Oct. 9, 2015

The South Carolina Gamecocks (2-3, 0-3 SEC) travel to Baton Rouge to face the No. 7/5 LSU Tigers (4-0, 2-0 SEC). The Southeastern Conference matchup will be televised at 3:30 p.m. ET by ESPN. Mark Jones and Rod Gilmore will be in the booth with Quint Kessenich on the sidelines.

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 585-556-44. 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 (86-48).

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 44-39 (.530) in conference play since Coach Spurrier took the reins, including a 21-14 mark since the start of the 2011 season.

HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF?: The last time South Carolina opened the season with just two wins in their first five games and 0-3 in SEC play came in 2005. The Gamecocks opened that season with a pair of non-conference wins (UCF and Troy) and three SEC losses (at Georgia, vs. Alabama and at Auburn) before rebounding with five straight SEC wins, including their first win ever at Tennessee and a win over Florida.

GAMECOCKS AND TIGERS: LSU holds a commanding 17-2-1 advantage in the all-time series with South Carolina. The Bayou Bengals own an 11-1 advantage in games played in Baton Rouge, hold a 5-1-1 lead in games played in Columbia, and won the only neutral site contest, taking the 1987 Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla. LSU has won the last five meetings, including a 23-21 win in Baton Rouge in 2012, the last time the schools played. South Carolina’s last win came by an 18-17 margin in Baton Rouge on Oct. 1, 1994. The Gamecocks only home win over the Tigers in Columbia was back in 1930 in the first meeting between the two schools, a 7-6 victory.

THE HBC VS. LSU: South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier is 11-4 all-time against LSU, posting a perfect 6-0 record when playing at The Swamp in Gainesville and a 5-3 record when playing in Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. He came up on the short end in the only meeting in Columbia by a 24-17 score in 2008. His offenses have tallied 28 or more points nine times in the 15 meetings, rolling up 475 total points for an average of 31.7 points per game. His defenses have surrendered more than 21 points just four times, allowing just 220 total points, an average of 14.7 points per game.

THE LAST TIME THEY MET: Undefeated and third-ranked South Carolina (6-1) was unable to overcome a late nine-point deficit at LSU on October, 13, 2012, as the No. 9/8 Tigers (6-1) held on for a 23-21 win. The loss snapped Carolina’s school-record 10-game winning streak. LSU dominated the statistics, outgaining the Gamecocks 406-211 and holding the ball for nearly 39 minutes, but the Carolina defense was tough in the redzone, forcing three field goals from under 25 yards.

THE LAST TIME IN COLUMBIA: Jarrett Lee went 16-of-26 for 189 yards and LSU held South Carolina to minus-7 yards in the fourth quarter as the No. 13 Tigers beat the Gamecocks 24-17 on October 18, 2008. LSU (5-1) took the lead for good on Charles Scott’s 2-yard touchdown run with 4:16 to go. It capped a grinding, 83-yard drive that took more than six minutes off the clock. Then Curtis Taylor picked off Stephen Garcia two plays later, souring an otherwise remarkable game for the freshman, who accounted for 230 of 254 yards for South Carolina (5-3) in his first career start. LSU held South Carolina to 42 total yards in the second half after allowing two touchdowns in the final 2:28 of the first half.

CAROLINA’S LAST WIN OVER LSU: The Gamecocks went into the Bayou on Oct. 1, 1994 and escaped with an 18-17 win. The Gamecocks trailed the entire contest until Stanley Pritchett plunged in from the one-yard line with 12:52 remaining in the game for the deciding points. Pritchett finished the day with 18 carries for 90 yards. LSU held a 14-12 lead at the intermission in front of 63,281 rain-soaked fans and built the lead to 17-12 entering the final stanza. Carolina quarterback Steve Taneyhill was 23-for-30 for 157 yards and a touchdown, as the Gamecocks rolled up 262 yards of offense compared to 209 for LSU. It was just the Gamecocks’ second win over LSU in school history, the first coming in the first meeting between the two schools, a 7-6 win on Oct. 11, 1930 in Columbia.

THE LAST TIME OUT: It was a defensive struggle when the Gamecocks traveled to Columbia, Mo. to face the Mizzou Tigers last Saturday, as both teams were held under 300 yards of total offense. The difference in the game came in the turnover battle where Missouri came out on top, 3-0 in a 24-10 Tigers’ win. Pharoh Cooper had another big day for the Gamecocks, catching nine passes for 102 yards. Lorenzo Nuñez ran 15 times for 60 yards and completed 15-of-24 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown but was picked off three times.

FIRST TIME EVER: Last Saturday’s game marked the first time in SEC history that both teams started a true freshman quarterback, as South Carolina’s Lorenzo Nuñez and Missouri’s Drew Lock both earned starting assignments.

IT AIN’T OVER `TIL IT’S OVER: The Gamecocks have trailed heading into halftime in all five games this season. They have rallied from behind to win two of those contests (UNC and UCF).

