Oct. 30, 2015

After enjoying its lone bye week of the season, the South Carolina Gamecocks (3-4, 1-4 SEC) return to action on Saturday, October 31, when they travel to College Station to take on the Texas A&M Aggies (5-2, 2-2 SEC). Game time is set for noon ET (11 am local) and will be televised by the SEC Network with Tom Hart and Andre Ware in the booth and Laura Rutledge 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 586-557-44. The Gamecocks were 10 games under .500 through the 2003 season, but are 39 games over .500 since the start of the `04 campaign.

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 45-40 (.529) in conference play since that time, including a 22-15 mark (.595) since the start of the 2011 season.

GAMECOCKS AND AGGIES: This is just the second meeting between South Carolina and Texas A&M. The two schools were assigned as “permanent” opponents by the SEC, and met for the first time last season in Columbia, with A&M rolling up a 52-28 win in the season opener for both teams.

THE LAST TIME THEY MET: South Carolina and Texas A&M met for the first time ever when the teams opened the 2014 season in Columbia on August 28. The No. 21 Aggies were too much for No. 9 Carolina that night, rolling to a 52-28 victory. A&M held a 17-14 lead midway through the second quarter, then tallied the next 21 points to put the game away. The Aggies rolled up 680 yards of total offense, including 511 through the air, and held the ball for over 37 minutes. The Gamecocks countered with 433 yards including 366 passing from senior quarterback Dylan Thompson. The loss snapped South Carolina’s school-record 18-game home winning streak.

VISITING THE LONE STAR STATE: This is South Carolina’s first venture into the state of Texas since dropping an 18-17 decision to Baylor in Waco on October 2, 1976. The Gamecocks are 1-3 when playing in Texas, defeating the Texas Longhorns in 1957, while losing twice at Baylor (1949 and 1976) and once at Houston (1973). Carolina is 3-5 all-time against teams from Texas, going 1-2 against Baylor and Houston, 1-0 against Texas and 0-1 against Texas A&M.

THE LONE STAR: South Carolina features just one player from the Lone Star State, junior placekicker Elliott Fry. One of the nation’s top placekickers, Fry hails from Frisco, Texas, located north of Dallas, about 200 miles from College Station. He leads the country in field goal attempts (21).

OTHER TEXAS TIES: Linebackers coach Kirk Botkin hails from Baytown, Texas, located east of Houston, about two hours from A&M, while special teams coordinator Joe Robinson lists his hometown as Abilene, about 275 miles from the A&M campus.

EVERYTHING’S BIGGER IN TEXAS: The Gamecocks will be playing at the newly-renovated Kyle Field, which has a listed capacity of 102,733. If the stadium is at capacity, it would make it the eighth-largest attended game in Carolina history. Nine of the top 10 have been at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Due to the “1,000-Year Flood” which moved their October 10 game from Columbia to Baton Rouge, the October 17 game against Vanderbilt was the only home game for the Gamecocks between September 26 and November 14, a seven-week stretch. The Gamecocks will travel again next week to Knoxville to take on the Tennessee Volunteers. The final three games of the regular season, versus No. 11 Florida, The Citadel and No. 3 Clemson, are all scheduled for Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia.

BOWL HOPES STILL ALIVE: With a 3-4 record, the Gamecocks need to win three of their final five games to become bowl eligible. Carolina has been bowl-eligible every year since 2004.

BUT IT WON’T BE EASY : The Gamecocks final five games of the season will feature teams that have a combined record of 26-9, a combined winning percentage of .743, including No. 11 Florida and No. 3 Clemson. The Gamecocks have already played two teams, Georgia and LSU, that were ranked in the top 10 when they met.

FAMILIAR FACES: Texas A&M Athletics Director Eric Hyman, Deputy Athletics Director Marcy Girton and Senior Associate AD Raymond Harrison all served in similar roles at Carolina.

ELLIOTT IN CHARGE: The Gamecocks take the field under the direction of interim head coach Shawn Elliott. Elliott, a 1996 graduate of Appalachian State and a Camden, S.C. native, was promoted to his current position by Athletics Director Ray Tanner on October 13, following the resignation of Steve Spurrier. Elliott is in his sixth season at South Carolina and served as the offensive line coach and co-offensive coordinator before his promotion. Prior to coming to Columbia, Elliott coached at App State, where he helped the Mountaineers to three-straight national championships.

