Sept. 25, 2015

The South Carolina Gamecocks (1-2, 0-2 SEC) return home for a non-conference clash with the UCF Knights (0-3, 0-0 AAC) out of the American Athletic Conference. Game time is set for high noon at Columbia’s Williams-Brice Stadium (80,250). The game will be televised on ESPNU.

A HISTORY LESSON: 2015 marks the 122nd season of intercollegiate football at the University of South Carolina, dating back to 1892. It is the 109th-consecutive year in which South Carolina has competed on the gridiron. The University did not field a team in either 1893 or 1906. Carolina is 29 games over the .500 mark with an all-time record of 584-555-44. The Gamecocks were nine games under .500 until head coach Steve Spurrier took the reins in 2005, but are 38 games over since that time (85-47).

SEC, SEC: 2015 marks South Carolina’s 24th year of football in the Southeastern Conference. Carolina and Arkansas joined the league prior to the 1992 campaign. The Gamecocks earned their first SEC Eastern Division title in the 2010 season. Carolina was 37-66-1 (.361) in SEC action from 1992-2004, but are 44-38 (.537) in conference play since Coach Spurrier took the reins, including a 21-13 mark since the start of the 2011 season.

CAROLINA VS. UCF: This is the fifth gridiron meeting between these two universities, with the Gamecocks holding a perfect 4-0 record against the Knights. Carolina posted home wins in back-to-back seasons back in 1996 and `97 by scores of 33-14 and 33-31. In Steve Spurrier’s debut as the Carolina Head Ball Coach, the Gamecocks kicked off the 2005 season with a 24-15 win over UCF at Williams-Brice Stadium. The last time the two teams met was in the 2013 season in Orlando, when the Gamecocks escaped with a 28-25 win. That turned out to be the only blemish on the Knights’ record that season, as they went 12-1 including a Fiesta Bowl win over Baylor. Meanwhile, the Gamecocks finished the season with an 11-2 record and ranked No. 4 in the final polls.

SPURRIER VS. UCF: South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier owns a 3-0 record against UCF. He defeated the Knights by a 58-27 score on September 11, 1999 while coaching the fourth-ranked Florida Gators, then posted a 24-15 win in his debut as the Carolina head coach on September 1, 2005 before leaving Orlando with a 28-25 win on September 28, 2013.

SPURRIER VS. O’LEARY: Steve Spurrier has faced UCF’s George O’Leary twice in his career with the HBC coming out on top both times. He was a 24-15 winner in his first game as the Carolina head coach in 2005, then won in Orlando by a 28-25 count in 2013.

THE LAST TIME THEY MET: Behind a huge second half from Mike Davis, South Carolina (3-1) picked up a 28-25 road win against UCF (3-1) at Bright House Networks Stadium on Sept. 28, 2013. Davis ran for a career-best 167 yards on 26 carries, scoring three times to lead South Carolina’s comeback effort after being down 10-0 at half. Dylan Thompson came in after an early injury to Connor Shaw and threw for 261 yards while also running for a score in the victory. UCF quarterback Blake Bortles hit on 25-of-36 passes for 358 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns, but was also picked off twice.

RECRUITING THE SUNSHINE STATE: The Sunshine state is well-represented on the South Carolina roster, with 18 players calling Florida their home. The list includes: Jordan Diggs (Fort Myers), Rashad Fenson (Miami), Al Harris Jr. (Fort Lauderdale), Hayden Hurst (Jacksonville), Sean Kelly (Oakland), Chris Lammons (Lauderhill), Mike Matulis (Boynton Beach), Nick McGriff (Gainesville), Skai Moore (Cooper City), Perry Orth (Ponte Vedra), Christian Pellage (Brooksville), Sherrod Pittman (Jacksonville), Jasper Sasser (Jacksonville), Michael Scarnecchia (Fleming Island), Jamari Smith (Jacksonville), Will Sport (Milton), Cody Waldrop (Seffner), Jerad Washington (Jacksonville).