SECOND HALF SUCCESS: The Gamecock defense held Missouri to just seven second-half points. It was the fourth time in five games that the Carolina defense has stepped up its game in the second half, allowing 7 or fewer points after intermission. Previously, the Gamecock defense pitched second-half shutouts against North Carolina, Kentucky and UCF. Despite being outscored by a 129-100 margin overall, the Gamecocks have outscored their opponents by a 52-37 margin after intermission and have allowed just nine fourth-quarter points.

ROAD WARRIORS: South Carolina is 0-2 on the road this season. The Gamecocks went 2-3 on the road in 2014, and are 14-10 in their last 24 true road contests. Seven of their 10 road losses in that stretch came to teams ranked in the top-25 in the country, including six in the top-11: at No. 8 Arkansas in 2011, at No. 9 LSU and No. 3 Florida in 2012, at No. 11 Georgia in 2013, at No. 5 Auburn and at No. 23 Clemson in 2014; and at No. 7 Georgia this season.

FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME: Fourteen 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. 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. Those who earned their first start against UCF were Jacob August, Zack Bailey, D.J. Neal, Lorenzo Nuñez and Dante Sawyer. Bailey, Neal and Nuñez are all true freshmen. Matrick Belton made his first start at Missouri.

MOVIN’ ON UP: True freshman Lorenzo Nuñez, who began the fall listed fourth on the depth chart, has started each of the last two games. In his first career start against UCF, the 6-3, 210-pounder, rushed for a game-high 123 yards and hit on 12-of-22 pass attempts for 184 yards and two touchdowns with no turnovers. Last week in his first road SEC start, he led the team with 15 carries for 60 yards and completed 15-of-24 passes for 172 yards with a touchdown, but was picked off three times. The rookie signal-caller has seen action in each of the last four games, getting his first taste of Division I football against Kentucky, before seeing more extensive action at Georgia. Against the Wildcats, he rushed twice for 40 yards, including a 33-yard scramble as the first half expired. At Georgia, he 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. For the season, Nuñez is 31-of-51 (60.8 percent) for 374 yards and three touchdowns with three interceptions. he is also Carolina’s leading rusher with 45 carries for 299 yards, an average of 6.6 yards per carry, with one touchdown. He ranks 10th in the SEC in rushing yards per game at 74.8.

BY LAND OR BY AIR: True freshman quarterback Lorenzo Nuñez rushed for 123 yards and threw for 184 against UCF. It was the first time a Carolina player had both rushed and passed for more than 100 yards in a game since Connor Shaw did so against Clemson in 2011 (107 rush/210 pass).

THE ORTH QUAKE: Former walk-on quarterback Perry Orth, who went on scholarship prior to the start of the season, had completed 3-of-5 passes in his career before being thrust into extensive duty in week 2 against Kentucky after Connor Mitch was injured. He responded by completing 13-of-20 passes for 179 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Orth, who spent part of the summer working in a local grocery store stocking shelves, made his first career start at Georgia, where he completed 6-of-17 passes for 66 yards with an interception. For the season he is 23-of-47 (48.9 percent) for 283 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.

RUNNIN’ WILDS: Fifth-year senior Brandon Wilds hopes to return to duty this week after missing the last two games with bruised ribs. 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. 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. For the season, he is averaging 5.1 yards per carry, with 31 carries for 158 yards. Carson also is the Gamecock’s top kick returner with a 25.2-yard average, fourth in the SEC, including a career-long 51-yarder at Georgia.

100-100 CLUB: The Gamecocks recorded a 100-yard rusher and a 100-yard receiver in the same game for just the third time since the start of the 2011 season when Brandon Wilds carried 16 times for 106 yards and Pharoh Cooper caught nine passes for 100 yards against Kentucky. The same duo accomplished the feat last season against Tennessee when Wilds ran for 143 yards and Cooper logged a school-record 233 receiving yards.

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. He accounted for 13 touchdowns: 9 receiving, 2 rushing and 2 passing.

2015–THE YEAR OF PHAROH: Pharoh Cooper caught nine passes for 100 yards against Kentucky, then had nine more catches for 102 yards at Missouri, his sixth-career 100-yard receiving game. After five games, he ranks sixth in the SEC with 5.2 receptions per game, tied for eighth with 64.4 receiving yards per game and is seventh with a 10.0-yard punt return average.

AMONG THE BEST: With 98 career receptions, Pharoh Cooper needs just two catches to reach 100 for his career and move into the top-15 in South Carolina history for career receptions. He is also just 242 yards away from moving into the top-10 at Carolina for receiving yards in a career.