OTHER COACHING CHANGES: Interim head coach Shawn Elliott named G.A. Mangus as the offensive coordinator and promoted Travelle Wharton from quality control coordinator to offensive line coach.

THE HBC WAS THE G.O.A.T.: Steve Spurrier finished his Carolina career with a record of 86-49 in 10-plus seasons and accumulated an all-time record of 228-89-2 as a college head coach. He ended his career as the winningest coach at both Florida and South Carolina.

THE LAST TIME OUT: The Gamecocks snapped a two-game losing streak and posted their seventh-straight win over Vanderbilt with a 19-10 Homecoming win in Columbia on October 17. The Gamecocks struggled in the redzone, but got four field goals from Elliott Fry, and a 78-yard touchdown pass from Perry Orth to Pharoh Cooper, to account for their 19 points. The Gamecock defense had its best performance of the season, holding Vandy to just 10 points and 332 total yards while forcing five turnovers. Orth earned his first win as a starter, completing 17-of-28 passes for a career-best 272 yards. Cooper was on the receiving end seven times for 160 yards. Brandon Wilds returned to the lineup after sitting out three games with bruised ribs, and rushed for 119 yards on 24 carries. Skai Moore continued to impress, registering 11 stops including a sack, forced and recovered a fumble and intercepted his fourth pass of the season to lead the Carolina defense.

100-100: The Gamecocks have recorded a 100-yard rusher and a 100-yard receiver in the same game twice this season. Brandon Wilds carried 16 times for 106 yards and Pharoh Cooper caught nine passes for 100 yards against Kentucky, then Wilds ran for 119 yards on 24 totes while Cooper had 160 receiving yards on seven catches against Vanderbilt.

TURNING IT OVER: The Gamecocks, like most teams, have their most success when they win the turnover battle. The Gamecocks are 3-0 when they have won the turnover battle this season, going plus-3 against North Carolina and Vanderbilt, and plus-1 versus UCF. They are 0-2 when even in turnovers (Kentucky and Georgia) and are 0-2 when committing more turnovers (minus-3 at Missouri and minus-1 at LSU). For the season, they are plus-3. They forced a season-high five turnovers against Vanderbilt.

FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME: Sixteen 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. Matrick Belton made his first start at Missouri and David Williams got the start at LSU. Boosie Whitlow got the start versus Vanderbilt.

ROAD KILL: South Carolina is winless in three tries on the road this season, with setbacks at Georgia, at Missouri and at LSU. The Gamecocks went 2-3 on the road in 2014, but are 14-11 in their last 25 true road contests. Eight of their 11 road losses in that stretch came to teams ranked in the top-25 in the country, including seven 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 and No. 7 LSU this season.

STABILITY UP FRONT…: Carolina has had stability in the offensive line, running out the same starter in every game at four of the five spots. LT Brandon Shell, LG Mike Matulis, RG Will Sport and RT Mason Zandi have answered the bell in each tilt. Alan Knott (4) and Zack Bailey (3) have split the starting assignments at center.

THE ORTH QUAKE: Former walk-on quarterback Perry Orth, who went on scholarship prior to the start of the season, figures to make his third-straight start and fourth of the season against Texas A&M. Orth, who spent part of the summer working in a local grocery store stocking shelves, has completed 54-of-103 passes (52.4 percent) for 755 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions. He entered the season having completed just 1-of-3 passes for five yards. His first extensive duty came in relief of Mitch against Kentucky, where he responded by completing 13-of-20 passes for 179 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He made his first career start at Georgia, where he completed 6-of-17 passes for 66 yards with an interception. His second start was much better, as he hit on 14-of-28 passes for 200 yards with two touchdowns and an interception at LSU. He was even better in his last start, completing 17-of-28 for a career-high 272 yards with a touchdown and an interception, including a career-long 78-yard touchdown pass.

MITCH ON THE MEND: Connor Mitch, who was Carolina’s starting quarterback in each of the first two games, has been sidelined since suffering a sprained right shoulder in week two against Kentucky. He has returned to the practice fields and is healthy enough to see action this week. On the season, Mitch has completed 13-of-29 passes (44.8 percent) for 165 yards and a touchdown.

