| 2009 South Carolina Gamecocks football | |
|---|---|
 | |
PapaJohns.com Bowl, L 7–20 vs. Connecticut | |
| Conference | Southeastern Conference |
| Eastern Division | |
| Record | 7–6 (3–5 SEC) |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive scheme | Multiple |
| Defensive coordinator | Ellis Johnson (2nd season) |
| Base defense | 4–2–5 |
| Home stadium | Williams-Brice Stadium |
Uniform | |
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3 Florida x% | 8 | – | 0 | 13 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia | 4 | – | 4 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee | 4 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kentucky | 3 | – | 5 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Carolina | 3 | – | 5 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vanderbilt | 0 | – | 8 | 2 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 Alabama x$# | 8 | – | 0 | 14 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 17 LSU | 5 | – | 3 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 20 Ole Miss | 4 | – | 4 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arkansas | 3 | – | 5 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Auburn | 3 | – | 5 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mississippi State | 3 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship: Alabama 32, Florida 13 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2009 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team's head coach was Steve Spurrier, who was in his fifth season at USC. The Gamecocks played their home games at Williams–Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina. Carolina finished the season 7–6, winning the Palmetto Bowl over in-state rival Clemson 34–17 in their final regular season game,[1] before losing in the PapaJohns.com Bowl 20–7 against Connecticut.[2]
South Carolina avoided a repeat of the quarterback controversy from last season, as Stephen Garcia earned a start in every game with one of the best quarterback seasons the school had ever seen.[3][4] However, the Gamecocks returned very few proven skill players and faced what was called the most difficult schedule in the country.[3][5] The Gamecocks still won most of the games on that schedule, including two against top-15 teams, though postseason struggles under Spurrier continued.[2]
"Sandstorm" became a phenomenon.[a] The 1999 Finnish trance song was played before two decisive plays during a home game against No. 4 Ole Miss. With these plays, South Carolina sealed a historic upset, their first win against a top-5 team since 1981. After this, "Sandstorm" became cemented with the program and its fans. By 2010, it would be described as South Carolina's "unofficial anthem" and "second fight song".[10][11]
Despite the 7–6 record and "embarrassing" bowl loss,[2] the upsets over Ole Miss and Clemson has been described as catalysts to the most successful era in program history: an SEC East Championship in 2010 and 11-win seasons in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Each of those years also saw victories over Clemson – South Carolina's longest winning streak in the rivalry.[12][13][14]
- ^ South Carolina Dominates Clemson, 34-17
- ^ a b c "Connecticut 20-7 South Carolina (Jan 2, 2010) Game Recap". ESPN. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
- ^ a b Pollock, Tim. "Stephen Garcia Leads the 2009 South Carolina Gamecocks, But To Where?". Bleacher Report. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
- ^ "Stephen Garcia". University of South Carolina Athletics. June 22, 2018. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
- ^ Kelley, Kevin (August 31, 2009). "Phil Steele's 2009 College Football Strength of Schedule Rankings". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
- ^ "'Sandstorm' creator Darude will be in Columbia this weekend. How it came to be". The State. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
- ^ "'Sandstorm' creator Darude will be in Columbia this weekend. How it came to be". The State. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
- ^ "How a Finnish DJ created a 'Sandstorm' in the SEC and across the sports world". ESPN.com. August 28, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ "USC students, fans make "Sandstorm" their unofficial anthem". www.wistv.com. November 30, 2010. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
- ^ "How a Finnish DJ created a 'Sandstorm' in the SEC and across the sports world". ESPN.com. August 28, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ "USC students, fans make "Sandstorm" their unofficial anthem". www.wistv.com. November 30, 2010. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
- ^ "How 2009 USC win over Clemson served as a springboard to program's glory years".
- ^ "Winsipedia - South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Clemson Tigers football series history". Winsipedia. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
- ^ Miller, Kevin (October 1, 2024). "South Carolina football changed forever when Ole Miss last visited". On3. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
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