Gamecocks Travel to The Swamp For Noon Battle
Carolina Looks for 5th SEC Win of the Season
YOU ARE LOOKING LIVE: It’s another SEC Eastern Division showdown as the South Carolina Gamecocks (5-3, 4-3 SEC) travel to Gainesville, Fla. to face the No. 19/21 Florida Gators (6-3, 4-3 SEC) on Saturday, November 10. The final conference matchup of the 2018 season for both squads is set for noon ET.
TELEVISION RIGHTS: ESPN has the national telecast for this week’s game. Dave Pasch will handle the play-by-play with Greg McElroy serving as the analyst. Tom Luginbill will work the sidelines.
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 606-576-44.
SEC HISTORY: South Carolina is in its 27th year in the Southeastern Conference, joining the league, along with Arkansas, prior to the 1992 campaign. The Gamecocks earned their lone SEC Eastern Division title in 2010. The Gamecocks are 94-120-1 (.440) all-time in SEC regular-season play, but are 39-32 (.549) in conference action since the start of the 2010 season. With a 5-3 mark in 2017, the Gamecocks won five or more conference games for just the eighth time in 26 years since joining the SEC.
CAROLINA VS. FLORIDA: This is the 39th meeting in a series that dates back to 1911. The Gators lead the all-time series, 26-9-3, including a 14-2 advantage in Gainesville and an 11-7-1 lead when playing in Columbia. The teams have also met three times at a neutral site with Florida winning once and the other two games ending in a tie. The Gamecocks have won five of the last eight contests between the two squads after losing 18 of the previous 19 meetings.
JUST GETTING WARMED UP: The Gamecocks have won five of the last eight gridiron battles with the Gators after winning just four of the first 30 meetings between the two schools.
THE LAST TIME THEY MET: Jake Bentley shook off three interceptions to throw for 249 yards and scored a pair of rushing touchdowns as the Gamecocks posted a 28-20 win over the Gators and interim head coach Randy Shannon on Nov. 11, 2017 in Columbia. A.J. Turner ran 22 times for 136 yards and Mon Denson rushed for the first two touchdowns of his career, as Carolina had its best offensive game of the season with 469 total yards.
THE LAST TIME IN THE SWAMP: Florida outgained South Carolina 372-256 in cruising to a 20-7 win in The Swamp on November 12, 2016. Gator quarterback Austin Appleby completed 17-of-21 passes for 201 yards, while Carolina QB Jake Bentley was 18-of-33 for 213 yards. The Gamecocks could muster just 43 rushing yards on 30 attempts, while Florida logged 171 yards on the ground.
WHERE THERE’S A WILL: South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp has been part of this rivalry as a head coach six times, posting a pair of wins. He is 1-1 against the Gators as South Carolina’s head coach after posting a 1-3 mark against the Gamcocks as Florida’s head coach. Coach Muschamp compiled a 28-21 record in four seasons at Florida.
IT JUST MEANS MORE: The Gamecocks boast 10 players from the state of Florida including Jordon Carty (Lauderdale Lakes), Jamel Cook (Miami), Rashad Fenton (Miami), Deshaun Fenwick (Bradenton), Evan Hinson (Deltona), Rosendo Louis Jr. (Deerfield Beach), Christian Pellage (Brooksville), Michael Scarnecchia (Fleming Island), Keir Thomas (Miami) and Lavonte Valentine (Melbourne).
ONCE A GATOR: Several members of the Carolina football program were once part of Gator Nation. Head coach Will Muschamp (2011-14); assistants Coleman Hutzler (2010-11, 2014), Kyle Krantz (2013-14), Mike Peterson (1995-98, 2014-15) and Travaris Robinson (2011-14); strength & conditioning coaches Jeff Dillman (2012-14) and Mark Campbell (1992-95, 2002-17); and coordinator of football administration Carina Hargreaves (2010-15) have all been Florida Gators.
THE LAST TIME OUT: The Gamecocks traveled to Oxford, Miss. last Saturday and came away with a wild 48-44 win. Carolina opened up an early 17-3 lead, but the Rebels came back to even the score at 27 heading into intermission. After Ole Miss took a 10-point lead at 44-34 early in the fourth quarter, the Gamecocks rallied to score the final 14 points and escaped with the win.
LIKE A VIDEO GAME: Carolina and Ole Miss combined to score 92 points and gain 1,126 yards last Saturday. Both quarterbacks threw for over 360 yards, two players went over 100 yards rushing and four players logged over 100 yards receiving. It marked the fifth-highest combined scoring game in Carolina history.
