Gamecocks and Rebels Set For Saturday Matinee

YOU ARE LOOKING LIVE: The South Carolina Gamecocks (4-3, 3-3 SEC) travel to Oxford, Miss. this week to take on the Ole Miss Rebels (5-3, 1-3 SEC). Game time is set for noon ET (11 am in Oxford) on Saturday, November 3.
 
BREAKFAST WITH THE GAMECOCKS: This week’s game will mark South Carolina’s first morning kick of the season. The last time the Gamecocks started a game before noon local time was in the 2015 season when they had 11 am kicks at both Missouri and Texas A&M.
 
HELLO OLD FRIENDS: For the seventh time in eight games this season, SEC Network has the telecast for this week’s South Carolina contest. Taylor Zazour will handle the play-by-play with Matt Stinchcomb serving as the analyst. Kris Budden will work the sidelines. This will mark the fifth time this trio has worked a Carolina this season, with the Gamecocks holding a 3-1 mark in those contests.
 
A HISTORY LESSON: 2018 marks the 125th season of intercollegiate football at South Carolina. It is the 112th-consecutive year in which Carolina has competed on the gridiron. The University did not field a team in either 1893 or 1906. Carolina owns an all-time record of 605-576-44.
 
CAROLINA VS. OLE MISS: This is the 16th meeting between the Gamecocks and Rebels and the first since the 2009 season. Ole Miss leads the all-time series by an 8-7 count, including a 3-2 mark when the game has been played in Oxford. After Ole Miss posted shutout wins in each of the first two meetings (1947 and 1972), the Gamecocks won five of the next six games from 1974-79. The Rebels countered with five-straight wins from 1981-2004, before the Gamecocks turned the tables again with wins in each of the last two contests (2008 and 2009).
 
IT FIGURES TO BE CLOSE: Twelve of the last 13 meetings between the two teams have been decided by seven points or less, with six of the last 13 decided by a field goal or less. The Gamecocks have never won by more than seven points.
 
THE LAST TIME THEY MET: No. 4-ranked Ole Miss came to Columbia on a Thursday night, Sept. 24, 2009, and left with their first loss of the season by a 16-10 margin, in what was the biggest win for the Gamecocks under head coach Steve Spurrier up to that time. Spencer Lanning kicked three field goals and Patrick DiMarco scored on a two-yard pass from Stephen Garcia midway through the third period to account for the Gamecock points. The Carolina defense hounded Rebel QB Jevan Snead all game, limiting the standout to just 7-of-21 passing for 107 yards.
 
THE LAST TIME THEY MET IN OXFORD: Chris Smelley threw three touchdown passes and the Carolina defense allowed just three second-half points in a 31-24 Gamecock victory over Ole Miss in Oxford on Oct. 4, 2008. Smelley compleed 22-of-31 passes for a career-high 327 yards. Jason Barnes was on the receiving end of two of Smelley’s TD strikes. Defensive tackle Nathan Pepper had a scoop and score as the Carolina defense forced three turnovers. Safety Emanuel Cook logged 14 tackles and recoverd a fumble in the contest.
 
IT JUST MEANS MORE: South Carolina quarterbacks coach Dan Werner was an assistant coach at Ole Miss from 2006-07 and again from 2012-16.
 
WHEN WILL I SEE YOU AGAIN? The Gamecocks and Rebels are not scheduled to meet again until the 2025 season when Ole Miss will travel to Columbia. The freshmen class in 2025 are curently sixth graders.
 
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: Despite serving as a head coach in the SEC for six-plus seasons and with 54 conference games under his belt, this is Will Muschamp‘s first battle with Ole Miss as a head coach.
 
ALL OR (NEXT TO) NOTHING: Ole Miss has talled 268 points in its five wins (53.6 per game) but just 39 points (13.0 per game) in its three losses.
 
