Carolina and Vandy Set to Battle Under the Lights
7:39 pm Kick Set for Saturday, Nov. 2
QUICKLY: The South Carolina Gamecocks (3-5, 2-4 SEC) host the Vanderbilt Commodores (2-5, 1-3 SEC) on Saturday, Nov. 2, in another SEC Eastern Division matchup. Game time is set for 7:30 pm ET at Williams-Brice Stadium (80,250) in Columbia. SEC Network will televise the game with Tom Hart and Jordan Rodgers in the booth and Cole Cubelic working the sidelines.
THE HISTORY: 2019 marks the 126th season of intercollegiate football at the University of South Carolina, dating back to 1892. It is the 113th-consecutive year in which South 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 611-584-44, a .511 winning percentage.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY: The 2019 season marks the 50th anniversary of the 1969 South Carolina squad that won the Atlantic Coast Conference title with a perfect 6-0 mark under Paul Dietzel. That team was rewarded with a trip to the Peach Bowl. 2019 also marks the 25th anniversary of the 1994 South Carolina team that went 7-5 including the school’s first bowl victory – a 24-21 win over West Virginia in the Carquest Bowl.
IT JUST MEANS MORE: The 2019 season marks South Carolina’s 28th year in the Southeastern Conference. South Carolina and Arkansas joined the league prior to the 1992 campaign. The Gamecocks earned their lone SEC Eastern Division title in 2010. The Gamecocks are 96-125-1 (.435) all-time in SEC regular-season play, but are 41-37 (.526) in conference action since the start of the 2010 season.
CAROLINA VS. VANDY: This is the 29th all-time meeting between South Carolina and Vanderbilt, with the Gamecocks holding a commanding 24-4 advantage, including an 11-2 mark when the teams have met in Columbia and a 13-2 record when the games have been played in Nashville. The teams met just once (1961) before they became SEC Eastern Division rivals beginning in 1992, and have met every year since.
IN DOMINATING FASHION: The Gamecocks have won each of the last 10 games between the two squads, their longest winning streak in the series, and 17 of the last 19 meetings between these two SEC Eastern Division rivals. Of the Division I FBS opponents against whom the Gamecocks have at least 10 all-time meetings, Carolina has its best winning percentage against Vanderbilt at .857. In the previous 28 outings, Vanderbilt has tallied more than 17 points just six times (24 in 2003, 28 in 2005, 24 in 2008, 25 in 2013, a record-high 34 in 2014 and 27 in 2017).
THE OUTLIERS: Vanderbilt’s four wins in the series have come in back-to-back fashion on two occasions – first in 1998 and ’99, then again in 2007 and ’08. Those four wins have been by a combined total of 22 points (17-14, 11-10, 17-6 and 24-17).
THE LAST TIME THEY MET: Jake Bentley threw for 261 yards and Carolina outscored Vanderbilt 17-0 in the second half in a 37-14 win on Sept. 22, 2018 in Nashville. Rico Dowdle rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown and Shi Smith logged 119 receiving yards on just five catches, as the Gamecocks outgained the Dores 273-92 on the ground and 534-284 overall. Parker White was a perfect 3-for-3 in field goal tries.
THE LAST TIME THEY MET HERE: Jake Bentley completed 19-of-29 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown and rushed six times for 47 yards and two scores to lead South Carolina to a 34-27 win over Vanderbilt on Oct. 28, 2017 in Columbia. A.J. Turner added 121 yards on the ground, as Carolina outrushed the Dores, 212-107. Kyle Shurmur had a big day for Vandy, hitting 27-of-49 passes for 333 yards and four touchdowns.
IMPOSING HIS WILL: Will Muschamp is 6-1 in seven games as a head coach against the Commodores. He was a 26-21 winner in 2011 in “The Swamp,” posted a 31-17 win in Nashville in 2012, dropped a 34-17 decision at Gainesville in 2013, then won by a 34-10 count in Nashville in 2014, all as the head coach at Florida. He survived a 13-10 decision to open the 2016 campaign in his Carolina debut, then won again in 34-27 in Columbia in 2018, before running his record in Nashville to 4-0 with a 37-14 rout last season.