MOST POINTS SCORED – COMBINED
1. 104 at Mississippi State (65-39), Oct. 14, 1995
2. 98 vs East Carolina (42-56), Oct. 8, 1994
3. 93 vs Troy (69-24), Nov. 20, 2010
93 vs East Carolina (56-37), Sept. 3, 2011
5. 92 at Ole Miss (48-44), Nov. 3, 2018
OFFENSIVE SUPERLATIVES: The Gamecocks put together one of their top offensive outputs in recent history, tallying 48 points against the Rebels while rolling up 510 yards of total offense in the contest. The 48 points tied for the second-most for Carolina under head coach Will Muschamp and tied for the high mark against a Power-5 school (also 48 vs. Arkansas in 2017). The 510 yards was the fourth-highest overall for the Gamecocks under Coach Muschamp and the second-most against a Power-5 school.
INDIVIDUAL EFFORTS: Jake Bentley had his best game of the season, hitting 22-of-32 passes for 363 yards and two touchdowns with no turnovers. Bryan Edwards (4 catches, 109 yards, 1 TD) and Ty’Son Williams (3 for 105) each went over the century mark in receiving yards. Fourth-string running back Mon Denson had the best game of his career, rushing a dozen times for 102 yards, including a 69-yard burst that led to the winning score. The last time South Carolina produced a 100-yard rusher and a pair of 100-yard receivers was on Oct. 23, 2010 against Vanderbilt with Brian Maddox (146 rush), Alshon Jeffery (158 receiving) and Tori Gurley (112 receiving).
FAST START: The Gamecocks put up 17 first-quarter points at Ole Miss. It was the most points they have scored in the first quarter of a road game since 2009 when they had 17 on the board after the first period at Georgia.
DEEBO TO THE HOUSE: Deebo Samuel notched his fourth career kickoff return for a touchdown at Ole Miss. The 90-yard return extended his school record for kickoff returns for touchdowns and tied the SEC record. He finished with 178 yards on five returns, earning SEC Special Teams Player of the Week honors for the third time in his career. He is the school’s all-time leader with a 30.7-yard kick return average. His 26.7-yard average in 2018 ranks second in the SEC.
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 South Carolina’s comeback win over Tennessee. At the time, it was the longest pass play for either player during their careers at 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. That lasted just one game however, as the duo teamed up again last week at Ole Miss with a 75-yard touchdown strike.
HAVEN’T SEEN THAT SINCE MARCUS: Ty’son Williams logged 105 yards receiving at Ole Miss. It was the first time a Gamecock running back has logged over 100 receiving yards since Marcus Lattimore had 133 receiving yards at Kentucky in 2010.
DEFENSE MAKES LATE STAND: The Carolina defense was picked apart most of the day by Ole Miss, as the Rebels ran 98 plays for 44 points, 34 first downs and 616 yards of offense. However, the Rebels four fourth-quarter drives resulted in three punts and a turnover on downs. They were able to muster just 16 yards on 17 plays in the final stanza with the game on the line as Carolina rallied from a 10-point deficit to win.
Ole Miss 4th Quarter Possessions:
3 plays – minus-2 yards – punt
3 plays – 2 yards – punt
5 plays – minus-3 yards – punt
6 plays – 19 yards – turnover on downs
IT’S NEVER EASY: The Gamecocks last four contests have been decided by a total of 12 points with Carolina coming out on top in three of those contests. The Gamecocks are 5-1 in games decided by three points or less under Will Muschamp, 12-4 in games decided by seven points or less and 14-5 in games decided by 10 points or less under Coach Muschamp.
YOUNG SECONDARY: With injuries keeping J.T. Ibe and Nick Harvey home and in-game injuries that sidelined Jamyest Williams and Javon Charleston, the Gamecocks finished the Ole Miss game with four first-year players seeing significant playing time in the secondary. True freshmen Jaycee Horn, R.J. Roderick and Israel Mukuamu, along with redshirt freshman Jaylin Dickerson, who missed all of last season with an injury, were up to the challenge, limiting the Rebels to 3-of-8 passing for just 10 yards in the final period. Roderick responded with a career-high 13 tackles in the win. He entered the contest with just 11 tackles through the season’s first seven games. Dickerson collected four stops after having just one special teams tackle entering the contest.
TOUGH SLATE: The Gamecocks have the nation’s fifth-toughest schedule based on opponents’ record, according to the NCAA. Carolina’s opponents’ cumulative record is 65-34, a .657 winning percentage. The Gamecocks’ previous opponents have a 40-24 mark, while their future opponents own a 25-10 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 68 30 .694
2. Florida State 65 32 .670
3. Tennessee 65 33 .663
4. Stanford 66 34 .660
5. South Carolina 65 34 .657
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. Last week, Carolina won at Ole Miss and will be looking for its third road win of the season this week at Florida, something that has not been done since 2011.
