2008 South Carolina Gamecocks football team

2008 South Carolina Gamecocks football
Outback Bowl, L 10–31 vs. Iowa
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
DivisionEastern Division
Record7–6 (4–4 SEC)
Head coach
Defensive coordinatorEllis Johnson (1st season)
Home stadiumWilliams-Brice Stadium (c. 80,250, grass)
Seasons
← 2007
2009 →
2008 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Eastern Division
No. 1 Florida x$#   7 – 1     13 – 1  
No. 13 Georgia   6 – 2     10 – 3  
Vanderbilt   4 – 4     7 – 6  
South Carolina   4 – 4     7 – 6  
Tennessee   3 – 5     5 – 7  
Kentucky   2 – 6     7 – 6  
Western Division
No. 6 Alabama x%   8 – 0     12 – 2  
No. 14 Ole Miss   5 – 3     9 – 4  
LSU   3 – 5     8 – 5  
Arkansas   2 – 6     5 – 7  
Auburn   2 – 6     5 – 7  
Mississippi State   2 – 6     4 – 8  
Championship: Florida 31, Alabama 20
  • # – BCS National Champion
  • $ – BCS representative as conference champion
  • % – BCS at-large representative
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2008 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team's head coach was Steve Spurrier, who served his fourth season at USC. The Gamecocks played their home games at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina. The team compiled a record of 7–6.[1]

South Carolina had the top defense in the country by October,[2][3] but also three different starting quarterbacks and one of the worst offensive lines in the country throughout the year.[4][5][6][7] After Tommy Beecher sustained a poor performance and injury in the season-opener against NC State, the team's offense alternated mainly between quarterbacks Chris Smelley and Stephen Garcia.[4][5][6][8] The Gamecocks nearly upset No. 2 Georgia and defending national champion No. 13 LSU, but fell short in both games.[9][10]

  1. ^ "2008 South Carolina Gamecocks Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  2. ^ "South Carolina Defeats Ole Miss 31-24". Ole Miss Athletics - Hotty Toddy. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  3. ^ Talbott, Chris. "Gamecocks find QB in win". The Augusta Chronicle. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Writer, Staff. "Garcia might get chance to step up". The Augusta Chronicle. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Talbott, Chris. "Gamecocks find QB in win". The Augusta Chronicle. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Garcia Named Starter for Bowl Game". University of South Carolina Athletics. November 30, 2008. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  7. ^ Pollock, Tim. "Stephen Garcia Leads the 2009 South Carolina Gamecocks, But To Where?". Bleacher Report. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  8. ^ Breiner, Ben (August 30, 2017). "Why Tommy Beecher won't let one bad game define him". The State. Retrieved September 30, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ "Gamecocks Fall Short In Loss To No. 2 Georgia 14-7". University of South Carolina Athletics. September 13, 2008. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  10. ^ "LSU 24-17 South Carolina (Oct 18, 2008) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved September 30, 2024.