MASON IN THE JAR: Vandy head coach Derek Mason is winless in five tries against the Gamecocks.
ABOUT LAST WEEK: The Gamecocks dropped a 41-21 decision at Tennessee last Saturday. The Gamecocks enjoyed a 21-17 halftime lead, but the Volunteers scored 24 unanswered points in the second half to pull away for the win, their first over a Will Muschamp-coached team in eight tries. Ryan Hilinski connected on 28-of-51 passes for 319 yards and a touchdown. Shi Smith had a career day, catching 11 passes for 156 yards, including a 75-yard scoring strike on the first play from scrimmage. The Vols countered with 485 yards of offense and scored twice on special teams.
ANOTHER RECORD FOR EDWARDS: Senior wide receiver Bryan Edwards caught eight passes for 83 yards against Tennessee, becoming the school’s all-time leader in pass receptions with 211, shattering the record of 207, held by Kenny McKinley. Edwards also moved past McKinley into second place on the career receiving yards list with 2,816, 226 yards behind Alshon Jeffrey‘s school record of 3,042.
SHI BREAKS OUT: Junior wide receiver Shi Smith had a career day against Tennessee, catching 11 passes for 156 yards. He was on the receiving end of a 75-yard touchdown pass on the game’s first play from scrimmage, the longest reception of his career. The 11 receptions tied for the ninth-most in a single game in school history.
HILINSKI HURLS IT: True freshman quarterback Ryan Hilinski completed 28-of-51 passes for 319 yards and a touchdown with no turnovers at Tennessee. Included was a 75-yard touchdown pass to Shi Smith, matching the longest pass completion of his young career. It marked the second time he has thrown over 50 passes in a game in his seven starts and also the second time he has eclipsed the 300-yard passing mark in a contest. The 51 pass attempts tied for the fifth-highest single game mark in school history.
THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY: Gamecock punter Joseph Charlton had an eventful day at Tennessee. The All-America candidate boomed seven punts for a 50.7-yard average with a season long 66-yarder and four traveling 50-plus yards. He also had a punt returned 65 yards for a score, the first punt returned for a touchdown against South Carolina since the 2000 season, and had another punt blocked and recovered in the endzone for a touchdown.
BENTLEY IS IN THE GARAGE: Senior Jake Bentley triggered the offense from the middle of the 2016 season through the first game of the 2019 campaign. A 6-4, 220-pounder from Opelika, Ala., Bentley suffered a Lisfranc injury to his foot on the last play against North Carolina and is out for the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery during the second week of September. Bentley logged a 19-14 record as the starting signal-caller. He ranks near the top of many Carolina career statistical categories:
Pass Attempts – 1,002 (4th)
Pass Completions – 626 (3rd)
Completion Percentage – 62.5 (2nd)
Passing Yards – 7,527 (4th)
Passing Touchdowns – 55 (3rd)
Career Wins – 19 (6th)
Touchdowns Responsible For – 63 (t3rd)
NEXT MAN UP: True freshman Ryan Hilinski has taken the starting quarterback reins. Like Bentley, Hilinski, a highly-touted 6-3, 230-pound signal-caller from California, comes from a quarterbacking family. His brother Kelly played QB at Columbia and Weber State, while his brother, the late Tyler Hilinski, was a quarterback at Washington State. Hilinski joined the team in January and went through spring drills. He made his debut against Charleston Southern by hitting his first 12 passes and finished the day 24-of-30 for 282 yards with a pair of touchdowns and an interception. His 259 yards in the first half is the most passing yards by a true freshman quarterback in a single half this season. He also had one rushing touchdown. He followed that up with a 36-for-57, 324-yard, two-touchdown performance against Alabama, earning SEC Freshman of the Week accolades. He recorded his second 300-yard passing game at Tennessee, completing 28-of-51 for 319 yards. He is 3-4 as a starter, connecting on 148-of-250 passes (59.2 pct.) for 1,517 yards with eight TDs and three interceptions. His 216.7 passing yards per game is tops among SEC freshmen quarterbacks and fifth overall.
