Oct. 30, 2010

Recap | Final Stats | Quotes | Photo Gallery

• Head Coach Steve Spurrier: Improves to 183-70-2 (.722) as a collegiate head coach, 41-30 in his fifth year at South Carolina. He improves to 12-8 all-time against Tennessee, including a 3-3 mark as South Carolina’s head coach.
• Moving Up the Charts: Tonight was Steve Spurrier’s 71st game at South Carolina, passing Lou Holtz for fifth all-time in that category.
• Records: South Carolina improves to 6-2 overall, 4-2 in SEC play. Tennessee falls to 2-6 overall, 0-5 in SEC play. The Gamecocks are now 5-22-2 all-time against Tennessee, but have won two out of the last three meetings (including two straight in Columbia). Carolina is now 4-8-2 against Tennessee in Columbia.
• Bowl Eligible Again: South Carolina has guaranteed no less than a .500 record for the 2010 season, marking the seventh straight season for South Carolina at .500 or better. That ties the best stretch of non-losing seasons in school history, which was also achieved from 1928-34. With their fourth SEC victory, the Gamecocks have also guaranteed a .500 record in conference play for the sixth time since joining the league in 1992.
• Home-Field Advantage: South Carolina won its 13th home game in 14 tries, dating back to a 27-6 win over Tennessee on Nov. 1, 2008. In that stretch, Carolina has outscored its opponents 410-227, an average of 13 points per game.
• Biggest Win: With 38 points scored today, the Gamecocks posted their highest scoring output in the 29-game series against the Vols. The previous high-water mark for South Carolina against Tennessee was 29 points in a 43-29 loss in 2004.
• As a Ranked Team: The Gamecocks are 11-11 when ranked in the top 25 under Spurrier, improving to 5-2 this year. Carolina is 6-0 at home as a ranked team over the last two seasons.
• Winning the Turnover Battle: South Carolina forced four Tennessee turnovers, a season-high by a Gamecock opponent, and only committed one in today’s game. It was the second time this season for Carolina to win the turnover battle, and the Gamecocks have won both of those contests (Southern Miss was the other). Under Spurrier, Carolina is 16-4 when forcing more turnovers than it commits.

OFFENSIVE NOTES

• RB Marcus Lattimore, after sitting out the Vanderbilt game with an ankle injury, was back to 100 percent (and then some) in today’s game. He surpassed his career high with 184 rushing yards on 29 carries, rushing for one touchdown. He also caught two passes for 26 yards, giving him a total of 210 offensive yards in the game.
• Lattimore’s rushing total marks the 15th-best rushing game in school history, surpassing his own 182-yard performance against Georgia on Sept. 11 and another 182-yard effort by Steve Wadiak on Oct. 27, 1950. It was the best Carolina rushing output since Derek Watson rushed for 215 yards on Sept. 16, 2000, vs. Eastern Michigan.
• Lattimore now has 722 yards for the season, which moves him to within 126 yards of the South Carolina freshman record of 848 yards, set by Thomas Dendy in 1982.
• With his touchdown today, Lattimore now has 13 for the season, which ties him with Sidney Rice (2005) for the South Carolina freshman record. He needs three more to tie the all-time Gamecock season record of 16, set by Harold Green in 1987. He also moved into a tie for fifth place in SEC freshman history, equaling Rice and Emmitt Smith (Florida, 1987) with 13 touchdowns this season.
• QB Stephen Garcia finished 13-for-22 passing for 223 yards, one interception and one touchdown. He also rushed 10 times for 18 yards and a pair of one-yard scores. It marks his third and fourth rushing touchdowns of the year.
• WR Alshon Jeffery only had three catches in the game, but amassed 87 yards – that total included a 70-yard scoring strike from Garcia in the fourth quarter to give South Carolina the lead for good. Jeffery now has 935 receiving yards on the season and 1,698 for his career as he remains 10th all-time in Gamecock history.
• WR D.L. Moore had a career-high three receptions for 41 yards, with a long reception of 20 yards.
• The Gamecocks gained 212 rushing yards in the game, the second time this season that Carolina has topped 200 yards on the ground (225 vs. Southern Miss).

DEFENSIVE NOTES

• Tennessee rushed for 92 yards, marking the sixth time in eight games that Carolina has held an opponent under 100 rushing yards. The Gamecocks are 5-1 in those contests this season and boast an 18-3 record under Spurrier.
• DE Devin Taylor had a stellar outing, recovering two fumbles and returning an interception 24 yards for a touchdown, the Gamecocks’ second interception returned for a score this year (Stephon Gilmore, 80 yards vs. Furman). Despite having just one tackle, Taylor made his presence felt all day as the defense recorded 14.0 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks.
• DE Cliff Matthews had 2.0 sacks, a season-best mark, and moved into 9th place all-time in Carolina history now with 13.5 in his career. Matthews totaled four tackles and forced a fumble on one sack, which was recovered by Devin Taylor to set up a Gamecock scoring drive in the second quarter.
• SPUR Antonio Allen tied a career high with 7 tackles to share the team lead, and he shattered his previous career bests with 1.5 sacks and 4.0 tackles for loss. Allen also forced a fumble on a sack on Tennessee’s first possession of the third quarter, leading to a Gamecock touchdown.
• DT Ladi Ajiboye posted a career-high 7 tackles to share the lead with Allen, including 1.0 sacks and 2.0 tackles for loss.
• DE Melvin Ingram had 1.5 sacks in the game, giving him 6.5 for the season and tying him for the team lead with Devin Taylor.

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES

• P Spencer Lanning had three punts for an average of 42.0 yards in today’s game, including a 37-yarder that was downed at the Tennessee 2-yard-line. Lanning was also a perfect 5-for-5 on extra point tries and 1-for-2 on field goals.
• KR Bryce Sherman returned four kickoffs for 85 yards today, with a long of 27 yards.

UP NEXT
The Gamecocks will close out their home SEC schedule with a visit from #19 Arkansas next Saturday, Nov. 6. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. with a national broadcast on ESPN.