THE LAST TIME OUT: The Gamecocks overcame a 12-point second-half deficit to defeat the Tennessee Volunteers by a 27-24 count in Columbia last Saturday night. Carolina did most of its damage on the ground pounding out 224 rushing yards, including a 140-yard effort from Rico Dowdle. Bryan Edwards logged 96 of the 152 receiving yards. T.J. Brunson led the defense with 14 tackles, while D.J. Wonnum returned to the lineup with a pair of sacks. The win improved head coach Will Muschamp’s mark to 7-0 against the Vols. Wonnum was named the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week, while his younger brother, Dylan Wonnum, was recognized as the SEC Freshman of the Week.
 
IT’S NEVER EASY: With the three-point win over UT, the Gamecocks improved to 5-1 in games decided by three points or less under Will Muschamp. Carolina is 11-4 in games decided by seven points or less and 13-5 in games decided by 10 points or less under Coach Muschamp.
 
HE’S NOT YOUR UNCLE: Junior running back Rico Dowdle had a big game against Tennessee, rushing 14 times for a season-high 140 yards, a 10-yard average per carry, with a touchdown. It was his third 100-yard rushing game of the season (also 105 versus Coastal Carolina and 112 at Vanderbilt), and the sixth of his career, tying for 13th on the all-time list at Carolina. It was his second career 100-yard rushing day against the Vols (also 127 in 2016). The Gamecocks improved to 17-3 when rushing for 100 yards or more under Will Muschamp, including a 13-1 mark when eclipsing the 150-yard barrier. Carolina is 6-0 when Dowdle clears the century mark in rushing.
 
BENTLEY TO EDWARDS IS THE BOMB: Junior wide receiver Bryan Edwards was on the receiving end of a 73-yard completion from Jake Bentley to fuel the Gamecocks’ comeback win over Tennessee. It was the longest pass play for either player during their careers at South Carolina and was the longest pass play for the Gamecocks since Perry Orth and Pharoh Cooper hooked up on a 78-yard completion against Vanderbilt in 2015.
 
WELCOME BACK WONNUM: Junior defensive end D.J. Wonnum returned to the lineup versus Tennessee and made his presence felt with a pair of sacks, including one in the waning minutes to seal the victory. It was Wonnum’s first appearance since the season opener, as he left that contest with a foot injury and had not played since.
 
TOUGH SLATE: The Gamecocks have the nation’s second-toughest schedule based on opponents’ record, according to the NCAA. Carolina’s opponents’ cumulative record is 57-25, a .695 winning percentage. The Gamecocks’ previous opponents have a 32-18 mark, while their future opponents own a 25-7 ledger. The calculation only takes into consideration games against opponents from the same division, so non-FBS games would not count in the calculation.
Rk.     School                      Wins        Losses         Pct.
  1.     Texas A&M               62             26            .705
  2.     South Carolina          57             25            .695
  3.     Florida State               59             27            .686
  4.     Stanford                     59             30            .663
  5.     UCLA                        59             31            .656
 
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: The Gamecocks are the only SEC team that twice has to play consecutive Saturday league games on the road this season. They split an earlier two-game swing by winning at Vanderbilt on Sept. 22 before losing at Kentucky on Sept. 29. Next week, Carolina will travel to Florida.
 
FAMILIAR FOES: South Carolina is the only Division I team (other than the independents) that has played just one non-conference game to date. With the cancellation of the Marshall game on Sept. 15, the Gamecocks are playing eight-straight SEC contests after opening the season with a non-conference game against Coastal Carolina. If the Gamecocks are able to schedule a game for Saturday, Dec. 1, it will mark the first time since joining the SEC that Carolina will finish the season with three-straight non-conference tilts.
 
GIVE THEM SOME CREDIT: The Gamecocks three losses this season have come to teams that are currently rankd in the Associated Press top-25. No. 6 Georgia, No. 11 Kentucky and No. 25 Texas A&M handed Carolina setbacks this season.
 