THE SIXTH MAN: When he got the call against Charleston Southern in week 2, Ryan Hilinki became just the sixth true freshman to start at quarterback for the Gamecocks since joining the SEC. Steve Taneyhill (1992), Mikal Goodman (1999), Lorenzo Nuñez (2015), Brandon McIlwain (2016) and Jake Bentley (2016) were the others. Here’s how they each fared in their first career start:
Quarterback Opp. W/L C A I Yds TD
S. Taneyhill Miss State W 7 14 1 183 2
M. Goodman Ole Miss L 8 15 0 147 0
L. Nuñez UCF W 12 22 0 184 2
B. McIlwain ECU W 16 28 0 195 0
J. Bentley UMass W 17 26 0 201 2
R. Hilinski Chas. So. W 24 30 1 282 2
ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS: Making just his second career start and his first against an FBS opponent, true freshman Ryan Hilinski completed 36-of-57 passes for 324 yards with two touchdowns against Alabama, earning SEC Freshman of the Week accolades. The 57 attempts were the second-most in a single-game in school history, topped only by the 58 that Steve Taneyhill threw against East Carolina in 1994, while the 36 completions ranks third in school history, topped only by Taneyhill on two occasions – 39 vs. ECU in ’94 and 38 vs. Mississippi State in 1995. Hilinski became just the second freshman in program history to throw for more than 300 yards against an SEC opponent, joining Todd Ellis, who threw for 342 yards against Georgia in 1986.
PASS ATTEMPTS – GAME
1. Steve Taneyhill vs. East Carolina (10/8/94)……. 58
2. Ryan Hilinski vs. Alabama (9/14/19)……………. 57
3. Todd Ellis vs. Virginia Tech (10/8/88)………….. 53
Stephen Garcia at Georgia (9/12/09)…………….. 53
5. 4 players tied, last: Hilinski at Tenn. (10/26/19)…. 51
PASS COMPLETIONS – GAME
1. Steve Taneyhill vs. East Carolina (10/8/94)……. 39
2. Steve Taneyhill vs. Mississippi St. (10/14/95)…. 38
3. Ryan Hilinski vs. Alabama (9/14/19)……………. 36
4. Steve Taneyhill vs. Georgia (9/2/95)……………… 34
PROTECT THE BALL: Since throwing a pick-6 at Missouri, Ryan Hilinski has hurled 136 passes without an interception. Connor Shaw holds the school record for consecutive passes without an interception at 177, with Steve Taneyhill second on the list at 163.
BUT HE’S SO YOUNG: Ryan Hilinski already holds the school record for a true freshman quarterback in pass completions (148), pass attempts (250) and yards passing (1,517). He is the first true freshman quarterback to have a pair of 300-yard passing games in school history. Todd Ellis had three 300-yard passing games as a redshirt freshman in 1986.
DO IT ALL DAKEREON: Redshirt freshman Dakereon Joyner began the season as the number 3 quarterback, moved to wide receiver, and has now returned to quarterback on a full-time basis. Joyner saw his first extended action at quarterback at Missouri, completing 6-of-11 passes for 89 yards. He was not available for the Kentucky game with a hamstring injury, then, despite not being 100 percent, was forced into action at Georgia after Hilinski was injured. He was 6-for-12 in that contest for 39 yards and rushed six times for 28 yards. He has not played in either of the last two games while continuing to heal the hamstring. For the season, he is 13-of-24 for 128 yards, and has rushed 16 times for 77 yards and a touchdown. If Hilinski and Joyner were unavailable, Jay Urich would be next in line.