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. 2018 will mark the first time since joining the SEC that Carolina will finish the season with three-straight non-conference tilts.
LOOKING FOR A SIGNATURE WIN: With Florida entering the contest as the No. 19 team in the country according to the Associated Press, Carolina will be looking to knock off a ranked opponent for the first time since a 24-21 win over No. 18 Tennessee on Oct. 29, 2016. Since that time, the Gamecocks have dropped eight-straight games to ranked opponents, including a three contests (No. 3 Georgia, No. 17 Kentucky and No. 22 Texas A&M) this season.
WIN THE TURNOVERS, WIN THE GAME: The Gamecocks won the turnover battle and won the game against Ole Miss. Carolina is 3-0 when winning the turnover margin this season and 2-3 when losing the turnover battle. For the season, the Gamecocks are minus-5 in turnovers, losing 13 while gaining eight, and are minus-6 in SEC games (13-7). The -0.63 turnover margin per game ranks 12th in the SEC and 105th 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 seven of eight 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 17-10 record as a starting signal-caller. For the season, he is 134-of-215 (62.3 percent) for 1,666 yards with 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He ranks fifth in the SEC in passing yards per game at 238.0 and sixth in total offense at 256.3. On the Carolina career charts, he ranks second in completion percentage, fourth in pass completions, tied for fifth in passing touchdowns, fifth in pass attempts, fifth in total offense and sixth in passing yards.
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. 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 dine with.
JUNIOR RUSHING QUARTET: The Gamecocks feature a stable of four junior running backs. Carolina is averaging 4.6 yards per rush after averaging just 3.9 yards a year ago. The Gamecocks are 18-3 when rushing for 100 yards or more under Will Muschamp, including a 13-1 mark when eclipsing the 150-yard barrier. Their 224 yards against Tennessee was the fourth-highest single-game rushing total under Coach Muschamp and the second-highest mark against a Power-5 foe.
• Rico Dowdle has started six of eight games. He has gone over the 100-yard barrier three times this season (105 vs. Coastal, 112 at Vandy and 140 vs. Tennessee) and six times in his career, all Carolina wins. He has 490 yards on the season and 1,505 career yards, ranking 28th in school history.
• A.J. Turner ranks 35th on Carolina’s all-time rushing list with 1,176 yards. He is averaging 5.7 yards per carry this season and is also one of the squad’s top special teams performers. A concussion forced him to miss the Texas A&M game and limiting him to special teams duty vs. Tennessee.
• Ty’Son Williams has started each of the last two games. Williams, who spent one year at North Carolina, had his best game of the season in the opener against Coastal, rushing 11 times for 82 yards and a touchdown. He is second on the squad in rushing with 319 yards and averages 4.8 yards per carry, with a team-high 4 rushing TDs.
• Mon Denson has been slowed for much of the season with a hamstring injury. He exploded at Ole Miss, carrying 12 times for a career-high 102 yards, including a 69-yard burst that set up the winning score. He had just 66 yards all season and 218 in his career before that game.
1,000 YARDS AND COUNTING: The Gamecocks have had 44 career 1,000-yard rushers in school history, including the current duo of Rico Dowdle and A.J. Turner. Here’s the all-time list:
No. PLAYER (YEARS) ATT. YARDS
1. George Rogers (1977-80) 954 5,204
——————————————————————-
23. Spencer Clark (2976-79) 319 1,652
24. Mike Dingle (1988-90) 389 1,634
25. Troy Hambrick (1996-98) 302 1,586
26. Jeff Grantz (1972-75) 405 1,577
27. Alex Hawkins (1956-58) 339 1,490
28. Rico Dowdle (2016-18) 297 1,505
29. Kenny Miles (2009-12) 315 1,341
30. Mike Caskey (1952-55) 232 1,276
31. Daccus Turman (2002-05) 281 1,255
32. King Dixon (1956-58) 288 1,250
33. Steve Dorsey (1976-79) 297 1,216
34. Stanley Pritchett (1992-95) 266 1,178
35. A.J. Turner (2016-18) 240 1,176
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 21 career touchdowns (10 receiving, 7 rushing and 4 kickoff returns). He needs three more touchdowns to move into the school’s all-time top-10 list.
DEEBO IN 2018: Deebo Samuel has been the Gamecocks’ top receiver this season, catching 39 passes for 407 yards with five touchdowns. He also has rushed six times for 21 yards and has 16 kick returns for 427 yards. His 4.9 receptions per game ranks fifth in the SEC, while his 26.7-yard kickoff return average ranks second.
