Sept. 17, 2010

GAMEDAY CENTRAL

Gameday Information | Parking Information | South Carolina Game Notes | Furman Game Notes

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GAMEDAY PROMOTIONS

• Parents Weekend
• Game Sponsor: SCEL
• Halftime: Recognize the Hall of Fame Class of 2010
• SEC “Together We Can” Food Drive
• Giveaway: 7,000 rally towels in the student section
• Gamecock Village: DJ – Motormouth Mike, inflatables, live pregame broadcast

ON THE AIR
Pay-Per-View
Play-by-Play: Andy Demetra
Analyst: Brad Muller

Gamecock Radio Network
Network Broadcast begins at 4 p.m. live from Bojangles’
Flagship: WNKT-FM 107.5 The Game
Play-by-Play: Todd Ellis
Analyst: Tommy Suggs
Sideline: Terry Cousin

Satellite Radio
XM Radio Channel: 197
SIRIUS “Best of XM” Channel: 217

SportSouth Replay: 8 p.m., Sept. 19
Play-by-Play: Andy Demetra
Analyst: Brad Muller

SETTING THE STAGE
• South Carolina, ranked in the nation’s top 15 for the first time in three years, looks for its first 3-0 start to a season since that 2007 season when it welcomes in-state rival Furman to Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 18. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. with a pay-per-view television broadcast.
• The Gamecocks are 2-0 after taking down No. 19 Georgia on Saturday, 17-6, behind 182 rushing yards and two touchdowns from freshman Marcus Lattimore. Furman is 1-0 and ranked in the FCS Top 25 after rolling up more than 500 yards of total offense on Colgate in a 45-15 home victory last Saturday.
• This is the 104th consecutive year in which the University of South Carolina has fielded a football team; the school did not compete in 1893 or 1906. Carolina owns an all-time record of 536-536-44.

THE SERIES
• Today is the 48th football meeting between South Carolina and Furman in a series dating to 1892. South Carolina holds a 26-20-1 all-time advantage in the series, including a 13-8-1 edge in games played in Columbia. The Gamecocks have won 11 out of the last 12 in the series, but the teams have not met since 1982.

THE COACHES

South Carolina: Steve Spurrier (Florida `67)

• Overall: 179-68-2 (21st season)
• at South Carolina: 37-28 (6th season)
• vs. Furman: 1-0
• vs. FCS: 9-0 (4-0 at Carolina)

Furman: Bobby Lamb (Furman ’82)

• Overall: 63-34 (9th season)
• at Furman: Same
• vs. South Carolina: First meeting
• vs. FBS: 0-8

QUICK HITS
• South Carolina, ranked 13th in the latest Associated Press Top 25, has its highest national ranking since the week of Oct. 20, 2007, when the Gamecocks were ranked No. 6. It marks the Gamecocks’ seventh appearance in the top 20 under Steve Spurrier.
• The Gamecocks have won 10 out of their last 11 home games, dating back to a win over Tennessee on Nov. 1, 2008.
• Freshman RB Marcus Lattimore had the second-best rushing game by a freshman in school history with 182 yards on 37 carries vs. Georgia, surpassed only by Brandon Bennett’s school-record 278 yards vs. ETSU in 1991.
• Lattimore was named both SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week and SEC Freshman of the Week after his performance vs. Georgia.
• Lattimore’s game ranked as the 15th-best rushing performance in school history, tying Steve Wadiak’s 182-yard output vs. George Washington on Oct. 27, 1950.
• WR Alshon Jeffery needs just 31 receiving yards to reach 1,000 for his career.

A SOUTH CAROLINA WIN OVER GEORGIA WOULD…

• Move South Carolina to 3-0 for the first time since 2007.
• Keep Steve Spurrier perfect in games against non-BCS schools (40-0).
• Give South Carolina its third straight victory over an in-state school (SC State, Clemson 2009).
• Be South Carolina’s eighth straight win over an FCS school, dating back to 1990.
• Give the Gamecocks their 101st all-time win against the Southern Conference (100-45-4).
• Move South Carolina to 11-1 in their last 12 games at Williams-Brice Stadium, dating back to a win over Tennessee on Nov. 1, 2008.