A TRIO OF TAILBACKS: Running backs coach Thomas Brown has a trio of senior running backs at his disposal in Rico Dowdle, graduate transfer Tavien Feaster and Mon Denson.
* Rico Dowdle (6-0, 215) started each of the first seven games before missing the Tennessee contest with a knee injury. He has rushed 78 times for 457 yards (5.9 yards per carry) and four scores. He has two 100-yard rushing games in 2019 (Alabama and Kentucky), and eight in his career. He owns 2,126 yards, 15th on the school’s all-time list. He has scored 16 rushing TDs (three shy of breaking into the school’s top 10) in 36 games including 25 starts. He left the Florida game with a knee injury after just one carry, the 400th of his career.
* Tavien Feaster (6-0, 221) has been the Gamecocks’ top rusher four times this season, rushing for 72 yards in the season opener against North Carolina, for 107 yards in the win over Kentucky, for a career-high 175 yards on 25 carries against Florida and for 80 yards at Tennessee. For the season, he has carried 101 times for 572 yards, a 5.7-yard average, with five TDs. Feaster, who played at Clemson in each of the previous three seasons, has rushed 323 times for 1,902 yards with 20 touchdowns over 49 career games including 13 starts.
* Mon Denson (5-10, 215) has carried the ball in four games this season, including nine times for a career-high 118 yards against Charleston Southern, including a 57-yard touchdown burst, his third-career 100-yard rushing game. For the season, he is averaging 6.0 yards per carry, rushing 38 times for 229 yards. He has seven rushing touchdowns in 29 games including a pair of starts.
NO FAMINE FOR FEASTER: When starting running back Rico Dowdle left the Florida game with a knee injury after just one carry, senior Tavien Feaster stepped in and put together the best game of his career, rushing 25 times for 175 yards and a touchdown. It was the most rushing yards for a Gamecock since Dowdle logged 226 yards against Western Carolina in 2016 and the most for a Carolina running back against an SEC opponent since Mike Davis went for 183 against Kentucky in 2014. Here are the top rushing performances by Carolina running backs against SEC defenses:
Date Name Opponent Yards
11/13/10 Marcus Lattimore Florida 212
10/12/96 Duce Staley Kentucky 193
10/30/10 Marcus Lattimore Tennessee 184
10/04/14 Mike Davis Kentucky 183
09/11/10 Marcus Lattimore Georgia 176
10/19/19 Tavien Feaster Florida 175
FOUR REACH THE CENTURY MARK: The Gamecocks have had four rushers reach the 100-yard mark this season, with Rico Dowdle and Tavien Feaster both eclipsing the mark twice, and Mon Denson and Kevin Harris doing so once. South Carolina is one of only seven schools in the country to have four different 100-yard rushers in a game this season, joining Air Force, Georgia Southern, Houston, Louisiana, Wake Forest and Wyoming.
CATCH IT IF YOU CAN:
* Bryan Edwards ranks among the best wide receivers in school history. He has caught a pass in all 46 games in which he has appeared, surpassing Kenny McKinley’s mark of 43 for a school record. After being limited to just one catch for seven yards against North Carolina, Edwards has been “Mr. Consistent,” catching at least five passes in every game while putting together consecutive games of 5 catches, 112 yards vs Charleston Southern, 9-for-79 vs. Alabama, 6-for-113 at Mizzou, 6-for-37 vs. Kentucky, 6-for-78 yards at Georgia, 7-for-78 vs. Florida, and 8-for-83 at Tennessee. He is the school record holder with 211 career receptions, breaking Kenny McKinley’s mark of 207. Edwards also has moved past McKinley in career receiving yards with 2,816, trailing only Alshon Jeffery (3,042). Edwards owns 20 career TDs, third on the school’s all-time list, behind only Sidney Rice and Alshon Jeffery’s mark of 23. He has seven career 100-yard receiving games, including two this season.