COACH TO CURE MD: The South Carolina and UCF coaching staffs will be wearing Coach to Cure MD patches this week to raise awareness and funding for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research. Fans are encouraged to donate online at www.CoachtoCureMD.org or donate $5 by texting CURE to 90999.

THE LAST TIME OUT: The Georgia offense was hitting on all cylinders as the Bulldogs posted an impressive 52-20 win over South Carolina last Saturday night in Athens. Georgia quarterback Grayson Lambert connected on 24-of-25 passes for 330 yards and three touchdowns, while Nick Chubb carried 21 times for 159 yards and two scores as the Bulldogs rolled up 576 yards of offense. South Carolina quarterback Perry Orth made his first career start and completed 6-of-17 passes for 66 yards. True freshman Lorenzo Nunez was a bright spot, earning significant playing time for the first time in his career. He rushed 10 times for a team-high 76 yards and completed 4-of-5 passes for 18 yards. Elliott Fry connected on field goals of 45 yards and a career-long 51-yarder, while Shon Carson had a good day returning kickoffs, taking six back for 162 yards, 27.0 yards per return, including a long of 51.

FRY GOES DEEP: Junior placekicker Elliott Fry connected on a career-long 51-yard field goal at Georgia. He also hit from 45-yards out in the contest. His previous long had been 47 yards. The 51-yarder was the longest field goal by a Gamecock since Adam Yates connected from 51 against Florida in 2012 and tied for the ninth-longest in school history.

NATIONAL LEADER: Junior linebacker Skai Moore has picked off three passes this season – two in the season opener against North Carolina and one against Kentucky. He is tied for the NCAA lead in interceptions after three weeks.

NON-CONFERENCE WINS: South Carolina has won 20 of its last 21 non-conference games. The Gamecocks had their 18-game non-conference winning streak snapped in the 2014 regular season finale at Clemson. Prior to that loss, Carolina’s last non-conference loss came to Florida State in the 2010 Chick-fil-A Bowl. They have already defeated North Carolina in Charlotte in the season opener and host The Citadel and Clemson in the final two regular season games of the 2015 campaign.

HOME SWEET HOME: The Gamecocks are 22-4 in their last 26 home games (.846) and 38-7 (.844) in their last 45 home games. Carolina had its school-record 18-game home winning streak snapped in the 2014 season opener. The school’s previous longest home winning streak was 15 games, set from 1978-80. The only home losses since the start of the 2009 season have come to top-ranked Florida in 2009, to 17th-ranked Arkansas in 2010 and to defending national champion Auburn in 2011 before the 2014 home losses to Texas A&M, Missouri and Tennessee and a 2015 loss to Kentucky.

HOME CROWD ADVANTAGE: The Gamecocks have played in front of 13 sellouts in their last 15 home contests. The Gamecocks ranked 16th in the nation in home attendance in 2014 with an average of 81,381 per game, including a season-high 84,232 against Georgia, the fifth-largest crowd to attend a game in Columbia. Three of 2014’s home crowds figured in the top-30 all-time at Williams-Brice Stadium.

FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME: Eight Gamecocks have made their first career starts this season. Carlton Heard, Marquavius Lewis, Connor Mitch, Deebo Samuel and Taylor Stallworth did so in the season-opening win over North Carolina. In addition, Kansas transfer Isaiah Johnson made his first start in the Garnet & Black. Larenz Bryant earned the start for the first time in his career against Kentucky. Terry Googer and Perry Orth made their first career starts at Georgia.