TURNOVERS THE KEY: The Gamecocks defeated Tennessee despite losing the turnover battle, 1-0. Carolina is 2-0 when winning the turnover margin this season and 2-3 when losing the turnover battle. For the season, the Gamecocks are minus-6 in turnovers, losing 13 while gaining seven, and are minus-7 in SEC games (13-6). The -0.86 turnover margin per game ranks last in the SEC and 116th in the country. Last season, South Carolina was plus-11 in turnovers, gaining 28 while losing 17. Their 0.85 turnover margin ranked second in the SEC and 13th in the nation.
 
OUR QB IS A BENTLEY: Junior quarterback Jake Bentley has started six of seven games this season, missing the Missouri contest with a knee injury, which snapped a streak of 24-consecutive starts. The 6-4, 224-pounder from Opelika, Ala., owns a 16-10 record as a starting signal-caller. For the season, he is 112-of-183 (61.2 percent) for 1,303 yards with 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He ranks seventh in the SEC in passing yards per game at 217.2 and sixth in total offense at 237.2. On the Carolina career charts, he ranks second in completion percentage, tied for fourth in pass completions, tied for sixth in passing touchdowns, seventh in pass attempts, eighth in total offense and eighth in passing yards.
 
MILESTONE REACHED: Junior Jake Bentley became just the ninth quarterback in school history to throw for more than 5,000 yards in his career and now has passed for 5,517 yards. Only four Gamecocks have eclipsed the 6,000-yard mark – Todd Ellis, Steve Taneyhill, Stephen Garcia and Connor Shaw.
 
A SCAR IS BORN: Fifth-year senior Michael Scarnecchia made the first start of his career against Missouri in place of an injured Bentley, and made it a memorable one. The 6-3, 216-pounder from Fleming Island, Fla., completed 20-of-35 passes for 249 yards and three touchdowns with no turnovers in the 37-35 win. He connected on touchdown passes of 5, 17 and 8 yards, and led the Gamecocks on a 9-play, 53-yard drive in just over a minute, setting up the game-winning field goal with just two seconds remaining in the contest.
 
BE LIKE MIKE: Prior to his heroics against Missouri, Michael Scarnecchia had seen limited duty in his career. He entered the season having appeared in just three games, completing his only pass attempt, a 9-yarder, back in 2015. He was 7-of-12 for 89 yards and a touchdown this season heading into the Missouri game. He tossed his first career TD strike in the win over Coastal Carolina, hooking up with Randrecous Davis from 27-yards out. Scarnecchia, who earned a finance degree in May, was recognized as the 2017 Dr. Harris Pastides Outstanding Student-Athlete. He is on record naming Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller and Shakespeare as the three people he would most like to have dinner with.
 
JUNIOR RUSHING QUARTET: The Gamecocks feature a stable of four junior running backs. Carolina is averaging 4.7 yards per rush after averaging just 3.9 yards a year ago. The 224 yards rushing against Tennessee was the fourth-highest single-game total for the Gamecocks under Coach Muschamp and the second-highest mark against a Power-5 opponent.
• Rico Dowdle has started six of seven games. In the season opener vs. Coastal Carolina, he responded with 105 yards on 15 carries, a 7.0-yard average, with one score, and also caught a 22-yard TD pass, then went for 112 yards in the win at Vanderbilt. He came off the bench against Tennessee and had his best game of the season, averaging 10 yards per tote with 140 yards on just 14 carries with a touchdown. It marked his sixth-career 100-yard rushing game. He has 491 yards on the season and 1,506 career yards, ranking 28th in school history.
• A.J. Turner ranks 37th on Carolina’s all-time rushing list with 1,159 yards. Turner is averaging 6.2 yards per carry this season and is also one of the squad’s top special teams performers. He sat out the Texas A&M game while going through the concussion protocol and was limited to special teams duty against Tennessee.
• Ty’Son Williams started last week’s game against Tennessee. Williams, who spent one year at North Carolina before transferring to South Carolina, had one of his better games as a Gamecock in the opener against Coastal, rushing 11 times for 82 yards and a touchdown. He is second on the squad in rushing with 289 yards and averages 4.9 yards per carry, with three TDs.
• Mon Denson has been slowed all season with a hamstring injury. He had his best game of the season at Kentucky, rushing seven times for 32 yards and added six carries for 30 yards last week against Tennessee.
 