* Junior Shi Smith (5-10, 190) is the No. 2 receiver. Smith was the top receiver against North Carolina, catching five passes for 55 yards, and logged six receptions for 90 yards and a score against Alabama. He had the best game of his career at Tennessee, catching 11 passes (tying for the ninth-best single game total in school history) for 156 yards (the most by a Gamecock this season), including a career-long 75-yard TD reception. He is second on the team with 36 catches for 408 yards.
* Sophomore Josh Vann (2 starts) and veteran Chavis Dawkins (5 starts) work as the third and fourth receivers. Vann has 18 catches for 154 yards. After not having a reception in the first three games, Dawkins has six catches for 65 yards over the last five contests.
* Redshirt sophomore OrTre Smith did not dress for the opener, but has since returned to the field after missing most of last season following knee surgery and has contributed seven catches for 59 yards, including a touchdown against Florida.
REVAMPED TIGHT ENDS: Bobby Bentley took over as the tight ends coach and came into a room that had just seven career Division I receptions entering the 2019 campaign. He lost K.C. Crosby and Jacob August to graduation, then lost Kiel Pollard to a career-ending medical situation during fall camp, while Evan Hinson elected to pursue a basketball career at Austin Peay.
* Fifth-year junior Kyle Markway (6-4, 250) is having a career year. Markway is fourth on the team with 17 catches for 201 yards and two touchdowns on the season after having just six catches coming into 2019. He had a career-high four receptions against CSU, then topped that with five catches for 46 yards against Alabama.
* Junior Nick Muse (6-3, 232), a transfer from William & Mary, got a waiver for immediate eligibility a day prior to the CSU game. He made an immediate impact with two catches for 22 yards in that contest and had four catches for 21 yards against Alabama. He had a career-high 31 receiving yards at Georgia and matched his career high with four receptions at Tennessee. He has 16 receptions for 143 yards on the season. He hauled in 30 passes for 453 yards a season ago for the Tribe.
* Junior Chandler Farrell (6-3, 295), a former walk-on center, moved to tight end during fall camp to add depth. He is now wearing No. 31, although he has been seen in a cameo role on the offensive line wearing number 60. Used primarily as a blocking tight end, Farrell is still looking for his first reception.
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN: Senior tight end Kiel Pollard was forced to give up his playing career during fall camp. Pollard suffered a small fracture in his neck, which was to have sidelined him for 4-6 weeks. However, during an MRI, the doctors discovered a cyst on his spinal cord, which apparently has been there since he was a child. The severity of the situation and the possible long-term consequences from that medical condition forced him to retire as a player. Pollard, who will graduate in December, is helping as a student-assistant coach. He served as a team captain in the opener vs. UNC.
THE O-LINE SETTLES IN: The Gamecocks have what offensive line coach Eric Wolford considers his most athletic unit since rejoining the Carolina staff. He has two veterans in left tackle Sadarius Hutcherson and center Donell Stanley, but the other three spots are manned by first-year starters.
* Sixth-year senior Donell Stanley (6-3, 325) anchors the unit. Stanley worked at left guard in the season opener, but has since moved back to center. He worked primarily at center during the 2018 season and has made 21-consecutive starts.
* Redshirt junior Sadarius Hutcherson (6-4, 320) protects the quarterback’s blind side from the left tackle position. Hutcherson played guard in 2018, but is strong and athletic enough to handle the tackle position. He has made 22-consecutive starts and earned a spot on Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks” list.
* Sophomore Dylan Wonnum (6-5, 310) started each of the first four games at right tackle before suffering an ankle injury in the Missouri game, which has kept him out of the the last four contests. Wonnum was a Freshman All-American last season as a true freshman.
* The Gamecocks started a new pair of guards against Charleston Southern, with redshirt sophomore Jordan Rhodes (6-4, 330) taking over at left guard and redshirt freshman Jovaughn Gwyn (6-2, 305) getting the nod at right guard. They both have now started seven-straight games.