THE FRESHMAN: True freshman Lorenzo Nuñez, who began the fall listed fourth on the depth chart, took over as the starting signal-caller against UCF before injuring his shoulder at Missouri. 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. In his first road SEC start, at Mizzou, 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. In relief duty at Georgia, he rushed 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. Despite playing in just four games, he is Carolina’s second-leading rusher with 45 carries for 299 yards, an average of 6.6 yards per carry, with one touchdown.

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).

RUNNIN’ WILDS: Fifth-year senior Brandon Wilds returned to duty against Vanderbilt after missing the previous three games with bruised ribs and made his presence felt immediately. The 6-2, 220-pounder carried a season-high 24 times for a season-best 119 yards in the win over the Commodores. It was the second 100-yard rushing day of the season and sixth of his career. He also went for 106 yards on 16 carries against Kentucky. For the season, Wilds has carried 59 times for 300 yards, a 5.1-yard average.

1,000-YARD CAREER RUSHERS: Brandon Wilds is tied with Jeff Grantz for 25th on Carolina’s all-time list in career rushing with 1,577 yards, but has 90 fewer carries than did Grantz. Wilds is averaging 5.0 yard per carry and is nine shy of Troy Hambrick (1,586) for 24th all-time in school history.

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.

2015 IS THE YEAR OF PHAROH: Pharoh Cooper ranks fourth in the SEC with 5.7 receptions per game, is third with 83.9 receiving yards per game and is 10th in all-purpose yards with 104.1. He has four 100-yard receiving games this season and eight in his career, including each of the last three games.

KING TUTT_CHDOWN: Pharoh Cooper is moving up the Carolina all-time receiving lists. He ranks 11th in school history with 112 receptions, has moved past Troy Williamson (1,754) into the top-10 at Carolina for receiving yards in a career with 1,777 and is 10th in touchdown receptions with 14.

RECEIVING YARDS-CAREER
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. Pharoh Cooper (2013-15) 1,777

RECEIVING TOUCHDOWNS-CAREER
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. Pharoh Cooper (2013-15) 14

100-YARD RECEIVING GAMES-CAREER
1. Alshon Jeffery (2009-11) 12
2. Sidney Rice (2005-06) 11
3. Sterling Sharpe (1983-87) 10
4. Zola Davis (1995-98) 8
Pharoh Cooper (2013-15) 8

TRIPLE CROWN THREAT: Pharoh Cooper can also run and throw. He has averaged 8.0 yards per carry in his career, rushing 61 times for 490 yards with four TDs, and has completed 8-of-14 passes for 101 yards with three scores.

ADAMS’ WAY: Senior tight end Jerell Adams, a 6-6, 231-pounder from Pinewood, S.C., is the team’s second-leading receiver with 15 receptions for 232 yards, including a pair of touchdown receptions. He has 53 career catches for 788 yards, a 14.9-yard average with six 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 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 43 career starts is more than any other two players on the squad combined and is the eighth-highest total in school history.

CAREER STARTS
1. T.J. Johnson (2009-12) 53
2. A.J. Cann (2011-14) 52
3. Cliff Matthews (2007-10) 47
4. Travelle Wharton (2000-03) 45
Ladi Ajiboye (2007-10) 45
Devin Taylor (2009-12) 45
7. Todd Ellis (1986-89) 43
Brandon Shell (2012-15) 43
9. Chris White (2003-06) 41
10. Kenny McKinley (2005-08) 40
Steve Taneyhill (1992-95) 40
Stephon Gilmore (2009-11) 40

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

GETTING THE HANG OF IT: Junior defensive end Marquavius Lewis is starting the get the hang of this SEC action. The junior college transfer led the team with a career-high nine tackles at LSU, including his first career sack, a 12-yard loss. He also had a quarterback hurry in the contest. He followed that up with a pair of tackles for loss, two QB hurries and another sack against Vanderbilt.

THE SKAI’S THE LIMIT: The Gamecocks top linebacker is Skai Moore. Moore, a junior from Cooper City, Fla., is on his way to leading the team in tackles for a third-straight year, as his 69 tackles is nearly as many as the next two players (Isaiah Johnson-43 and T.J. Gurley/Jordan Diggs 32) combined total of 75. He became the first Gamecock to lead the team in tackles in back-to-back years since Emanuel Cook (2007-08), while 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 four of seven games, is tied for third in the SEC, averaging 9.9 tackles per game and is tied for second in the SEC with four interceptions. Moore now owns 218 career tackles and 11 interceptions.