RECEIVING YARDS
1. Alshon Jeffery (2009-11) 3,042
2. Kenny McKinley (2005-08) 2,781
3. Sterling Sharpe (1983-87) 2,497
4. Zola Davis (1995-98) 2,354
5. Sidney Rice (2005-06) 2,233
6. Robert Brooks (1988-91) 2,211
7. Jermale Kelly (1997-00) 2,181
8. Philip Logan (1974-77) 2,063
9. Fred Zeigler (1967-69) 1,876
10. Troy Williamson (2002-04) 1,754
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Pharoh Cooper (2013-15) 1,512

KING TUTT_CHDOWN: With touchdown receptions against North Carolina and UCF, Pharoh Cooper is just one TD catch from moving into South Carolina’s top-10 for receiving touchdowns in a career:

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) 12

ADAMS’ WAY: Senior tight end Jerell Adams, a 6-6, 231-pounder from Pinewood, S.C., has 12 receptions for 164 yards this season, including a 33-yard TD catch against Kentucky. He has 50 career catches for 720 yards, a 14.4-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.

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 41 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 15 games in his career, the first 10 at tackle, while battling shoulder and knee injuries.

FRESH SNAPPER: 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, earning his first career start against UCF. The 6-6, 330-pounder from Summerville, S.C. had never played center in his career prior to this season.

ONE NEWCOMER TO ANOTHER: When true freshman center Zack Bailey snapped to true freshman quarterback Lorenzo Nuñez to open the UCF game, it was the first time in school history that the Gamecocks started true freshmen at those two positions in the same game.

THE SKAI’S THE LIMIT: The Gamecocks top linebacker is Skai Moore. Moore, a 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 has recorded double-figures in tackles in three of five games, is second in the SEC averaging 10.4 tackles per game and is tied for the SEC lead with three interceptions. Moore now owns 201 career tackles and 10 interceptions.

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, 209-pounder was voted the Big 12 Coaches’ Defensive Newcomer of the Year in 2013. He is second on the squad with 30 tackles or 6.0 tackles per game.

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 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

THE FRISCO KID: Elliott Fry, a 6-0, 164-pound junior kicker from Frisco, Texas is 10-for-14 this season with a career long of 52 yards, missing from 57-, 42-, 49- and 44-yards out. His 2.0 field goals made per game is tied for first in the SEC and tied for fifth in the country. He is tied for sixth among SEC kickers, averaging 7.6 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.

YOU WANT A FRY WITH THAT?: Elliott Fry has hit on 43-of-57 career field goal attempts (75.4 percent) and on 113-of-114 extra points, including his last 107 in a row, a school record. His field goal percentage increases to 81.1 when he attempts from under 54-yards out (43-of-53). Fry was also a member of the 2014 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll.

ALWAYS BETTER WHEN IT’S FRY Junior Elliott Fry is moving up the South Carolina charts in several career categories:

FIELD GOALS MADE
1. Collin Mackie (1987-90) 72
2. Ryan Succop (2005-08) 49
3. Elliott Fry (2013-15) 43
4. Mark Fleetwood (1981-83) 39
Reed Morton (1993-96) 39

FIELD GOALS ATTEMPTED
1. Collin Mackie (1987-90) 98
2. Ryan Succop (2005-08) 69
3. Elliott Fry (2013-15) 57
4. Reed Morton (1993-96) 54
5. Mark Fleetwood (1981-83) 53

FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE
1. Spencer Lanning (2007-10) .773 (34 of 44)
2. Elliott Fry (2013-15) .754 (43 of 57)
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)

PATs MADE
1. Scott Hagler (1983-86) 117
2. Collin Mackie (1987-90) 114
3. Elliott Fry (2013-15) 113
4. Ryan Succop (2005-08) 104
5. Daniel Weaver (2000-03) 88

PATs ATTEMPTED
1. Scott Hagler (1983-86) 118
2. Collin Mackie (1987-90) 115
3. Elliott Fry (2013-15) 114
4. Ryan Succop (2005-08) 106
5. Daniel Weaver (2000-03) 94

CONSECUTIVE PATs
1. Elliott Fry (2013-15) 107
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) 242
5. George Rogers (1977-80) 202

FROM WAY DOWNTOWN: Junior placekicker Elliott Fry connected on a career-long 52-yard field goal against UCF. That came on the heels of a then-career long 51-yarder at Georgia the previous week. Entering the 2015 season his long was 47 yards. The 52-yarder was the longest field goal by a Gamecock since Ryan Succop connected from 54-yards out against Arkansas in 2008 and tied for the sixth-longest in school history.

KELLY’S A HERO: Sean Kelly has proven to be a valuable addition. The former FAU Owl ranks seventh in the SEC in punting with a 41.9-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 21 times with 4 over 50 yards and 11 inside the 20.

LOOKING AHEAD: The Gamecocks have another SEC home contest next week when they host the Vanderbilt Commodores. South Carolina has won each of the last six meetings between the two Eastern Division rivals to open up a 20-4 lead in the all-time series, including a 9-2 mark at Williams-Brice Stadium. The Gamecocks were 48-34 winners last season in Nashville. Head coach Steve Spurrier has a record of 20-2 against the `Dores.