* True freshman Jaylen Nichols (6-5, 320) made his first career start against Kentucky at the right tackle position, replacing the injured Dylan Wonnum, and has now started four straight contests.
A LITTLE MISLEADING: The Gamecocks have allowed an average of 27.2 points per game this season, but it’s a little unfair to chalk that all up to the defense. The Gamecocks have surrendered four touchdowns, or 28 points, when the defense was not on the field. Taking those points away, the Carolina defense is allowing 23.7 points per game.
THE FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE: This is easily the best defensive front in both depth and talent assembled at South Carolina since the days of Jadeveon Clowney and company raised havoc throughout the SEC.
* Most of the accolades have gone to Javon Kinlaw (6-6, 310), who some NFL experts have labeled a first-round NFL draft pick. He has filled up the stat line with 23 tackles including 5.0 sacks, tied for third in the SEC, three quarterback hurries, a pair of fumble recoveries and a blocked kick. He was the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week for his performance at Georgia, and was a midseason All-American by both the AP (first team) and The Athletic (second team).
* D.J. Wonnum (6-5, 260) is back after missing eight games a year ago with an ankle injury. Wonnum was named a team captain in 2017 after logging 13.0 tackles for loss including 6.0 sacks. He is on the Mayo Clinic list for Comeback Player of the Year this season. He logged three tackles for loss in the season opener against North Carolina and registered 11 tackles overall, had his first career interception at Missouri and was the SEC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Kentucky when he registered a career-high 3.0 sacks among his five tackles and forced a fumble. He has been recognized as an SEC weekly award winner four times in his career. He has 27 tackles on the season including a team-high 8.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks with three hurries. He has moved into 10th on the school’s all-time list in tackles for loss with 28.5 and, with 14.0 career sacks, is one sack away from tying four others for ninth on the school’s all-time list.
* Kobe Smith (6-2, 300) is a “glue guy” in the middle of the line and has recorded 20 tackles. He gets extra mention in the notes after serving as a summer marketing intern for Gamecock Athletics.
* The Gamecocks have been getting better play from junior defensive end Aaron Sterling (6-1, 250). For the season, Sterling has registered 30 tackles, is second on the team in tackles for loss (7.0) and is third in sacks (4.0). He also is tied for the team lead with three QB hurries, has forced a fumble and has recovered a fumble.
GETTING IN THE SACK: Carolina has logged 17 sacks, with Javon Kinlaw leading the way with 5.0, while D.J. Wonnum (4.5) and Aaron Sterling (4.0) are right behind. The Gamecocks have three of the top 10 SEC sack leaders and are the only SEC school to have at least three players with 4.0 or more sacks this season.
BACKING UP THE LINE: The Gamecocks have received improved play from the linebacker position this season.
* T.J. Brunson (6-1, 230) is the veteran leader of the group. The first player that Coach Muschamp recruiting at Carolina, Brunson has logged 266 career tackles, including 106 last season alone. A 2018 team captain, he opened the 2019 season with nine stops against UNC, had a season-high 12 tackles at Missouri, had 10 stops at Georgia and at Tennessee, and is currently second on the team with 60 stops, tied for eighth in the SEC.
* Sophomore Ernest Jones (6-2, 235) earned the starting spot at the MIKE position, allowing Brunson to move back to WILL. An excellent communicator, Jones starred in his first start against UNC, registering a team-high 12 tackles, along with a pair of pass breakups. He also logged a team-high 12 tackles at Georgia. He leads the team and is sixth in the SEC with 62 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss. He logged his first career interception against Kentucky.
* Sherrod Greene (6-1, 230) started every game last season but began this season in a reserve role. He has been coming on of late, starting each of the last five games as Carolina has opened with a 4-3 look, and is playing his best football.
