Gamecocks Host Chattanooga on Senior Day

YOU ARE LOOKING LIVE: The University of South Carolina Gamecocks (5-4, 4-4 SEC) begin a three-game non-conference stretch to conclude the 2018 regular season when they host the Chattanooga Mocs (6-4, 4-4 SoCon) out of the FCS Southern Conference. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17, from Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia
 
TELEVISION RIGHTS: SEC Network Alternate channel has the telecast for this week’s game. Former Gamecock announcer Mike Morgan will handle the play-by-play with Barrett Jones serving as the analyst. Alyssa Lang returns to Columbia and will work the sidelines. To access the SEC Network Alternate channel, here are the channel numbers for various providers:
DirecTV:  611-1
DISH (National):  596-597
DISH (Hopper):  404.1, 404.2
Spectrum:  385
AT&T Uverse:  608/1608 HD and 609/1609 HD
Verizon FiOS:  332 / 832 HD
 
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 606-577-44.
 
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 94-121-1 (.438) all-time in SEC regular-season play, but are 39-33 (.542) in conference action since the start of the 2010 season.
 
CAROLINA VS. CHATTANOOGA: This is the first-ever gridiron meeting between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Chattanooga Mocs.
 
WHO ARE THESE GUYS?: Chattanooga (or UTC) plays in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) of 1-A college football. The Mocs are part of the nine-team Southern Conference.
 
WHAT IS A MOC?: The UTC Athletics Department changed logos in 1997, moving away from Native American imagery to a package of logos using railroad images, the nickname “Mocs,” and the Scrappy mascot. The new package emphasized UTC’s connection to Chattanooga and the city’s railroad heritage and incorporated the Tennessee state bird. The term “Moc” is short for “Mockingbird.” Mockingbirds are fiercely territorial creatures which protect their homes with courage, determination and skill. Those attributes reflect the intellect, spirit and character of UTC student-athletes and alumni. A Moc is a champion on the playing surface, in the classroom and, most importantly, in life.
 
ARTH IN CHARGE: The Mocs are coached by Tom Arth, who is in his second season at Chatanooga following a successful four-year stretch as the head coach at John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio.  He was recognized as the 2016 NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year. A former NFL quarterback, Arth owned a 40-8 overall record in four seasons at his alma mater. His building of the John Carroll program was highlighted by road victories over two No. 1 ranked opponents in Mount Union and Wisconsin-Whitewater.
 
SOUTHERN CHARM: South Carolina was a member of the Southern Conference from 1922-1952. UTC did not join the SoCon until 1976.
 
THE MAN IN BLACK: Joe Morrison served as the head football coach at both schools. He led UTC from 1973-79, compiling a 44-29-4 record in seven seasons and was a two-time SoCon Coach of the Year (1977 and ’78). Morrison later served as the Gamecocks head coach from 1983-88, posting a 39-28-2 record. He was the Independent Coach of the Year in 1984 and ’87, and was the National Coach of the Year in 1984.
 
IT’S RARELY CLOSE: The Gamecocks generally have had little trouble in disposing of their FCS opponents. In the 12 games played since 2006, South Carolina has outscored its FCS opponent by a combined score of 437-180, or an average score of 36-15.
 
PROTECT THIS HOUSE: South Carolina has won 28 of its last 31 home games against non-conference foes. The Gamecocks had won a school-record 22-straight home games against non-conference opponents before dropping the final two games of the 2015 regular season to in-state rivals The Citadel and Clemson.
 
THEY’RE NOT SEC WORTHY: South Carolina is 29-6 in its last 35 non-conference games. The Gamecocks had its school-record 18-game non-conference winning streak snapped in the 2014 regular season finale at Clemson.
 
THE POWER OF FIVE: Since the turn of the century, the Gamecocks have a 43-3 mark against teams not currently in the Power 5 conference (SEC, ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac 12). The only three losses in that stretch came to UConn in the 2010 Papajohns.com Bowl, to The Citadel in 2015 and to South Florida in the 2016 Birmingham Bowl. It should be noted that UConn was in the Big East, which was a BCS automatic qualifier during the 2009 season.
 