SAMUEL IS KING: One of the most electrifying players in college football is 6-0, 210-pound senior Deebo Samuel. Samuel earned numerous preseason All-America and All-SEC accolades as a wide receiver, kick returner and all-purpose performer. In 2016, Samuel had 1,320 all-purpose yards and became one of just six Power 5 players in the past five years to record a passing, rushing, receiving and kickoff-return touchdown in the same season. He scored six TDs in three games a year ago before suffering a season-ending leg injury. He has scored 20 career touchdowns (10 receiving, 7 rushing and 3 kickoff returns).
 
DEEBO IN 2018: Deebo Samuel has been the Gamecocks’ top receiver this season, catching 36 passes for 390 yards with five touchdowns. He also has rushed six times for 21 yards and has 11 kickoff returns for 249 yards. His 5.1 receptions per game ranks fifth in the SEC, while his 22.6-yard average ranks fourth in kick returns.
 
SAMUEL REMAINS PERFECT: Do-it-all performer Deebo Samuel tossed a 13-yard scoring strike to Bryan Edwards against Georgia. Samuel’s only other career pass was a 33-yard touchdown to Edwards against Clemson in 2016. His career pass efficiency rating is a gaudy 623.4.
 
NO SECOND FIDDLE: While Deebo Samuel received much of the preseason accolades, and rightly so, junior Bryan Edwards has better career numbers. Just a junior, Edwards already ranks among the top wide receivers in school history. He posted game-highs with seven catches, 111 receiving yards and two touchdowns against Georgia. It was his third career 100-yard receiving game. He is tied for the team lead with five touchdowns and has caught a pass in all 33 games in which he has appeared for the Garnet & Black, fifth on the all-time list. He ranks seventh in the SEC with 63.9 receiving yards per game and ninth with 4.4 receptions per game. He also handles the punt returns and ranks seventh in the SEC with an 8.4-yard average.
 
HE’S NOT SHY: Shi Smith is the third wideout for the Gamecocks. The sophomore has hauled in 21 passes for 314 yards this season, a team-best 15.0-yard average. he went for 119 yards and a score on five receptions vs. Vanderbilt this season.
 
REPLACING HAYDEN: The Gamecock offense has four upperclassmen filling the tight end vacancy created when All-SEC performer Hayden Hurst went to the NFL as a first-round draft pick. Seniors K.C. Crosby and Jacob August, and juniors Kyle Markway and Kiel Pollard all have seen extensive action. Crosby has been limited after undergoing surgery on a fractured finger and August sat out the Missouri game with a concussion. Markway, who hails from St. Louis, stepped up with a key 27-yard reception in the game-winning drive against his home-state Tigers. Pollard has been the top target this season with 10 receptions.
 
O-LINE EXPERIENCE: The Gamecocks front unit boasts a wealth of experience with 106 combined starts. Senior left guard Zack Bailey owns the most starts on the team with 33 and has been given some preseason All-SEC recognition. Fifth-year junior Donell Stanley moved to center this season where he is a Rimington Award candidate. He has made 20 career starts. Senior left tackle Dennis Daley, a former junior college transfer, moved into the starting lineup early in the 2017 season and has now made 18-straight starts. Highly-regarded redshirt sophomore right guard Sadarius Hutcherson has made 11 starts, while senior right tackle Blake Camper, has made 10 starts. Senior Malik Young, who is listed with the second-team unit, has made 13 career starts. True freshman Dylan Wonnum made his first career strart against Tennessee.
 