MR. AUTOMATIC: Junior placekicker Elliott Fry has converted all five of his extra points this season, extending his school record to 104 consecutive made PATs. He ranks fourth among current active kickers in consecutive PATs made:
Rk. Kicker Team PATs
1. Robert Aguayo Florida State 163
2. Ross Martin Duke 122
3. Cody Clark Middle Tennessee 113
4. Elliott Fry South Carolina 104
5. Jake Elliott Memphis 102

NEXT MAN UP: True freshman Lorenzo Nunez saw the first action of his career against Kentucky. He rushed twice for 40 yards, including a 33-yard scramble when the Wildcats went into a prevent defense as the first half expired. He saw much more extensive duty last week at Georgia, rushing 10 times for a team-high 76 yards, including a pair of 17-yard scampers, and completed 4-for-5 passes for 18 yards. Nunez, a 6-3, 210-pounder, was a four-star prospect as a prep standout at Harrison High in Kennesaw, Ga.

RUNNING WILDS: Fifth-year senior Brandon Wilds is off to a solid start in his final campaign for the Garnet & Black. The 6-2, 220-pounder rambled for 106 yards on 16 carries against Kentucky, his fifth-career 100-yard rushing game. He was limited to just five carries for 24 yards against Georgia before leaving with bruised ribs, making his questionable for this week. Wilds is averaging 5.2 yards per carry this season and 5.0 for his career.

1,000-YARD CAREER RUSHERS: Brandon Wilds is 27th on Carolina’s all-time list in career rushing with 1,458 yards. No. (PLAYER YEARS) ATT. — YARDS – AVG.
1. George Rogers (1977-80) 954-5,204 – 5.5
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17. Bishop Strickland (1947-50) 381-1,965 – 5.2
18. Duce Staley (1995-96) 345-1,852 – 5.4
18. Andrew Pinnock (1999-02) 422-1,852 – 4.4
20. Rob DeBoer (1990-93) 386-1,810 – 4.7
21. Connor Shaw (2010-13) 452-1,683 – 3.7
22. Spencer Clark (1976-79) 319-1,652 – 5.2
23. Mike Dingle (1988-90) 389-1,634 – 4.2
24. Troy Hambrick (1996-98) 302-1,586 – 5.3
25. Jeff Grantz (1972-75) 405-1,577 – 3.9
26. Alex Hawkins (1956-58) 339-1,490 – 4.4
27. Brandon Wilds 2011-15 291 1,458 5.0

HERE’S SHONNY: Senior Shon Carson waited patiently for his opportunity, and it finally came early in the fourth quarter in the season opener against North Carolina when he took his first handoff of the season and raced 48 yards to paydirt, giving the Gamecocks a 17-13 lead which they would not relinquish. Carson, a 5-8, 206-pounder from Scranton, S.C., finished the game with a team-high 75 yards rushing on just four carries. He added 36 yards on just five carries against Kentucky, and is averaging 7.4 yards per carry this season, with 16 carries for 118 yards. Carson also is the Gamecock’s top kick returner with a 25.5-yard average, fourth in the SEC, including a career-long 51-yarder at Georgia.

PHAROH IS KING: One of the most versatile players in all of college football is junior wide receiver Pharoh Cooper. The 5-11, 207-pounder from Havelock, N.C. is the Gamecocks’ best bet to earn All-America accolades after a breakout season a year ago. His preseason accolades are many, but most notably, he earned three spots on the SEC Coaches’ first-team all-conference squad, as a wide receiver, an all-purpose back and a return specialist. He is a preseason candidate for the Maxwell, Hornung and Biletnikoff awards.

SOUTH CAROLINA PHAROH: Pharoh Cooper had a special season in 2014. He set the school record for receiving yards in a game with 233 against Tennessee and logged the third-highest single-season receiving yards total in school history with 1,136, a mark topped by only Alshon Jeffery and Sidney Rice.