SENIOR SALUTE: South Carolina will recognize 20 seniors this week including: Bryson Allen-Williams, Ben Asbury, Jacob August, Zack Bailey, Blake Camper, K.C. Crosby, Dennis Daley, Javion Duncan, Rashad Fenton, Danny Gordon, J.T. Ibe, Steven Montac, Keisean Nixon, Christian Pellage, Deebo Samuel, Michael Scarnecchia, Jason Senn, Donell Stanley, Eldridge Thompson and Malik Young.
 
FIRST TO 21 WINS: Steve Spurrier holds the record for most wins in his first three seasons as the head coach at South Carolina with 21, but a win this week would give Will Muschamp a tie for that mark. Coach Spurrier posted a 21-16 record in his first three seasons (2005-07) guiding the Gamecocks to records of 7-5, 8-5, and 6-6, while Coach Muschamp is currently 20-15 (6-7, 9-4, 5-4). Joe Morrison is the only coach to record 20 or more wins in his first three seasons at Carolina Morrison logged a 20-14 mark from 1983-85, going 5-6, 10-2, and 5-6.
 
THE LAST TIME OUT: The Gamecocks traveled to Gainesville, Fla. last Saturday and suffered a disappointing 35-31 lost to the No. 19/21 Gators. The Gamecocks started fast, scoring on its firs two possessions and on three of its first four drives to take a 21-14 lead into intermission. The Gamecocks extended their lead to 31-14 with just under five minutes remaining in the third period, but Florida responded with touchdowns on three-consecutive drives to pull out the come-from-behind win.
 
INDIVIDUAL EFFORTS: Jake Bentley had a solid day, connecting with nine different receivers and finishing 18-of-28 passes for 239 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Deebo Samuel caught four passes for 120 yards to lead the receiving corps, while A.J. Turner carried a dozen times for 81 yards to lead the rushing attack. T.J. Brunson led the defense with 16 tackles, matching his career high, including 3.0 tackles for loss with a pair of sacks.
 
IT’S NEVER EASY: The Gamecocks last five contests have been decided by a total of 16 points with Carolina coming out on top in three of those five contests. The Gamecocks are 5-1 in games decided by three points or less under Will Muschamp, 12-5 in games decided by seven points or less and 14-6 in games decided by 10 points or less under Coach Muschamp.
 
FAST STARTS: 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. They followed that up with 14 first-quarter points at Florida, scoring touchdowns on each of their first two possessions.
 
CHICKS DIG THE LONG BALL: Jake Bentley has connected on a bomb in each of the last three games. In the win over Tennessee, junior wide receiver Bryan Edwards was on the receiving end of a 73-yard completion from Bentley. 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 at Ole Miss with a 75-yard touchdown strike. Bentley went deep again last week at Florida, hooking up with Deebo Samuel on an 89-yard catch-and-run. It was the seventh-longest pass play in Carolina history and the longest that did not go for a touchdown. The Gamecocks have tied a season record for most passes of 70 yards or more, also throwing three of 70-plus yards in 1975 with Jeff Grantz at quarterback, in 2003 with Dondrial Pinkins at QB, and most recently in 2014 with Dylan Thompson as the signal-caller.
 
THROW IT TO THE TIGHT ENDS MORE: Both touchdown passes at Florida were to tight ends. Kyle Markway recorded his first career touchdown reception, hauling in a 19-yard pass from Jake Bentley. It was just his sixth career reception. Jacob August caught his second career touchdown and his first since 2015, a 2-yard pass from Bentley. It marked the first time that Carolina tight ends caught two touchdown passes since Weslye Saunders had a pair against Clemson in 2009.
 
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 29.6-yard kick return average. His 25.2-yard average in 2018 ranks fourth in the SEC.
 
BEST IN THE BUSINESS: Deebo Samuel has tied the SEC career record with four kickoff returns for touchdowns. He has accomplished the feat while needing significantly fewer attempts than the other five players who are tied with four:
Player                  School                 Years             KOR
Deebo Samuel      S. Carolina       (2014-18)       39 att.
Evan Berry           Tennessee        (2014-17)        53 att.
Felix Jones            Arkansas          (2005-07)        62 att.
Willie Gault          Tennessee        (1979-82)        78 att.
Andre DuBose      Florida             (2009-14)        79 att.
Brandon Boykin   Georgia            (2008-11)      110 att.
 
