Nov. 19, 2010

No. 17 South Carolina vs. Troy • Nov. 20, 2010 • 12:21 p.m.

GAMEDAY CENTRAL

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

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Broadcast Information

National TV: SEC Network (Click Here to find the SEC Network station in your area)
Play-by-Play: Dave Neal
Analyst: Andre Ware
Sideline: Cara Capuano
Also available on ESPN3.com

Gamecock Radio Network
Network Broadcast begins at 9 a.m. ET
Flagship: WNKT-FM 107.5 The Game
Play-by-Play: Todd Ellis
Analyst: Tommy Suggs
Sideline: Corey Jenkins

Satellite Radio
XM Radio Channel (Carolina Feed): 199
SIRIUS “Best of XM” Channel: 214

SportSouth Replay: 8 p.m., Nov. 21
Play-by-Play: Andy Demetra
Analyst: Terry Cousin

Game Notes

SETTING THE STAGE
• No. 17 South Carolina will wrap up its home season on Saturday, Nov. 20, as the Gamecocks play host to Sun Belt Conference foe Troy at Williams-Brice Stadium. Kickoff is set for 12:21 p.m. ET with the SEC Network slated to carry the television broadcast.
• The Gamecocks (7-3, 5-3 SEC) are the SEC Eastern Division Champions for the first time in school history after a dominating 36-14 victory over the No. 24-ranked Florida Gators last week in Gainesville, Fla. Troy (5-4, 3-2 SBC) is still in the running for a conference championship of its own, but its Sun Belt title hopes took a hit with a 52-35 loss to league-leading Florida International at home last week.

THE SERIES
• This is the third all-time meeting between South Carolina and Troy. The Gamecocks won each of the previous two contests against the Trojans, both in Columbia, taking a 17-7 win in 2004 and a 45-20 decision in 2005.

THE COACHES
South Carolina: Steve Spurrier (Florida `67)
• Overall: 184-71-2 (21st season)
• at South Carolina: 42-31 (6th season)
• vs. Troy: 1-0
• vs. Non-BCS Teams: 40-0

Troy: Larry Blakeney (Auburn ’70)
• Overall: 158-81-1 (20th season)
• at Troy: Same
• vs. South Carolina: 0-2

QUICK HITS
• RB Marcus Lattimore has topped the 150-yard mark three times this season, rushing for 212 yards at Florida, 182 yards vs. Georgia and 184 vs. Tennessee. He has 16 touchdowns on the season, which equals Harold Green (1987) for the all-time single-season touchdown record at South Carolina. He would tie the SEC freshman record with four more touchdowns (Reggie Cobb, Tennessee – 20 in 1987).
• Lattimore’s 40-carry, 212-yard effort at Florida set the school record for carries in a single game and goes down as the 8th-best single-game rushing total in school history. It was the first time a Carolina player rushed for 200+ yards in an SEC game. His effort also gave him the Carolina freshman record, surpassing Thomas Dendy’s 848 yards in 1982.
• South Carolina has never had a 1,000-yard rusher and a 1,000-yard receiver in the same season. Marcus Lattimore needs just 36 more yards to get to 1,000 for the season, becoming just the seventh different player to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season at South Carolina and the first since Derek Watson had 1,066 yards in 2000.
• With 1,087 yards this season, WR Alshon Jeffery is the third different SC player to amass 1,000 receiving yards in a single season, joining Sidney Rice (1,143 in 2005; 1,090 in 2006) and Sterling Sharpe (1,106 in 1986). He needs 56 more yards to set the all-time South Carolina single-season record.
• Jeffery leads the SEC and is fifth in the nation in receiving yards per game with 108.7 yards per contest. He also leads the league with 6.5 catches per game. With 99 yards against Arkansas, Jeffery passed Troy Williamson (1,754) for 9th all-time at Carolina; after a 53-yard effort vs. Florida, he now has 1,850 career receiving yards on 111 catches. He needs 26 more yards to move into 8th all-time (Fred Zeigler – 1,876 yards).
• Junior QB Stephen Garcia currently has 5,915 passing yards for his career. He needs 78 yards to pass Blake Mitchell for third all-time in career passing yards at South Carolina.
• The Gamecocks lead the Southeastern Conference and are ranked No. 3 in the nation with a school-record 35 sacks (3.50 per game). DE Devin Taylor leads the way with 7.5 sacks on the season, ranking 3rd in the SEC.

SENIOR DAY
• A total of 20 South Carolina senior football players will be recognized prior to Saturday’s game as they play their final home contest at Williams-Brice Stadium. This class has the potential to be the winningest senior class in school history as it has already amassed 27 victories; one more would tie the school record of 28 in four years, set by the 1990, 2008 and 2009 classes.
• The following seniors will be recognized: DT Ladi Ajiboye, SPUR Blake Baxley, OL Garrett Chisolm, CB Chris Culliver, DB Brandan Davis, LB Josh Dickerson, TE Patrick DiMarco, OL Hutch Eckerson, DS Matt Grooms, OT Jarriel King, P/K Spencer Lanning, SPUR Dion LeCorn, RB Brian Maddox, DE Cliff Matthews, OG Steven Singleton, WR Cedrick Snead, LB Tony Straughter, DS Charles Turner, DS Chris Vaughn, WR Kevin White.