AMONG THE BEST: With 85 career receptions, Pharoh Cooper has moved into the top-25 in South Carolina history for career receptions.
No. PLAYER (YEARS) REC.
1. Kenny McKinley (2005-08) 207
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14. Philip Logan (1974-77) 105
15. Ace Sanders (2010-12) 99
16. Harold Green (1986-89) 94
17. Brian Scott (1998-01) 93
17. Nick Jones (2011-14) 93
19. Troy Williamson (2002-04) 91
20. Jim Mitchell (1969-71) 90
21. Ira Hillary (1981-84) 90
22. Toby Cates (1991-94) 89
23. Pharoh Cooper (2013-15) 85

REACHING PAYDIRT: With a TD reception in the season opener, Pharoh Cooper is just two touchdown catches from moving into South Carolina’s top-10 for receiving touchdowns.
RECEIVING TOUCHDOWNS
1. Sidney Rice (2005-06) 23
Alshon Jeffery (2009-11) 23
3. Robert Brooks (1988-91) 19
Jermale Kelly (1997-00) 19
Kenny McKinley (2005-08) 19
6. Sterling Sharpe (1983-87) 17
Zola Davis (1995-98) 17
8. Bruce Ellington (2011-13) 16
9. Philip Logan (1974-77) 15
10. Toby Cates (1991-94) 13
Monty Means (1992-95) 13
Troy Williamson (2002-04) 13
Ace Sanders (2010-12) 13
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Pharoh Cooper (2013-15) 11

2015–THE YEAR OF PHAROH: Pharoh Cooper caught nine passes for 100 yards against Kentucky, the fifth-career 100-yard receiving game of his career. After three games, he ranks 10th in the SEC with 4.3 receptions per game. and is sixth with a 12.7 punt return average.

TRIPLE CROWN THREAT: Pharoh Cooper is not just a great pass catcher, but can also run and throw. He has averaged 8.1 yards per carry in his career, rushing 56 times for 456 yards with three touchdowns, and has completed 8-of-13 passes for 101 yards with three scores. He also returns punts with a career long of 36 yards.

ADAMS’ WAY: Senior tight end Jerell Adams, a 6-6, 231-pounder from Pinewood, S.C., has six receptions for 85 yards in the first three contests, including a 33-yard TD catch against Kentucky. He has 44 career catches for 641 yards, a 14.6-yard average with five touchdowns. Adams has also produced in the classroom, as he is a two-time member of the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll and was named the recipient of the prestigious Dr. Harris Pastides Outstanding Student-Athlete Representative of the University of South Carolina at the 2015 Garnet & Black Spring Game.

DIAMONDS AREN’T FOREVER: 22-year-old walk-on freshman tight end Hayden Hurst came in this summer and quickly worked his way up the depth chart. Hurst was originally committed to attend Florida State on a baseball scholarship, before electing to turn pro and signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. He was drafted as a pitcher and eventually was moved to first base before giving up the game for good. He was encouraged to walk-on at South Carolina by Perry Orth, who he has known for years.

THE SHELL GAME: The Gamecocks feature an experienced first unit up front, headlined by fifth-year senior left tackle Brandon Shell. Shell, a 6-6, 328-pounder from Goose Creek, S.C. who has been tabbed to some preseason All-SEC units, made the move from right tackle to left tackle this season, a position where he made his first career start (at Vanderbilt in 2012), before moving to the right side where he made 35 consecutive starts entering the season. His 39 career starts is more than any other two players on the squad combined.

THE MIKE MAN: Fifth-year senior offensive lineman Mike Matulis, who was penciled in as the starting right guard a year ago, but suffered a left knee injury midway through fall camp and only saw limited time during the season before undergoing surgery, returns for his final campaign. The 6-5, 293-pounder from Boynton Beach, Fla., was a first-team Freshman All-American in 2011, and gives Carolina veteran leadership up front. He has started 13 games in his career, the first 10 at tackle, while battling shoulder and knee injuries.

FRESH FISH: With injuries to the top two centers, Alan Knott (high ankle sprain) and Cody Waldrop (broken ankle), true freshman Zack Bailey was pressed into duty at Georgia as the snapper and responded admirably. The 6-6, 330-pounder from Summerville, S.C. had never played center in his career prior to this season.