TOUGH SLATE: The Gamecocks have the nation’s seventh-toughest schedule based on opponents’ record, according to the NCAA. Carolina’s opponents’ cumulative record is 70-40, a .636 winning percentage. The Gamecocks’ previous opponents have a 50-31 mark, while their future opponents own a 20-9 ledger. The calculation only takes into consideration games against opponents from the same division, so non-FBS games would not count in the calculation.
 
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 played 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.
 
NO SHAME IN THAT: All four of Carolina’s losses this season have come to teams that were ranked in the Associated Press Top-25 at the time of the contest. They have dropped games to No. 3 Georgia, No. 17 Kentucky, No. 22 Texas A&M and No. 19 Florida this season.
 
WIN THE TURNOVERS, WIN THE GAME: 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 14 while gaining nine. The -0.56 turnover margin per game ranks 10th in the SEC and 64th 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 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 17-11 record as a starting signal-caller. For the season, he is 152-of-243 (62.6 percent) for 1,905 yards with 15 TDs and nine INTs. He ranks fifth in the SEC in both passing yards per game at 238.1 and in total offense at 255.1. On the Carolina career charts, he ranks second in completion percentage, fourth in pass completions, fourth in passing yards, fifth in passing touchdowns, fifth in pass attempts, and fifth in total offense.
 
ANOTHER MILESTONE: Jake Bentley became just the fourth quarterback in school history to eclipse the 6,000-yard passing mark for his career last week at Florida. With 6,119 passing yards, he trails only Todd Ellis (9,953), Steve Taneyhill (8,782) and Stephen Garcia (7,597).
 
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.
 
RUSHING BY COMMITTEE: The Gamecocks feature a stable of four junior running backs, each of whom has led the team in rushing at various times this season. Carolina is averaging 4.5 yards per carry after averaging just 3.9 yards a year ago. The Gamecocks are 18-4 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 games this season, but was limited to just two carries last week at Florida and three over the last two games after suffering an ankle injury early in the Ole Miss contest. He is the squad’s leading rusher this season with 498 yards and is tied for the team lead with four rushing touchdowns. 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 1,513 career yards, ranking 27th in school history.
• A.J. Turner had his best game of the season at Florida, rushing a dozen times for 81 yards. He ranks 31st on Carolina’s all-time rushing list with 1,257 yards. He is averaging 6.0 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 limited him to special teams duty vs. Tennessee.
• Ty’Son Williams started back-to-back games against Tennessee and Ole Miss, but did not play at Florida after breaking a bone in his hand against the Rebels. 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, averages 4.8 yards per carry, and is tied for the team lead with 4 rushing TDs.
• Mon Denson was slowed early in the season by a hamstring injury, but has seen more action of late. 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, earning his first career start at Florida. Prior to the breakout game at Ole Miss, he had just 66 yards this season and 218 in his career.
 
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 caught four passes for a season-high 120 yards, including an 89-yard reception at Florida. He has been the Gamecocks’ top receiver this season, catching 43 passes for 527 yards with five touchdowns. He also has rushed seven times for 24 yards and has 20 kick returns for 505 yards. His 4.8 receptions per game ranks tied for sixth in the SEC, his 58.6 receiving yards per game ranks 10th, his 117.3 all-purpose yards ranks third, while his 25.2-yard kickoff return average ranks fourth.
 
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, tying for third on the all-time list. He ranks eighth in the SEC with 65.6 receiving yards and ninth with 4.2 receptions per game. He also owns an 8.4-yard punt return average.
 
HE’S NOT SHY: Shi Smith is the third wideout for the Gamecocks. The sophomore has hauled in 26 passes for 420 yards this season, a team-best 16.2-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, Both August and Markway hauled in touchdown passes last week at Florida.
 