PICKIN’ AND GRINNIN’: Carolina linebacker Skai Moore has 11 career interceptions, including four this season, two in the opener against North Carolina and one against both Kentucky and Vanderbilt. He is among the school’s all-time leader in career INTs:

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 Gilliard (1982-84) 11
Robert Robinson (1985-88) 11
Skai Moore (2013-15) 11
9. 7 players tied 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, 209-pounder was voted the Big 12 Coaches’ Defensive Newcomer of the Year in 2013. He is second on the squad with 43 tackles.

THE FRISCO KID: Elliott Fry, a 6-0, 164-pound junior from Frisco, Texas is 15-for-21 (71.4 percent) in field goals this season with a career long of 52 yards. Two of his misses have come from 55 and 57 yards out. His 2.1 field goals made per game leads the SEC and is tied for third in the country, while his 21 attempts leads the nation. He is seventh in the SEC in scoring (fifth among kickers) at 8.1 points per game. Fry, 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 was a member of the 2014 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll.

YOU WANT A FRY WITH THAT?: Elliott Fry has hit on 48-of-64 career field goal attempts (75.0 percent), and that percentage increases to 81.4 when he attempts from under 54-yards out (48-of-59). He has connected on 117-of-118 extra points, including his last 111 in a row, a school record.

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

FIELD GOALS MADE
1. Collin Mackie (1987) 25
2. Ryan Succop (2008) 20
3. Collin Mackie (1988) 19
4. Elliott Fry (2014) 18
5. Mark Fleetwood (1982) 17
Spencer Lanning (2009) 17
Spencer Lanning (2010) 17
——————————————————————-
Elliott Fry (2015) 15

FIELD GOALS ATTEMPTED
1. Collin Mackie (1987) 32
2. Ryan Succop (2008) 30
3. Collin Mackie (1988) 25
Elliott Fry (2014) 25
5. Spencer Lanning (2010) 24
——————————————————————-
Elliott Fry (2015) 21

FIELD GOALS MADE
1. Collin Mackie (1987-90) 72
2. Ryan Succop (2005-08) 49
3. Elliott Fry (2013-15) 48
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) 64
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) .750 (48 of 64)
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
Elliott Fry (2013-15) 117
3. Collin Mackie (1987-90) 114
4. Ryan Succop (2005-08) 104
5. Daniel Weaver (2000-03) 88

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

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

CONSECUTIVE PATs
1. Elliott Fry (2013-15) 111
2. Scott Hagler (1984-86) 82

POINTS SCORED
1. Collin Mackie (1987-90) 330
2. Ryan Succop (2005-08) 264
3. Elliott Fry (2013-15) 248
4. Marcus Lattimore (2010-12) 246
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. Here are the longest field goals in Carolina 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 42.2-yard average. He has placed 14 inside the 20, the league’s second-highest mark, with only two touchbacks. He had a 60-yard boot against North Carolina, 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, has punted 29 times with five over 50 yards, and has a net punting average of 39.8, sixth in the league.

GET HIM THE BALL: True freshman Rashad Fenton touched the ball for the first time in a college game at LSU and made it memorable. The Miami. Fla. native returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown against the Tigers. It was the first kickoff return for a score by the Gamecocks since Matthew Thomas went 95 yards against Virginia on Sept. 7, 2002.

CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN: South Carolina had individual game captains early in the season before electing permanent team captains prior to the LSU game. The permanent captains are Pharoh Cooper, T.J. Holloman, Isaiah Johnson, Mike Matulis, Skai Moore, and Brandon Shell.

LOOKING AHEAD: The Gamecocks play their final road game of the 2015 season next week when they travel to Knoxville for a date with the Tennessee Volunteers. Tennessee leads the all-time series between the two SEC Eastern Division rivals by a 24-7-2 margin, including a 15-2 advantage in Neyland Stadium. The Gamecocks have won three of the last five and four of the last seven meetings between the two schools, but the Vols have won each of the last two contests by a combined five points. In fact, the last three games have been decided by a field goal or less. Tennessee won last year’s battle in Columbia by a 45-42 count in overtime.