THE YOUNGER WONNUM: True freshman Dylan Wonnum made his first career start against Tennessee and was recognized as the SEC Freshman of the Week. Wonnum became the first true freshman to start on the offensive line since Mike Matulis in 2011. With Dylan starting at right tackle and D.J. Wonnum starting at Buck, they became the first set of brothers to start for Carolina since the 2014 season when Gerald Dixon and Gerald Dixon Jr. were starters along the defensive line.
 
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES: Offensive line coach Eric Wolford has started just six linemen in the season’s first seven games. That’s quite a change from last season, when Wolford worked nine different players into the starting front five due to numerous injuries. Two different players started at left tackle, left guard and right guard, and four different players started at right tackle in 2017. Only center Alan Knott started every game among the O-linemen.
 
YOU WONNUM, WE GOT ‘EM: Junior Buck D.J. Wonnum was selected a team captain a year ago as a sophomore, and is the leader up front. Wonnum was voted the Gamecocks’ Most Productive Defensive Player in 2017 after logging 13.0 tackles for loss, including 6.0 sacks. He had three tackles, including a tackle for loss, in the season opener before leaving with a foot injury. The injury has kept him off the field until he returned to the lineup against Tennessee. He responded with three tackles including a pair of sacks, one of which sealed the victory in the waning minutes of the game, earning SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week accolades for the third time in his career.
 
B-A-W IS B-A-C-K: After missing much of last season following a season-ending shoulder injury, senior Bryson Allen-Williams is back and better than ever. Listed as the starter at SAM linebacker, Allen-Williams can also put his hand in the dirt and give Carolina a solid rush off the edge. He has recorded 34 tackles, including a team-leading 9.5 tackles for loss (tied for 4th in the SEC), 2.0 sacks and a team-leading four quarterback hurries. He had one of his best efforts against Missouri as he logged six tackles, all solo stops, including a career-high 3.0 tackles for loss and a sack, along with two quarterback hurries. He followed that up against Texas A&M with seven stops including 1.5 tackles for loss. Off the field, he is the Vice Chair of the SEC Football Leadership Council.
 
THE LONG ARM OF KINLAW: Junior defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw is a force in the middle of the line. Down to around 305 pounds after coming in a year ago at about 340, Kinlaw has been credited with 24 tackles, He ranks first on the team in sacks (2.5) and forced fumbles (2) and second in tackles for loss (6.0), and quarterback hurries (3). He was the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week for his outstanding performance in the win at Vanderbilt.
 
BRUNSON JUST MAKES STOPS: Junior linebacker T.J. Brunson picked up right where he left off from a season ago. Brunson, who was the first player that Coach Muschamp recruited upon his hire, was second on the squad with 88 tackles a year ago. He earned a spot on the AP’s All-Bowl team following his 13-tackle, two-sack performance in the Outback Bowl win over Michigan. He is leading the team with 49 tackles on the season, including 33 solo stops. He had his best game of the season against Tennessee, logging a season-high 14 tackles, just two shy of his career-best mark of 16.
 
FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME:  True freshman defensive back Jaycee Horn earned a starting assignment in the season opener. He became just the seventh true freshman to start for the Gamecocks in the season opener since the 2009 season joining Stephon Gilmore (2009), Marcus Lattimore (2010), Jadeveon Clowney (2011), Bryson Allen-Williams (2014), Al Harris Jr. (2014) and Bryan Edwards (2016).
 
DON’T MESS WITH THE BULL: Freshman Jaycee Horn has been the most productive true freshman for the Gamecocks, and was recognized on the 247Sports midseason true freshman All-America team. Horn has 30 tackles with a team-high six pass breakups. He was named the SEC Freshman of the Week for his efforts in the win over Mizzou. He was credited with four pass break ups in the contest. He also logged three tackles, including a key diving trip, forcing Damari Crockett to step out of bounds on the 11-yard line instead of taking it in for a touchdown. The Tigers ended up not scoring on that drive, which was a key turning point in the game.
 