O-LINE EXPERIENCE: The Gamecocks front line boasts a wealth of experience with 116 combined starts. Senior left guard Zack Bailey owns the most starts on the team with 35 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 22 career starts. Senior left tackle Dennis Daley, a former junior college transfer, moved into the starting lineup early in the 2017 season and 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 13 starts, True freshman Dylan Wonnum has started each of the last three games at right tackle, replacing Blake Camper, who has made 10 starts. Senior Malik Young, who replaced Daley at left tackle at Ole Miss, has made 14 career starts.
 
CLAP FOR THE WOLF, MAN: Offensive line coach Eric Wolford was nominated for the Frank Broyles Assistant Coach of the Year honors. Wolford’s front line has been the Gamecocks’ most consistent group all season.
 
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.
 
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 32 tackles, He leads the team with two forced fumbles, is second with 3.5 sacks, and third with 8.0 tackles for loss. He was the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week for his outstanding performance in the win at Vanderbilt.
 
BRUNSON BRINGS IT: Junior linebacker T.J. Brunson is the Gamecocks’ top tackler. He leads the team with 80 tackles on the season, ranking eighth in the SEC, including 45 solo stops. He has filled the stat line over the last three games, collecting 14 tackles vs. Tennessee, logging 15 tackles with 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks at Ole Miss, then matching his career high with a season-best 16 stops at Florida including 3.0 tackles for loss with a pair of sacks. 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.
 
YOUNG SECONDARY: The Gamecocks have been battered with injuries in the secondary. Seniors J.T. Ibe and Nick Harvey have not played for several weeks, while Jamyest Williams and Javon Charleston were injured in the Ole Miss game and are out for the season. Four first-year players are now seeing significant playing time. 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, have had to fill the void.
 
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 38 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.
 
SAFETY FIRST: True freshman safety R.J. Roderick stepped up in the Ole Miss win after injuries sidelined Jamyest Williams and Javon Charleston. He responded with 13 tackles after having just 11 through the first seven games. It was the most tackles for a freshman at South Carolina since James Seawright logged 17 in 1981 against Kentucky. He earned his first start at Florida and collected nine more tackles.
 
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 43-of-45 attempts this season, going 13-for-14 on field goal attempts (including a career-high tying 3-for-3 at Vanderbilt and vs. Missouri) and 30-for-31 on extra points. For his career, he is 27-of-39 (69.2 percent) on field goal attempts, including 21-of-23 (91.3 percent) from inside 40 yards, and 56-for-57 on extra points. He has made each of his last eight field goal attempts.
 
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.
 
MR. AUTOMATIC: Parker White has connected on 13-of-14 field goals this season, a 92.9 percentage, fifth among Division I kickers:
Rk  Name                   School           FG     FGA   PCT.
1.    Joseph Petrino      Maryland        10       10     1.000
2.    Cooper Rothe      Wyoming       15       16      .938
3.    Clayton Hatfield   Texas Tech     14       15      .933
4.    Andre Szmyt        Syracuse          27       29      .931
5.    Parker White      S. Carolina    13       14      .929
 
I’M CHARLTON YOUR PUNTER: Junior Joseph Charlton handles the punting chores for the Gamecocks and is an All-SEC candidate. He has booted 32 punts this season for a 45.5-yard average, third in the SEC, with a long of 66. 19 of the 32 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 third in the SEC and ninth in the country in net punting at 41.7 yards.
 
RECORD PACE: Joseph Charlton is on pace for the Gamecocks’ single-season record for punting average. Here’s where he currently stands:
PUNTING AVERAGE
   1.   Joseph Charlton (2018)……. 45.5 (32 for 1456)
   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. 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 (87 for 3846)
   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)
 
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN: The Gamecocks have lost the several players with season-ending injuries including:
Bryson Allen-Williams – ankle
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.
 
WORKING OVERTIME: The Gamecocks are 2-4 all-time in games decided in overtime.
Date         Opponent             W/L   Score  No. of OT
09/27/03  at Tennessee             L      20-23         1
10/27/07  at Tennessee             L      24-27         1
10/26/13  at Missouri              W     27-24         2
11/01/14  vs Tennessee             L      42-45         1
11/15/14  at Florida                 W     23-20         1
12/29/16  USF (Birmingham)  L      39-46         1
 
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.