Jan. 6, 2015

The University of South Carolina football team concluded its 121st season of intercollegiate football in 2014 with an overall record of 7-6, including a 3-5 mark in the SEC. It marked the seventh-consecutive winning season for the Gamecocks, tying the school record, set from 1928-34, and extended their school record to 11-straight seasons with at least a .500 record.

Other superlatives from the 2014 campaign:

• The Gamecocks defeated Miami (Fla.), 24-21, to capture the 2014 Duck Commander Independence Bowl. It was the Gamecocks’ fourth-straight bowl win, establishing a school record. The Gamecocks have defeated Nebraska, Michigan, Wisconsin and Miami in their last four bowl games. South Carolina and Texas A&M are the only SEC schools to win each of their last four bowl games.

• The 2014 senior class, which featured 17 players, recorded 40 victories over the past four seasons, the second-winningest senior class in school history, behind only the 2013 class that posted 42 wins over a four-year period.

• The Gamecocks have won 49 games in this decade, the 11th-winningest program in Division I-A football and the third-winningest SEC program behind only Alabama and LSU during that span.

• The Gamecocks have won 19 of their last 20 games against non-conference opponents.

• Over the past five years, the Gamecocks are 15-5 against their top four rivals, going 4-1 versus Clemson, Florida and Georgia, and 3-2 against Tennessee.

• Since Steve Spurrier’s arrival in Columbia, the Gamecocks are 21-19 against their top four rivals, going 6-4 versus Clemson, and 5-5 against Florida, Georgia and Tennessee. In the 10 years prior to Coach Spurrier’s arrival, the Gamecocks were a combined 5-35 against those same four schools, going 3-7 against Georgia, 2-8 versus Clemson, and winless in 10 tries against both Florida and Tennessee.

• The Gamecocks scored 424 points in 2014, the second-highest mark in school history, behind only the 443 points scored in 2013.

• The Gamecocks set a school record with 305 first downs in 2014, eclipsing the mark of 291 set in 2013.

• The Gamecocks set single-season records for both passing yards (3,661) and passing attempts (468), surpassing the previous marks of 3,373 yards, set in 1995, and 452 attempts, set in 2008.

• Senior offensive guard A.J. Cann earned All-America honors. He was a first-team selection by Sporting News, ESPN.com and CBSSportsline.com, and was a second-team All-American by Walter Camp, Associated Press and Sports Illustrated. It marked the sixth-consecutive year in which the Gamecocks had a first-team All-American, as he joined Eric Norwood, Alshon Jeffery, Melvin Ingram, Jadeveon Clowney and Kelcy Quarles. Cann started 51 of 52 games during his Carolina career, second only to T.J. Johnson in school history.

• Senior offensive guard A.J. Cann and sophomore wide receiver Pharoh Cooper earned first-team All-SEC accolades. Sophomore placekicker Elliott Fry garnered second-team All-SEC recognition, while cornerback Al Harris Jr. gained a spot on the Freshman All-SEC unit.

• Senior quarterback Dylan Thompson led the SEC and shattered the school record with 3,564 passing yards. He also set school single-season records for pass attempts (451), pass completions (270) and total offense (3,492), and logged the second-most touchdown passes in a season with 26. He also tied Connor Shaw’s school record with 31 touchdowns responsible for in a season.

• Dylan Thompson had two of the top-10 single-game passing performances with a 402-yard effort against Auburn and a 366-yard game against Texas A&M. He also tied the single-game school record with five touchdown passes at Auburn.

• Dylan Thompson finished his career ranked in the Gamecocks’ all-time top-10 in passing yards (8th-5,391), passing attempts (9th-669), pass completions (8th-390), completion percentage (5th-.583), passing touchdowns (5th-40) and total offense (9th-5,385).

• Dylan Thompson was recognized for his contributions off the field, as he was the recipient of the Freddie Solomon Community Spirit Award, was a member of the SEC Community Service team, was a finalist for the Wuerffel Trophy and earned a spot on the CoSIDA Academic All-District team.

• Junior running back Mike Davis fell 18 yards short of joining Gamecock great George Rogers as the only backs in school history to post multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons. Davis logged 982 yards on 199 carries, the ninth-most attempts in a single season.

• Mike Davis, who will forego his senior year to enter the NFL Draft, finished his Gamecock career ranked in the Gamecocks’ all-time top-10 in rushing yards (9th-2,440), rushing touchdowns (t8th-22), rushing average (t8th-5.4 yards/carry), touchdowns scored (t9th-24) and 100-yard rushing games (t2nd-11).

• Sophomore wide receiver Pharoh Cooper exploded on the scene, leading the team with 69 catches (6th) for 1,136 yards (3rd) and nine receiving touchdowns (t6th). He was second in the SEC in receiving yards per game (87.4) and fourth in receptions per game (5.3). He set the school’s single-game record when he logged 233 receiving yards on 11 catches against Tennessee.

• Senior wide receiver Damiere Byrd was a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy and earned a spot on the CoSIDA Academic All-District team for the third-consecutive year.

• Sophomore placekicker Elliott Fry led the team in scoring for the second-straight year, tallying 105 points, the third-highest single-season total in school history. He also ranks in the all-time top-5 for field goals made (4th-18), field goals attempted (t3rd-25), PATs made (t2nd-51) and PATs attempted (4th-51) in a season. He connected on the most extra points made without a miss in a season in school history (51), and has hit on a school-record 99 consecutive PATs.

• After just two seasons, Elliott Fry ranks fourth on the Gamecocks’ career scoring list with 204 points.

• Sohomore linebacker Skai Moore led the team and ranked 10th in the SEC with 7.8 tackles per game. His 93 tackles on the season was the most for a Gamecock since Jasper Brinkley logged 107 in 2006.

• Senior defensive back Brison Williams led the team and was tied for fourth in the SEC with four interceptions. No Gamecock has recorded more interceptions in a season since Ko Simpson picked off six passes in 2004.

• The Gamecocks will open the 2015 season at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte against the North Carolina Tar Heels. The Gamecocks also opened the 2011 season in Charlotte, posting a 56-37 win over East Carolina.

• The Gamecocks will play nine teams in 2015 that appeared in a bowl game this season, with six of those teams recording bowl wins.

• The Gamecocks will return five starters on offense (WR Pharoh Cooper, OC Alan Knott, RG Will Sport, RT Brandon Shell and TE Jerell Adams) and eight starters on defense (DE Gerald Dixon, DT Gerald Dixon Jr., DE Darius English, LB Skai Moore, LB Jonathan Walton, SS T.J. Gurley, FS Chris Moody and CB Chris Lammons).