FENTON ISLAND: Senior cornerback Rashad Fenton has three of the team’s five interceptions this season, giving him five in his career, one more than Bryson Allen-Williams for the most among active players. He had interceptions in three consecutive games, picking off Georgia’s Jake Fromm, Vanderbilt’s Kyle Shurmur and Kentucky’s Terry Wilson. He is second in the SEC with his three picks.
 
KICKING IT WITH PARKER: Redshirt sophomore Parker White has been successful on 30-of-32 attempts this season, going 10-for-11 on field goal attempts (including a career-high tying 3-for-3 at Vanderbilt and vs. Missouri) and 20-for-21 on extra points. For his career, he is 24-of-36 on field goal attempts, including 18-of-20 from inside 40 yards, and 46-for-47 on extra points.
 
SEC RECOGNITION: Parker White earned co-SEC Special Teams Player of the Week accolades for his performance in the win over Missouri. The sophomore hit on all three of his field goal attempts, connecting from a season-long 42 yards on two occasions, and a 33-yard game-winner with just two seconds remaining. All three of his field goals came in the second half when the field conditions were soggy due to a rainstorm, and gave Carolina the lead (24-23, 34-32 and 37-35).
 
WINNER, WINNER: Parker White has three fourth-quarter game-winning field goals in his career, including two this season. He hit from 33-yards out in the final seconds to defeat Missouri and connected from 25 yards for the difference-maker with about six minutes remaining in the win over Tennessee. Last season, he connected from 31-yards out in the final seconds against Louisiana Tech to lift Carolina to victory.
 
I’M CHARLTON YOUR PUNTER: Junior Joseph Charlton handles the punting chores for the Gamecocks and is an All-SEC candidate. He has booted 24 punts this season for a 45.7-yard average, third in the SEC, with a long of 66. 16 of the 24 have been fair catches, with just one (his 66-yarder) resulting in a touchback. He was named the Ray Guy National Punter of the Week for his performance against Texas A&M when he punted six times for a 50.7-yard average. The Gamecocks rank 11th in the country in net punting at 41.1 yards. Last season, Charlton averaged 43.5 yards on 55 punts with a long of 73 yards. The Gamecocks ranked 19th in the nation in net punting with a 40.5-yard average.
 
RECORD PACE: Joseph Charlton is averaging 45.7 yards per punt this season. That has him on pace for the Gamecocks’ single-season record. Here’s where he currently stands:
PUNTING AVERAGE
   1.   Joseph Charlton (2018)……. 45.7 (24 for 1097)
   2.   Daren Parker (1989)………….. 44.3 (49 for 2170)
        Sean Kelly (2015)………………. 44.3 (55 for 2434)
   4.   Spencer Lanning (2010)……… 44.1 (54 for 2383)
   5.   Ryan Succop (2006)…………… 43.7 (29 for 1267)
        Tom O’Connor (1985)………. 43.7 (52 for 2270)
 
THE G.O.A.T? Joseph Charlton owns a career punting average of 44.1 yards (3,487 yards on 79 punts). He ranks atop the Carolina all-time punting average list for punters with at least 75 attempts.
PUNTING AVERAGE (Min. 75 Punts)
   1.   Joseph Charlton (2017-18).. 44.1 (79 for 3487)
   2.   Sean Kelly (2015-16)………… 43.3 (127 for 5496)
   3.   Spencer Lanning (2007-10).. 42.6 (171 for 7292)
   4.   Ryan Succop (2005-08)…….. 42.3   (85 for 3597)
   5.   Tom O’Connor (1984-85)… 41.8 (118 for 4934)
 
BE AFRAID, BE VERY AFRAID: Senior kick returner Deebo Samuel had two chances to return kickoffs last season and took them both to the house from 97 yards away, turning the trick against NC State and Missouri. He is the only player in school history to log three kick returns for scores in his career, and is the school’s all-time leader in kickoff returns with a 29.9-yard average (898 yards on 30 returns). His 11 returns for a 22.6-yard average this season ranks fourth in the SEC.
 