A SOUTH CAROLINA WIN OVER TROY WOULD…
• Give South Carolina a 6-1 home record for the second straight season.
• Give South Carolina eight wins in a season for just the 10th time in school history but for the fourth time since 2000.
• Move Steve Spurrier to 41-0 all-time against schools outside of BCS automatic qualifying conferences.
• Give South Carolina its ninth straight home non-conference win, dating back to the 2008 season-opener.
• Give Steve Spurrier his 43rd win at Carolina, moving him past Paul Dietzel for third all-time in school history.
• Move South Carolina to 34-11 against non-conference foes since 2000.
• Keep South Carolina undefeated against current members of the Sun Belt Conference (currently 7-0).

THIS WEEK’S OPPONENT: TROY
• The Troy Trojans, at 5-4 overall and 3-2 in the Sun Belt Conference, are in their 20th year under head coach Larry Blakeney. Troy is still in the running for its fifth straight Sun Belt championship, but needs some help after falling to league-leading Florida International at home last week. The Trojans have played in bowl games three out of the last four seasons, including last year when they finished 9-4 (8-0 SBC) and fell to Central Michigan 44-41 in the GMAC Bowl.

GAMECOCKS VS. SUN BELT
• South Carolina is undefeated all-time at 7-0 against current members of the Sun Belt Conference. Carolina owns two wins apiece over Florida Atlantic, Louisiana-Lafayette and Troy, and one victory over Middle Tennessee State.

TIES WITH TROY
• South Carolina has no players on its roster from the state of Alabama, but Troy has one from the Palmetto State – junior defensive back Daniel Wyche (Sumter).

SPURRIER VS. TROY
•South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier is 1-0 all-time against Troy with the only meeting coming in 2005, his first year at the helm of the Gamecock program. Spurrier’s Gamecocks won 45-20 on Sept. 24, 2005, in Columbia.

SPURRIER VS. BLAKENEY
•Steve Spurrier is 1-0 against Troy head coach Larry Blakeney, winning the only meeting in 2005 (see above). The two have combined for 342 wins as collegiate head coaches – Spurrier ranks sixth among active coaches with 184 wins; Blakeney is 10th with 158 – and have a combined 41 years of collegiate coaching experience between them.
• Only one other coaching matchup in the country this season has featured two of the top 10 winningest active head coaches. That came last week, when No. 1 on the list – Penn State’s Joe Paterno (400 career wins) – faced No. 2 among active coaches – Ohio State’s Jim Tressel (237 wins) – in Columbus. The Buckeyes prevailed 38-14 to give Tressel his 238th victory.

PERFECT AGAINST NON-AQ SCHOOLS
•With the Gamecocks’ 38-19 win over Furman in September, head coach Steve Spurrier is a perfect 40-0 all-time against schools outside of BCS automatic qualifier conferences, including a 14-0 mark since coming to South Carolina. He defeated Southern Miss earlier in the year, Florida Atlantic and South Carolina State in 2009, and will have a chance to extend his mark with this week’s game against Troy.

OUT OF THEIR LEAGUE
•South Carolina is 2-0 outside of SEC play after defeating Furman and Southern Miss in September. They are 19-6 in non-conference games under Steve Spurrier, including wins in 17 of their last 21 non-league tilts. The year-by-year breakdown: 2005 (2-2); 2006 (5-0); 2007 (3-1); 2008 (3-2); 2009 (4-1); 2010 (2-0). Two non-conference games remain this year: Troy (Nov. 20) and Clemson (Nov. 27).

COULD BE A FIRST
• South Carolina has never had a 1,000-yard rusher and a 1,000-yard receiver in the same season. With WR Alshon Jeffery eclipsing the 1,000-yard plateau against Arkansas, the Gamecocks are halfway there for 2010. Freshman RB Marcus Lattimore, at 964 rushing yards for the season, needs just 36 more yards to reach that milestone.
• The closest South Carolina has come to that achievement was the 1987 season, when Harold Green rushed for 1,022 yards and Sterling Sharpe amassed 915 receiving yards. Sharpe had racked up 1,106 receiving yards the previous season.