NO SECOND FIDDLE: While 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 has two 100-yard receiving games this season (111 vs. Georgia and 109 at Ole Miss) and four in his career. He is tied for the team lead with six TDs and has caught a pass in every game in which he has appeared, fifth on the all-time list. He ranks seventh in the SEC with 69.5 receiving yards and ninth with 4.4 receptions per game. He also handles the punt returns and owns an 8.4-yard average.
HE’S NOT SHY: Shi Smith is the third wideout for the Gamecocks. The sophomore has hauled in 24 passes for 396 yards this season, a team-best 16.5-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 this season after undergoing surgery on a fractured finger,
O-LINE EXPERIENCE: The Gamecocks front line boasts a wealth of experience with 111 combined starts. Senior left guard Zack Bailey owns the most starts on the team with 34 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 21 career starts. Senior left tackle Dennis Daley, a former junior college transfer, moved into the starting lineup early in the 2017 season and had made 18-straight starts until that streak was snapped at Ole Miss due to an ankle injury. Highly-regarded redshirt sophomore right guard Sadarius Hutcherson has made 12 starts, while senior right tackle Blake Camper, has made 10 starts. Senior Malik Young, who replaced Daley at left tackle at Ole Miss, has made 14 career starts. True freshman Dylan Wonnum has started each of the last two games at right tackle.
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.
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 in that contest 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.
THAT’S A FIRST: When junior defensive end D.J. Wonnum was named the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week and younger brother Dylan Wonnum was the SEC’s Freshman of the Week against Tennessee, it marked the first time in SEC history that brothers garnered Player-of-the-Week recognition in the same week.
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 has also put his hand in the dirt and give Carolina a solid rush off the edge. He has recorded 36 tackles, including a team-leading 10.0 tackles for loss (seventh in the SEC), 2.0 sacks and a team-leading five 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 29 tackles, He ranks first on the team in sacks (3.5) and forced fumbles (2) and second in tackles for loss (8.0), 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 64 tackles on the season, including 37 solo stops. He had his best game of the season at Ole Miss, logging a season-high 15 tackles, just one shy of his career-best mark of 16 with a career-best 3.5 tackles for loss including 1.5 sacks. He ranks ninth in the SEC with 8.0 tackles per game.
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: Jaycee Horn was recognized on the 247Sports midseason true freshman All-America team. Horn has 35 tackles with a team-high eight pass breakups. He was named the SEC Freshman of the Week for his efforts in the win over Mizzou when he was credited with four pass breakups. 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, 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 tied for second in the SEC with his three picks.
KICKING IT WITH PARKER: Redshirt sophomore Parker White has been successful on 38-of-40 attempts this season, going 12-for-13 on field goal attempts (including a career-high tying 3-for-3 at Vanderbilt and vs. Missouri) and 26-for-27 on extra points. For his career, he is 26-of-38 (68.4 percent) on field goal attempts, including 20-of-22 (90.9 percent) from inside 40 yards, and 52-for-53 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 28 punts this season for a 45.8-yard average, third in the SEC, with a long of 66. 17 of the 28 have been fair catches, with just one (his 66-yarder) resulting in a touchback, and 10 traveling over 50 yards. 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 ninth in the country in net punting at 41.3 yards.
RECORD PACE: Joseph Charlton is averaging 45.8 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)……. 45.8 (28 for 1282)
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 44.2 yards (3,672 yards on 83 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).. 44.2 (83 for 3672)
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)
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 have lost the several players with season-ending injuries including:
Javon Charleston – foot
Jovaughn Gwyn – foot
Tavyn Jackson – Forced to retire from football Tyreek Johnson – knee
Caleb Kinlaw – knee
OrTre Smith – kneecap
Eldridge Thompson – shoulder
Jamyest Williams – shoulder
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 111-man roster consists of 20 seniors, 25 juniors, 23 sophomores, 15 redshirt freshmen and 28 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.
GAMECOCK TIDBITS:
* Quarterback Jake Bentley is the son of running backs coach Bobby Bentley. Jake’s brother, Chas Dodd, is a graduate assistant on Jeff Dillman’s strength & conditioning staff.
* Freshman Jaycee Horn is the son of former NFL wide receiver Joe Horn. Jaycee is listed on the two-deep at both corner and nickel.
* Sophomore tight end Evan Hinson has spent the past two winters playing with Frank Martin’s South Carolina men’s basketball team.
* Senior linebacker Bryson Allen-Williams is the vice chair of the SEC Football Leadership Council.
UP NEXT: The Gamecocks begin a three-game non-conference stretch to wrap up the 2018 regular season with a home contest against Chattanooga on Saturday, Nov. 17. It will mark the first gridiron battle between the two schools.