FRESH FISH: The Gamecocks have played 11 true freshmen this season. In addition to Jaycee Horn and Dylan Wonnum, both of whom have started, R.J. Roderick, Josh Vann, Israel Mukuamu, Rosendo Louis Jr., Kingsley Enagbare, Ernest Jones, Jovaughn Gwyn, Rick Sandidge and Josh Belk all have seen game action.
 
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN: The Gamecocks are without the services of fifth-year senior running back Caleb Kinlaw and true freshman defensive tackle Tyreek Johnson, both of whom suffered torn ACLs during fall camp. Redshirt freshman defensive back Tavyn Jackson was forced to retire from football due to a medical issue, but will remain on scholarship. True freshman Jovaughn Gwyn had season-ending surgery on his foot. Sophomore wide receiver OrTre Smith is out for the season after surgery to fix a kneecap issue. Senior linebacker Eldridge Thompson is out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery.
 
CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN: The Gamecocks do not pick permanent team captains until the end of the season. However, they return two of the four captains from 2017, Jake Bentley and D.J. Wonnum. Bentley and Wonnum became just the second and third sophomores to gain the distinction of team captain, joining Hayden Hurst (2016). Here are the 2018 game captains:
COASTAL: Jake Bentley, T.J. Brunson, Deebo Samuel, Donell Stanley
GEORGIA: Bryson Allen-Williams Jacob August, K.C. Crosby, Steven Montac
VANDERBILT: T.J. Brunson, Bryan Edwards, Daniel Fennell
KENTUCKY: Bryson Allen-Williams, Zack Bailey, Dennis Daley, Javon Kinlaw
MISSOURI: Daniel Fennell, Kiel Pollard, Deebo Samuel, Donell Stanley
TEXAS A&M: K.C. Crosby, Kyle Markway, Michael Scarnecchia, Kier Thomas
TENNESSEE: T.J. Brunson, Daniel Fennell, Sadarius Hutcherson
 
 HAPPY, HAPPY, JOY, JOY: Two former walk-ons, redshirt senior long snapper Ben Asbury and redshirt sophomore center Chandler Farrell, were rewarded for their hard work and dedication by being placed on scholarship for the 2018 season.
 
CLASS BREAKDOWN: The 112-man roster consists of 20 seniors, 25 juniors, 23 sophomores, 15 redshirt freshmen and 29 true freshmen.
 
TOTING THE SHEEPSKIN: Six Gamecocks earned their undergraduate degree in May, including Bryson Allen-Williams, Ben Asbury, Jacob August, Javon Charleston, K.C. Crosby and Michael Scarnecchia. Malik Young earned his degree in August. Additionally, Nick Harvey (Texas A&M) and J.T. Ibe (Rice) joined the team as graduate transfers. Another 13 players are slated to finish up their bachelor’s degree in December, including Zack Bailey, Dennis Daley, Javion Duncan, Daniel Fennell, Danny Gordon, Caleb Kinlaw, Javon Kinlaw, Steven Montac, Christian Pellage, Deebo Samuel, Donell Stanley, Eldridge Thompson and Ty’Son Williams.
 
GRADUATION SUCCESS RATE: The Gamecocks ranked in a tie for fourth in the nation and second among FBS schools in the latest graduation success rate data. Carolina checked in with a 98 percent GSR, behind only Dartmouth (100), Harvard (100) and Northwestern (99).
 
UP NEXT: The Gamecocks play their final conference tilt on Saturday, Nov. 10, when they travel to Gainesville to face the Florida Gators. Florida leads the all-time series by a 26-9-3 count, including a 14-2 advantage in Gainesville, but the Gamecocks have won five of the last eight meetings, including a 28-20 win in Columbia in 2017.