GAMECOCKS IN THE POLLS
South Carolina is ranked in this week’s Associated Press Poll and USA Today Coaches Poll for the 11th consecutive week. Only two other times in school history have the Gamecocks stayed in the polls for that many straight editions:
• The Gamecocks appeared at No. 19 in the AP poll the week of Oct. 31, 1987, then proceeded to defeat NC State 48-0. Carolina climbed as high as No. 8 before losing the regular-season finale to No. 2 Miami, then dropping a 30-13 decision to No. 7 LSU in the Gator Bowl; Carolina finished 15th in the final poll. The Gamecocks were then ranked No. 19 in the 1988 preseason ranking and stayed in the poll nine straight weeks until a 59-0 loss at Florida State on Nov. 5, 1988. Total weeks in the rankings: 18.
• After defeating Ohio State in the 2001 Outback Bowl, Carolina finished at No. 19 in the final AP poll of 2000. The Gamecocks then stayed in the rankings every week of the 2001 season, climbing as high as No. 9 in the polls and finishing at No. 13 after another defeat of the Buckeyes in Tampa. Carolina was then ranked in the first two polls of the 2002 season before a 34-21 loss at Virginia dropped them from the rankings. Total weeks in the rankings: 18.

THE 100 CLUB
• In its 21-7 victory at Vanderbilt, South Carolina had a player rush for 100 yards and two players receive for 100 yards in the same game for the first time in school history. RB Brian Maddox came off the bench to rack up 146 yards on 24 carries with one touchdown, while WR Alshon Jeffery caught nine passes for 155 yards – including a show-stopping 72-yard touchdown – and WR Tori Gurley shattered his previous career highs wiith a school-record 14 catches for 112 yards and a score.
• One other time this season, Carolina has had a 100-yard rusher and 100-yard receiver in the same game. Against Georgia, RB Marcus Lattimore carried 37 times for 182 yards while WR Alshon Jeffery caught seven passes for 103 yards.
• Jeffery has topped the 100-yard receiving mark five times this year, with a career- and season-best coming with 192 yards at Auburn. Lattimore has three 100-yard games – 212 at Florida, 184 vs. Tennessee and 182 vs. Georgia – and Maddox and Gurley have one apiece.

WINNING MORE OFTEN
With the win over Florida to earn their seventh victory of the year, the Gamecocks have assured themselves of posting three straight winning seasons and seven consecutive seasons of at least a .500 record. Previously, the Gamecocks went 6-5 in 2004, 7-5 in 2005, 8-5 in 2006, 6-6 in 2007, and 7-6 in both 2008 and 2009. The team has now equaled a school-record stretch from 1928-34 in which the Gamecocks had seven straight seasons at .500 or better.

GAMECOCKS AS A RANKED TEAM
Under Steve Spurrier, the Gamecocks have been a ranked team heading into 24 contests. Carolina is 12-12 in those opportunities when appearing in the national rankings. In home games, Carolina is 9-4 when ranked under Spurrier, including a 6-1 mark at home over the last two seasons. The Gamecocks are 3-8 in road contests as a ranked team under Spurrier.

• 2010 (6-3)
• Sept. 11 – #24 Carolina 17, #19 Georgia 6 (Columbia)
• Sept. 18 – #13 Carolina 38, Furman 19 (Columbia)
• Sept. 25 – #14 Auburn 35, #12 Carolina 27 (Auburn)
• Oct. 9 – #19 Carolina 35, #1 Alabama 21 (Columbia)
• Oct. 16 – Kentucky 31, #10 Carolina 28 (Lexington)
• Oct. 23 – #19 Carolina 21, Vanderbilt 7 (Nashville)
• Oct. 30 – #17 Carolina 38, Tennessee 24 (Columbia)
• Nov. 6 – #19 Arkansas 41, #17 Carolina 20 (Columbia)
• Nov. 13 – #22 Carolina 36, #24 Florida 14 (Gainesville)
• 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: SEPT. 24, 2005
Blake Mitchell threw for 177 yards and two touchdowns before leaving with an injury and 40-year-old walk-on Tim Frisby caught a 9-yard pass late in South Carolina’s 45-20 win over Troy at Williams-Brice Stadium. The Trojans turned the ball over five times, with each mistake leading to a touchdown for the Gamecocks. South Carolina’s offensive wasn’t as explosive as the score might indicate. But each time the Gamecocks struggled, the defense came up with a turnover, whether it was a fumble at the South Carolina 8 on the Trojans first drive or an 11-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the third quarter when South Carolina’s offense had stalled twice ahead 24-13. Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier delivered on his promise to play some of his freshmen. Mike Davis got the ball on the Gamecocks’ first 11 running plays and ended up with 78 yards on 19 carries. Backup quarterback Antonio Heffner came in for several series and was 6-for-9 for 91 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to a leaping Michael Flint. Heffner also carried seven times for 45 yards. South Carolina ran for 116 yards Saturday – and that’s even with Mitchell losing 42 yards on four sacks. It certainly wasn’t a spectacular total, but the Gamecocks will take it after averaging 49 yards a game on the ground coming in. Mitchell went 11-for-14 and South Carolina’s two quarterbacks combined for 268 yards. Sidney Rice caught five passes for 91 yards and a score and Syvelle Newton had five catches for 74 yards and a touchdown.