THE SKAI’S THE LIMIT: The Gamecocks top linebacker is Skai Moore. Moore, a 6-2, 218-pound junior from Cooper City, Fla., has led the team in tackles in each of the past two years, becoming the first player to do so since Emanuel Cook (2007-08), and is well on his way to leading the team for a third-straight year. The last to do it three years in a row was Tony Watkins (1992-94). The 6-2, 218-pounder who garnered Defensive MVP honors in the 2014 Independence Bowl, tallied a team-high 11 tackles and a pair of interceptions in the season opening win over North Carolina, earning SEC Defensive Player of the Week accolades. It was the third time he’s logged two interceptions in a game, also in the 2014 Capital One Bowl versus Wisconsin and in 2014 against South Alabama. He was credited with eight stops, including seven solos, and another interception against Kentucky. He paced the team with a dozen stops at Georgia. He is fourth in the SEC averaging 10.3 tackles per game. Moore now owns 180 career tackles and 10 interceptions.

PICKIN’ AND GRINNIN’: South Carolina linebacker Skai Moore has 10 career interceptions, including three this season, two in the opener against North Carolina and one against Kentucky. He is tied for the nation’s lead and is among the school’s all-time leader in career interceptions:
CAREER INTERCEPTIONS
1. Bo Davies (1969-71) 14
2. Dick Harris (1969-71) 12
3. Henry Laws (1973-75) 11
Robert Perlotte (1979-81) 11
Pat Bowen (1979-82) 11
Bryant Gillard (1982-84) 11
Robert Robinson (1985-88) 11
8. 8 players tied 10
Most recent: Skai Moore (2013-15) 10

WAVING THE WHEAT GOODBYE: Senior safety Isaiah Johnson graduated from the University of Kansas, came to Carolina late in the summer, and quickly moved into a starting role. The Cary, N.C. product picked off six passes in the last two seasons for the Jayhawks. The 6-0, 206-pounder was voted the Big 12 Coaches’ Defensive Newcomer of the Year in 2013. He is second on the squad and 16th in the SEC with 21 tackles or 7.0 tackles per game.

KELLY’S A HERO: Sean Kelly has proven to be a valuable addition this season. The former FAU Owl ranks fifth in the SEC in punting with a 42.8 yard average. The junior walk-on got off to a fast start in the season opener against North Carolina, punting five times for a 46.2-yard average, including a 60-yarder and two that were downed inside the 10-yard line. It was the Gamecocks’ first punt of 60 yards or more since 2011 when Joey Scribner-Howard launched a 60-yarder at Mississippi State. The 5-10, 189-pounder from Oakland, Fla., who punted for FAU for two seasons, also ran 17 yards for a first down on a fake punt for South Carolina’s initial first down of the season, and made the tackle on the return of a field goal attempt that came up short, that may have kept points off the scoreboard. For the season, he has punted 13 times with two over 50 yards and five inside the 20.

THE FRISCO KID: Elliott Fry, a 6-0, 164-pound junior placekicker from Frisco, Texas is 6-for-8 this season with a career long of 51 yards, missing from 57 and 42 yards out. His 2.0 field goals made per game is tied for first in the SEC and tied for seventh in the country. He is tied for sixth in the league averaging 7.7 points per game. Fry is a 2015 Groza candidate, was nominated for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, was a second-team preseason All-SEC selection by the media and a third-team choice by the league’s 14 coaches. Last season, he was a Groza Award semifinalist, connected on 18-of-25 field goals, ranked third in the SEC with 105 points, the third-highest single-season mark in school history, and was fifth in the SEC in points per game at 8.1. He has hit on 39-of-51 career field goal attempts (76.5 percent) and on 110-of-111 extra points, including his last 104 in a row, a school record. His field goal percentage increases to 83.0 when he attempts from under 54-yards out (39-of-47). A member of the 2014 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll, Fry is moving up the charts in several career categories:
FIELD GOALS MADE
1. Collin Mackie (1987-90) 72
2. Ryan Succop (2005-08) 49
3. Mark Fleetwood (1981-83) 39
Reed Morton (1993-96) 39
Elliott Fry (2013-15) 39

