carolina and Tennessee have defeated UAB this season and have lost to Georgia.
GAMECOCKS AND VOLS
This is the 27th meeting between Carolina and Tennessee in a series that dates back to 1903. The Volunteers lead the all-time series, 21-3-2, including an 8-2-2 advantage in Columbia. The teams have met every year since 1992 (a 24-23 South Carolina victory), with Tennessee winning 14 of the 15 meetings since that game, including a 27-24 overtime thriller in Knoxville last October and a 31-24 win in Columbia in 2006. The Gamecocks snapped a 12-game losing streak to the Vols and won for the first time ever in Knoxville when they came away with a 16-15 win in 2005. USC’s other win over Tennessee came in the first meeting ever in 1903 (24-0). Four of the last five games have been decided by 7 points or less.
THE LAST TIME THEY MET
The 15th-ranked Gamecocks spotted Tennessee a 21-0 halftime lead, roared back to take a 24-21 lead with just over a minute remaining in regulation, but could not hold on as the Vols escaped with a 27-24 overtime victory in Knoxville on Oct. 27, 2007. The Gamecocks dominated the statistics, rolling up a season-high 501 yards, 31 first downs and 36:25 time of possession to Tennessee’s 317 yards, 16 first downs and 23:35, but four USC turnovers proved to be the difference. Ryan Succop, who hit from 49-yards out with just 1:54 remaining in regulation, missed a game-tying 40-yard field goal in OT after Tennessee’s Daniel Lincoln connected from 27 yards.
THE LAST TIME AT WBS
The Gamecocks won the statistical battle but lost the game in a 31-24 setback to eighth-ranked Tennessee on Oct. 28, 2006 in Columbia. Carolina outgained the Vols, 395-325, including a 165-71 advantage on the ground. Tennessee took advantage of three Gamecock turnovers, including an interception return for a touchdown, and also won the special teams battle to escape with the win. Syvelle Newton threw for 230 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 85 yards and another score to keep USC in the contest. Ryan Succop added a 50-yard field goal. SPURRIER VS. THE VOLS South Carolina Head Coach Steve Spurrier owns a 10-7 career record against Tennessee, including a 5-5 mark in Knoxville. He is the only coach to take three different schools (Duke, Florida and South Carolina) into Knoxville and leave with a victory. He faced the Vols every year from 1988 to 2001, the first two with Duke (where he was 1-1) and the final 12 when he was the head coach at Florida (8-4). Tennessee is one of seven schools in which he has posted double figures in wins. He also owns double-figure career wins over Kentucky (16), Vanderbilt (14), Georgia (12), LSU (11), Auburn (10) and South Carolina (10).
SPURRIER AND FULMER
Steve Spurrier and Phillip Fulmer are two of the active Division I coaches who have won national championships. Spurrier has won 148 games in the SEC (122 at Florida and 26 at South Carolina), while Fulmer has won 150 games as the head coach at Tennessee. Coach Spurrier has the better of it in head-to-head meetings, holding an 8-5 advantage over Coach Fulmer.
REACHING 100
The win at Kentucky gave Steve Spurrier his 100th victory as an SEC coach against SEC competition (he also has three wins against SEC teams while coaching at Duke). He became just the fourth coach in history to record 100 career SEC wins. Only Bear Bryant (159), John Vaught (106) and Vince Dooley (105) have won more regular-season SEC conference games. “Shug” Jordan fell just short with 98 wins, while Phillip Fulmer is sixth on the list with 96.
UNDER COACH SPURRIER
Head coach Steve Spurrier is 26-19 in his fourth season in Columbia. He recorded the most wins by a Carolina head coach in his first three seasons (21), topping Joe Morrison’s mark of 20 from 1983-85, and has now surpassed Warren Giese (25 wins from 1956-59) for the most wins by a Gamecock coach in his first four seasons on the Carolina sidelines.
MATCHING METZGER
The win at Kentucky represented Steve Spurrier’s 26th victory at Carolina, tying Sol Metzger for eighth place on the all-time wins list. Metzger logged 26 wins from 1920-24. Now in his fourth season, Coach Spurrier has coached 45 games at South Carolina, while it took Metzger 46 games to win 26 over five seasons.
THE LAST TIME OUT
The Gamecocks dropped a 24-17 decision to 13th-ranked LSU at Williams-Brice Stadium on October 11. Redshirt freshman quarterback Stephen Garcia made his first collegiate start. He completed 14-of-26 passes for 215 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also rushed 19 times for a net of 15 yards, but was sacked six times for 49 yards. Kenny McKinley (four catches for 77 yards) and Jared Cook (five catches for 74 yards) both had solid receiving days. Emanuel Cook once again led the team with 11 tackles, while Chris Culliver added a career-high nine stops. Carlos Thomas picked off his team-leading third pass of the season.
LUCKY SEVEN
All five of South Carolina’s SEC games this season have been decided by exactly seven points. The Gamecocks were seven-point losers at Vanderbilt (24-17), to No. 2 Georgia (14-7) and to No. 13 LSU (24-17), but have logged seven-point SEC wins at Ole Miss (31-24) and Kentucky (24-17).