EASON-RIDDLE AT YOUR SERVICE: Junior linebacker Spencer Eason-Riddle is one of 22 student-athletes selected for the 2019 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®. The 22 players stood out for their leadership in local communities and overall commitment to giving back. Eason-Riddle has been a regular at both the Dorn VA Medical Center and at the oncology center of the Prisma Health Children’s Hospital. He founded and developed the “Sandstorm Buddies Program” which matches USC student-athletes with patients and their families, where they can serve in a mentor capacity with cancer patients.
RECONFIGURED SECONDARY: Defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson has a talented, but young group in his meeting room.
* J.T. Ibe (5-10, 195), a sixth-year graduate transfer, is the veteran in the secondary. Ibe missed the opener with a pec injury, something he dealt with at Rice as well, but has since returned to the starting lineup. He has 32 tackles, including a team-high eight stops against Florida.
* Jaycee Horn (6-1, 200), who is considered the top cover corner, logged a sack and forced a pair of fumbles in the season opener, had two PBUs vs. Alabama and logged seven tackles at Georgia. He has 25 tackles on the season with a team-high seven PBUs and a team-high two forced fumbles.
* Israel Mukuamu (6-4, 205), who ranks third on the team with 46 tackles while playing cornerback, logged seven tackles against UNC, a pick against CSU and registered eight tackles against Alabama before having a career game at Georgia with a career-high 11 tackles and three interceptions. He is one of only three players in the country with three picks in a game this season and leads the SEC and is tied for fifth in the country with four interceptions.
* Sophomore R.J. Roderick has worked his way into the starting lineup, seeing action at both nickel and safety. He is fourth on the team with 39 tackles and logged his first career sack against Alabama.
* True freshmen Jammie Robinson (5-11, 200) and John Dixon (6-0, 190) both started vs. UNC. They became the eighth and ninth true freshman to start a season opener for the Gamecocks since the 2009 season, joining Stephon Gilmore (2009), Marcus Lattimore (2010), Jadeveon Clowney (2011), Bryson Allen-Williams (2014), Al Harris Jr. (2014), Bryan Edwards (2016) and Jaycee Horn (2018). Dixon had a pick against CSU, while Robinson picked off his first pass against Florida and had nine tackles at Tennessee.
SIMPLY THE BEST: Sophomore cornerback Israel Mukuamu had a memorable game in the win at Georgia. He logged a career-high 11 tackles and intercepted Jake Fromm three times, returning one 53 yards for a score. Fromm had entered the game without an INT this season. He became the first Gamecock to record three picks in a game since Patrick Hinton vs. NC State in 1988. Mukuamu was recognized as the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week, the Chuck Bednarik Award National Player of the Week, the Bronko Nagurski Trophy National Defensive Player of the Week, the CollegeSportsMadness.com SEC and National Defensive Player of the Week, and the SEC Defensive Player of the Week.
PICK THIS: After logging just six interceptions in 2018, the Gamecocks already have nine picks this season, tied for 11th in the country, including three picks against Charleston Southern, the most in a game since the Vanderbilt win in 2015, and three more at Georgia (all by Israel Mukuamu).
KICKING IT WITH PARKER: Redshirt junior Parker White is in his third season handling the extra point and field goal attempts. White is 11-for-15 in field goals this season (73.3 pct.) with three of his four misses coming from 50 yards and beyond. He hit a then career-long 48-yarder vs. Alabama and topped that with a 49-yarder at Georgia and had another 49-yarder vs. Florida. He is 38-of-56 (67.9 percent) in career field goal attempts, including 27-of-30 (90.0 percent) from inside 40 yards. He is 93-for-94 on extra point attempts, including 22-for-22 this season.
WINNER, WINNER: Parker White owns five fourth-quarter or overtime game-winning field goals in his career. He provided the deciding points in wins over Louisiana Tech (2017), Tennessee (2017), Missouri (2018), Tennessee (2018) and Georgia (2019).