THIS WEEK’S OPPONENT: FURMAN
The Furman Paladins are in their ninth season under head coach Bobby Lamb, who has a 62-34 record at the helm of the program. The Paladins are 1-0 after defeating Colgate in their season opener last week in Greenville, 45-15. Last season, Furman finished with a 6-5 record, including a 5-3 mark in Southern Conference play.

GAMECOCKS AND PALADINS
•This is the 48th meeting between South Carolina and Furman, but just the first since 1982. Carolina holds a 26-20-1 all-time advantage in the series and has won 11 of the last 12 meetings. The Gamecocks are 13-8-1 in Columbia, 12-11 in Greenville and 1-1 at neutral sites.
• The teams met every year from 1921 to 1959, interrupted from 1943-45 when Furman did not field a team due to World War II.
• Both teams were members of the Southern Conference from 1936-1952.
• The teams have only met twice since 1959, a 45-10 Carolina win in 1978 and a 28-23 Furman victory in 1982.

THE OLDEST RIVALRY
Furman was the opponent for the first-ever football game for the University of South Carolina on Christmas Eve, 1892. The “Mountaineers,” as Furman’s team was then known, defeated Carolina 44-0 in Charleston in South Carolina’s only game that season. South Carolina would not field a team in 1893, then resumed football in 1894.

TIES WITH FURMAN
• South Carolina athletics director Eric Hyman was an assistant coach for nine seasons at Furman, where he earned his master’s degree in 1975. Faculty athletics representative Dr. Zach Kelehear played for the Paladins in the late 70s-early 80s and has two degrees from Furman University.
• Billy Laval, who led South Carolina to seven straight winning seasons from 1928-1934, was the head coach at Furman from 1915-1927, helping Furman to seven state championships.
• Furman offensive line coach Carroll McCray was an assistant at South Carolina from 1989-93. He coached OT Ernest Dye, South Carolina’s first All-SEC selection in 1992.

SPURRIER VS. FURMAN
South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier has faced Furman just once in his coaching career. His Florida Gators defeated the Paladins 27-3 on Sept. 22, 1990, his first season as head coach at Florida.

SPURRIER VS. PALMETTO STATE
South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier is 20-6 against teams within the state of South Carolina. He is 10-1 against South Carolina (at Duke and Florida), 2-0 against The Citadel, Wofford and South Carolina State, 1-0 against Furman and 3-5 versus Clemson.

PERFECT AGAINST NON-AQ SCHOOLS
With the Gamecocks’ 41-13 win over Southern Miss, Head Coach Steve Spurrier is a perfect 39-0 all-time against schools outside of BCS automatic qualifier conferences, including a 13-0 mark since coming to South Carolina. He defeated Florida Atlantic and South Carolina State in 2009, and will have a chance to extend his mark with two more 2010 games against Furman and Troy.

OUT OF THEIR LEAGUE
South Carolina is 1-0 after the first of four non-conference games during the 2010 season after defeating Southern Miss last Thursday. They are 18-6 in non-conference games under Steve Spurrier, including wins in 16 of their last 20 non-league tilts. The year-by-year breakdown: 2005 (2-2); 2006 (5-0); 2007 (3-1); 2008 (3-2); 2009 (4-1); 2010 (1-0). Three non-conference games remain this year: Furman (Sept. 18), Troy (Nov. 20) and Clemson (Nov. 27).

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
The Gamecocks have an all-time record of 248-177-14 (.581)at Williams-Brice Stadium since its original construction as Carolina Stadium in 1934. Under Steve Spurrier, the Gamecocks are 24-12 (.667) on their home field. South Carolina has won three in a row at home and 10 of its last 11, dating back to a victory over Tennessee on Nov. 1, 2008. In that 11-game stretch, Carolina has outscored its opponents 299-163, with an average margin of victory of 12.4 points per game.

BACK TO .500
With the win over Georgia, South Carolina moved its all-time football record back to .500 at 536-536-44 in its 117th year of intercollegiate football.