FIELD GOALS ATTEMPTED
1. Collin Mackie (1987-90) 98
2. Ryan Succop (2005-08) 69
3. Reed Morton (1993-96) 54
4. Mark Fleetwood (1981-83) 53
5. Elliott Fry (2013-15) 51

FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE
1. Spencer Lanning (2007-10) .773 (34 of 44)
2. Elliott Fry (2013-15) .765 (39 of 51)
3. Josh Brown (2003-05) .741 (20 of 27)
4. Mark Fleetwood (1981-83) .736 (39 of 53)
5. Collin Mackie (1987-90) .735 (72 of 98)

PAT PERCENTAGE (Min. 40 Made)
1. Adam Yates (2008-12) 1.000 (49 of 49)
2. Scott Hagler (1983-86) .992 (117 of 118)
3. Collin Mackie (1987-90) .991 (114 of 115)
Elliott Fry (2013-15) .991 (110 of 111)
5. Ryan Succop (2005-08) .981 (104 of 106)

CONSECUTIVE PATs
1. Elliott Fry (2013-15) 104
2. Scott Hagler (1984-86) 82

POINTS SCORED
1. Collin Mackie (1987-90) 330
2. Ryan Succop (2005-08) 251
3. Marcus Lattimore (2010-12) 246
4. Elliott Fry (2013-15) 227

5. George Rogers (1977-80) 202
6. Reed Morton (1993-96) 201

CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN: South Carolina has individual game captains early in the season before electing permanent team captains. UNC: Pharoh Cooper, Gerald Dixon Jr., T.J. Gurley, Brandon Shell.
UK: Isaiah Johnson, Mike Matulis, Skai Moore, Brandon Wilds.
UGA: Jerell Adams, Isaiah Johnson, Skai Moore, Perry Orth

THE HEAD BALL COACH: Steve Spurrier is in his 11th season directing the Carolina football program. He has logged an 85-47 mark (.644) in Columbia. The Head Ball Coach is the school’s winningest coach and is second in games coached behind Rex Enright (140). Coach Spurrier owns a 227-87-2 mark (.722) in 26 seasons as a college head coach.

IN THE CLASSROOM: The Gamecocks placed 35 players on the 2014 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll. Among those who made the SEC Honor Roll include returnees Jerell Adams, Landon Ard, Pharoh Cooper, Jordan Diggs, Gerald Dixon Jr., Elliott Fry, Garrison Gist, Kelsey Griffin, Ali Groves, T.J. Gurley, T.J. Holloman, Rico McWilliams, Devin Potter, Jasper Sasser, Brandon Shell, Will Sport, Cody Waldrop and Drew Williams.

TOTING THE SHEEPSKIN: Eleven Gamecocks will have earned their degree prior to the start of the 2015 season, including: Landon Ard, Cedrick Cooper, Gerald Dixon, Gerald Dixon Jr., Phillip Dukes, Garrison Gist, Shamier Jeffery, Isaiah Johnson, Mike Matulis, Brandon Shell and Will Sport. Only Virginia (13) has more graduated players on their roster in the FBS.

BIG SPRING: The Gamecocks put up a big number in the classroom this spring, logging a Spring 2015 team GPA of 2.938, the highest on record. Gamecock student-athletes have posted a 3.0 GPA in 17-consecutive semesters.

LOOKING AHEAD: The Columbia Cup is on the line next week when the Gamecocks travel to Columbia, Mo. to face the Missouri Tigers in an SEC Eastern Division matchup. Mizzou leads the all-time series 3-2. The first two contests were held at bowl sites, with Missouri posting a 24-14 win in the 1979 Hall of Fame Bowl in Birmingham, and a 38-31 come-from-behind win in the 2005 Independence Bowl in Shreveport. South Carolina won the first two SEC Eastern Division battles with a 31-10 win in Columbia, S.C. in 2012, then an improbable 27-24 double-overtime win in Columbia, Mo. in 2013, before the Tigers returned the favor at Williams-Brice last season with a 21-20 come from behind win.