I’M CHARLTON YOUR PUNTER: Senior Joseph Charlton handles the punting chores for the Gamecocks and is an All-American candidate. He ranks third in the country in punting average at 48.6 yards. He punted nine times for a 51.2-yard average against Kentucky with a 65-yarder, earning SEC Special Teams Player of the Week accolades. He boomed a season-best 66-yarder at Tennessee. For the season, 20 of his 45 punts have traveled at least 50 yards, while 21 have been marked inside the 20 with four touchbacks. He is a four-time “Ray’s 8” weekly watch list member.
AMONG THE NATION’S BEST: Here are the top five punters in the nation:
NAME SCHOOL G NO YDS AVG
1. Braden Mann Texas A&M 8 32 1564 48.9
2. Max Duffy Kentucky 8 38 1853 48.8
3. Joseph Charlton S. Carolina 8 45 2189 48.6
3. Oscar Bradburn Virginia Tech 7 32 1544 48.3
5. Trenton Gill NC State 7 32 1509 47.2
CHARLTON THE G.O.A.T.: Joseph Charlton is currently the school record holder for career punting average at 45.5-yards per punt.
CAREER PUNTING AVERAGE (Min. 75 Punts)
1. Joseph Charlton (2015-19)….. 45.5 (148 for 6731)
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)
SNAPPING BACK: Graduate transfer Matt Oliveira handles the short and deep snapping duties. Oliveira has experience, having been the long snapper each of the last two seasons for Maryland. He was recently added to the Patrick Mannelly Award Watch List for the top long snapper in the country.
OLD-TIMERS GAME: The Gamecocks have four players – Caleb Kinlaw, J.T. Ibe, Donell Stanley and Eldridge Thompson – who are in their sixth-year of eligibility. Their first collegiate season was in 2014. South Carolina and Akron are the only Division I schools with four sixth-year players on the roster.
WORKING OVERTIME: The Gamecocks are 3-4 all-time in games decided in overtime, including a 2-0 mark when it goes to a second 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
10/12/19 at Georgia W 20-17 2
YOUR MONEY’S NO GOOD HERE: Just prior to the start of the 2019 academic year, walk-on linebacker Spencer Eason-Riddle was rewarded with a scholarship.
FAMILY TIES: Sophomore defensive back Jaycee Horn is the son of former NFL wide receiver Joe Horn, junior linebacker Damani Staley is the son of former Gamecock and NFL running back Duce Staley, while 2019 signee Shilo Sanders is the son of former NFL and MLB standout Deion Sanders.
TOTING THE SHEEPSKIN: Thirteen Gamecocks already have their undergraduate degree in hand including: Joseph Charlton, Mon Denson, Spencer Eason-Riddle, Chandler Farrell, Tavien Feaster, Daniel Fennell, Bailey Hart, J.T. Ibe, Caleb Kinlaw, Kyle Markway, Matt Oliveira, Donell Stanley and Eldridge Thompson.
THE CAP AND GOWN AWAITS: Fourteen Gamecocks are on track to graduate in December. The list includes: Michael Almond, Jake Bentley, T.J. Brunson, Rico Dowdle, Bryan Edwards, Daniel Fennell (Master’s), Sadarius Hutcherson, Javon Kinlaw, Kiel Pollard, Kobe Smith, Keir Thomas, Will Tommie, A.J. Turner, and Alexander Woznick.
LOVE US FOR OUR MINDS: Gamecock football student-athletes posted a combined 3.026 GPA in the fall semester of 2018, the best in school history, then topped that with a 3.084 team GPA in the spring of 2019. In the recently released graduation success rate, South Carolina’s Football GSR score (92) ranked second among SEC schools, tied for first among South Carolina schools (Wofford) and tied for sixth among all FBS schools.
UP NEXT: The Gamecocks step outside the SEC when they host the Appalachian State Mountaineers at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia on Saturday, Nov 9. Carolina owns an 8-1 record against App State, will all nine games played in Columbia between 1972 and 1988.