A GOOD BET…24-17
Three of the Gamecocks’ five SEC games this season have been 24-17 contests – losses at Vanderbilt and at home to LSU and a win at Kentucky. The Gamecocks lost to Auburn and won at Kentucky by that identical score in back-to-back weeks in 2006. The last 24-17 decision prior to that? You have to go all the way back to 1985 and a season-ending loss to Clemson.
RECORD HOLDER
Kenny McKinley caught seven passes at Kentucky to move into the top spot on USC’s all-time receptions list, passing Sterling Sharpe’s mark of 169. McKinley is also the SEC active leader in receptions with 177.
ONE MORE ON THE WAY
Kenny McKinley is just 76 yards away from becoming South Carolina’s all-time leader in career receiving yardage. He enters the Tennessee game with 2,422 career yards, trailing only Sterling Sharpe’s school record of 2,497 receiving yards.
McKINLEY IN THE SEC
Kenny McKinley is not only leaving his name all over the South Carolina record books, but also is moving up the charts on the SEC career statistical leaders list. McKinley leads the SEC active players with 177 career receptions. He needs 11 catches to tie Vanderbilt’s Boo Mitchell (188) for 10th place in the SEC’s all-time list. He also leads the SEC active players with 2,422 career receiving yards. He needs 392 yards to tie Tennessee’s Joey Kent (2,814) for 10th place in that category.
NCAA LEADER
Senior placekicker Ryan Succop leads the nation in field goal attempts this season with 21. Only Northern Illinois’ Mike Salerno has as many as 20 tries. He is one of 17 kickers to record 13 or more field goals this year.
RARELY THREE AND OUT
The Gamecocks are one of the best teams this season in avoiding the “three-and-out.” Only eight times in eight games has Carolina run three plays and punted.
ESCHEWING THE PUNT
Despite having to punt five times against LSU (matching their total of the previous four games combined), the Gamecocks have punted just 22 times in eight games this season, an average of 2.75 per game. The Gamecocks have punted 14 times in their three losses (4.67 per game) and just 8 times in their five wins (1.60 per game).
TRUE FRESHMAN FIVE
The Gamecocks have played just five true freshmen this season. Interestingly, all five went through the team’s spring drills in 2008. The five include Antonio Allen, Akeem Auguste, Eric Baker, C.C. Whitlock and Shaq Wilson. Allen, Auguste and Baker all spent the fall of 2007 at a prep school, while Whitlock and Wilson graduated from high school early to enroll at Carolina in January. THIRD DOWN TELLS IT ALL
Not surprisingly, the success rate of the Gamecock offense on third downs is directly linked to its winning and losing. In its five wins this season, the Carolina offense has been successful on 49.3 percent (35-of-71) of its third down conversions. Conversely, in its three losses, the USC offense has been successful just 33.3 percent of the time (12-for-36) in third down opportunities. For the season, the Gamecocks rank third in the SEC and 37th in the nation in third down conversions, hitting at a 43.9 percent clip (47-for-107). They converted just 35 percent of their third down opportunities a year ago. Defensively, the Gamecocks are allowing 33.3 percent of their opponents’ third down opportunity to be successful (36-for-108), which ranks in a tie for seventh in the SEC and tied for 28th in the nation.
THE REST OF THE STORY
While the Gamecocks are one of the nation’s worst in turnover margin, ranking 12th in the SEC and 110th in the country at -1.13 per game, the defense has minimized the damage. Carolina has surrendered just 27 points following their 23 turnovers, while they have scored 48 points following their 14 takeaways. Of the teams ranked below 100th in the nation in turnover margin, only South Carolina (5-3) has a winning record.
WINNING MORE OFTEN
A win over Tennessee would guarantee Carolina at least a .500 record and make them bowl eligible for the fifth consecutive season. The Gamecocks went 6-5 in 2004, 7-5 in 2005, 8-5 in 2006 and 6-6 in 2007. It’s the first time they’ve gone four straight seasons with at least a .500 mark since 1987-90 (8-4, 8-4, 6-4-1, 6-5). The last time they went five or more consecutive seasons with a .500 record or better was from 1928-34.
WORKING OVERTIME
The Gamecocks have played just two overtime games in their history, both at Tennessee. They dropped a 23-20 decision in Knoxville on Sept. 27, 2003, then fell by a 27-24 score on Oct. 27, 2007, also at Neyland Stadium. Every other SEC team has played at least four overtime games since the rule was established in 1996.
SHUFFLING STARTERS
While the offense has started 24 different players this season, the Carolina defense has used just 14 different starters. The starting defense is composed of three seniors (Jordin Lindsey, Jasper Brinkley and Stoney Woodson), five juniors (Nathan Pepper, Eric Norwood, Darian Stewart, Emanuel Cook and Captain Munnerlyn), and thee sophomores (Ladi Ajiboye, Cliff Matthews and Chris Culliver).
UP NEXT
The Gamecocks will play their final home game of the 2008 season when they host the Arkansas Razorbacks at Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday, November 8. The Hogs lead the all-time series, 10-6, including back-to-back wins in the past two seasons. The teams have split the previous eight games in Columbia evenly.