WINNING MORE OFTEN
The Gamecocks have posted six consecutive seasons of at least a .500 record, going 6-5 in 2004, 7-5 in 2005, 8-5 in 2006, 6-6 in 2007, and 7-6 in both 2008 and 2009. If the Gamecocks get to that .500 mark this season, it will equal a stretch from 1928-34 in which the Gamecocks had seven straight winning seasons.

MARVELOUS MARCUS
So much for freshman jitters. In two games, freshman tailback Marcus Lattimore has rushed for 236 yards on 51 carries, scoring four of South Carolina’s six touchdowns on the season. For some perspective:

• Lattimore’s 37 carries vs. Georgia were the third-most in a single game in school history (Ron Bass – 39 vs. North Carolina, 1974).
• His 182 yards vs. Georgia ranked as the 15th-best game in school history, tying Steve Wadiak’s 182-yard effort against George Washington on Oct. 27, 1950.
• Only Brandon Bennett, with a 278-yard outburst against East Tennessee State on Oct. 5, 1991, ran for more yards in one game as a freshman. Bennett’s mark also stands as the all-time school record.
• The names ahead of Lattimore in the all-time single-game rushing totals read like a who’s who of backs at South Carolina – Brandon Bennett, Jeff Grantz, Steve Wadiak, George Rogers, Derek Watson, Ron Bass, Duce Staley.
• It was the fifth game of last year before a Carolina back amassed more than 50 carries (Brian Maddox had 52 following the South Carolina State game).
• Not until after the Kentucky game last year (week six) did a Carolina running back have 236 rushing yards (Jarvis Giles and Kenny Miles both eclipsed that total vs. UK).
• South Carolina had a running back earn his fourth touchdown rush of the season last year in Game 10 vs. Florida (Brian Maddox); Lattimore already has four scores through just two games.

GAMECOCKS AS A RANKED TEAM
Under Steve Spurrier, the Gamecocks have been a ranked team heading into 16 contests. Carolina is 7-9 in those opportunities when appearing in the national rankings.

• 2010 (1-0)
• Sept. 11 – #24 Carolina 17, #19 Georgia 6 (Columbia)
• 2009 (2-2)
• Oct. 10 – #25 Carolina 28, Kentucky 26 (Columbia)
• Oct. 17 – #2 Alabama 20, #22 Carolina 6 (Tuscaloosa)
• Oct. 24 – #23 Carolina 14, Vanderbilt 10 (Columbia)
• Oct. 31 – Tennessee 31, #21 Carolina 13 (Knoxville)
• 2008 (0-2)
• Sept. 4 – Vanderbilt 24, #24 Carolina 17 (Nashville)
• Nov. 15 – #3 Florida 56, #24 Carolina 6 (Gainesville)
• 2007 (4-4)
• Sept. 15 – #17 Carolina 38, S.C. State 3 (Columbia)
• Sept. 22 – #2 LSU 28, #12 Carolina 16 (Baton Rouge)
• Sept. 29 – #16 Carolina 38, Miss. State 21 (Columbia)
• Oct. 4 – #11 Carolina 38, #8 Kentucky 23 (Columbia)
• Oct. 13 – #7 Carolina 21, North Carolina 15 (Chapel Hill)
• Oct. 20 – Vanderbilt 17, #6 Carolina 6 (Columbia)
• Oct. 27 – Tennessee 27, #15 Carolina 24 (OT) (Knoxville)
• Nov. 3 – Arkansas 48, #23 Carolina 36 (Fayetteville)
• 2006 – Not ranked
• 2005 (0-1)
• Nov. 19 – Clemson 13, #19 Carolina 9 (Columbia)

THE LAST TIME THEY MET: OCT. 16, 1982
Furman built up an 18-point lead and held off a fourth-quarter comeback as the Paladins defeated South Carolina at Williams-Brice Stadium, 28-23. Robbie Gardner ran for a four-yard touchdown with 2:37 to play to give Furman a 28-16 lead after the Gamecocks had cut it to a five-point deficit with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns. But an 11-yard scoring pass from Gordon Beckham to Terry Bishop with one second to play was too little, too late, as Furman earned its first win over the Gamecocks since 1949.