2011 South Carolina Gamecocks football team

2011 South Carolina Gamecocks football

Capital One Bowl Champions
Capital One Bowl vs. Nebraska, W 30–13
Conference	Southeastern Conference Eastern Division
Ranking
Coaches	#8
AP	#9
2011 record	11–2 (6–2 SEC)
Head coach	Steve Spurrier (7th year)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Ellis Johnson
Base defense	4–2–5
Home stadium	Williams-Brice Stadium (Capacity: 80,250)


2011 SEC football standings
Team	W		L	W		L
Eastern Division
#19 Georgia ^x	7	–	1	10	–	4
#9 South Carolina	6	–	2	11	–	2
Florida	3	–	5	7	–	6
Vanderbilt	2	–	6	6	–	7
Kentucky	2	–	6	5	–	7
Tennessee	1	–	7	5	–	7
Western Division
#2 LSU ^x†	8	–	0	13	–	1
#1 Alabama ‡#	7	–	1	12	–	1
#5 Arkansas	6	–	2	11	–	2
Auburn	4	–	4	8	–	5
Mississippi State	2	–	6	7	–	6
Ole Miss	0	–	8	2	–	10
Championship: LSU 42, Georgia 10
# – BCS National Champion † – BCS representative as conference champion ‡ – BCS at-large representative x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 2011 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Gamecocks were led by seventh-year head coach Steve Spurrier and played their home games at Williams-Brice Stadium. They are a member of the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference and finished 11-2 for the season and 6–2 in SEC play. While they finished undefeated against the Eastern Division, a 13-16 loss to Auburn and a 28-44 loss to Arkansas left them second in the division standings behind Georgia. In the Capital One Bowl, they defeated Nebraska 30–13. The 11 wins were a school record; it was only the second time in the school's 119-year football history that it won as many as 10 games. They also finished eighth in the final Coaches' Poll and ninth in the final AP Poll—their first-ever top-10 finishes in any major poll.

Preseason

On April 10, 2011, the Garnet squad defeated the Black squad, 21–17, in the annual Garnet & Black Spring Game, in front of a crowd of 30,100.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent^#	Rank^#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 3	7:00 pm	vs. East Carolina*	#12	Bank of America Stadium • Charlotte, NC	FSN	W 56–37	58,272
September 10	4:30 pm	at Georgia	#12	Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA	ESPN	W 45–42	92,746
September 17	6:00 pm	Navy*	#10	Williams-Brice Stadium • Columbia, SC	ESPN2	W 24–21	78,807
September 24	7:00 pm	Vanderbilt	#12	Williams-Brice Stadium • Columbia, SC	ESPN2	W 21–3	77,015
October 1	3:30 pm	Auburn	#10	Williams-Brice Stadium • Columbia, SC	CBS	L 13–16	81,767
October 8	12:21 pm	Kentucky	#18	Williams-Brice Stadium • Columbia, SC	SECN	W 54–3	75,838
October 15	12:21 pm	at Mississippi State	#15	Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, MS	SECN	W 14–12	55,418
October 29	7:15 pm	at Tennessee	#14	Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN	ESPN2	W 14–3	96,655
November 5	7:15 pm	at #8 Arkansas	#10	Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium • Fayetteville, AR	ESPN	L 28–44	73,804
November 12	12:00 pm	Florida	#15	Williams-Brice Stadium • Columbia, SC	CBS	W 17–12	80,250
November 19	12:00 pm	The Citadel*	#14	Williams-Brice Stadium • Columbia, SC	SECRN	W 41–20	76,816
November 26	7:45 pm	#18 Clemson*	#14	Williams-Brice Stadium • Columbia, SC (Battle of the Palmetto State)	ESPN	W 34–13	83,442
January 2	1:00 pm	vs. #21 Nebraska*	#10	Citrus Bowl • Orlando, FL (Capital One Bowl)	ESPN	W 30–13	61,351
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. ^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time^[1].

Game notes

East Carolina

	1	2	3	4	Total
East Carolina	7	17	7	6	37
• South Carolina	0	14	28	14	56

Date: September 3
Location: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC

Georgia

	1	2	3	4	Total
• South Carolina	0	14	14	17	45
Georgia	6	7	7	22	42

Date: September 10
Location: Sanford Stadium, Athens, GA

Navy

	1	2	3	4	Total
Navy	7	7	7	0	21
• South Carolina	7	10	0	7	24

Date: September 17
Location: Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC

Vanderbilt

	1	2	3	4	Total
Vanderbilt	3	0	0	0	3
• South Carolina	0	14	7	0	21

Date: September 24
Location: Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC

Auburn

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Auburn	3	6	0	7	16
South Carolina	6	0	7	0	13

Date: October 1
Location: Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC

Kentucky

	1	2	3	4	Total
Kentucky	3	0	0	0	3
• South Carolina	7	13	13	21	54

Date: October 8
Location: Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC

Mississippi State

	1	2	3	4	Total
• South Carolina	0	7	0	7	14
Mississippi State	7	0	0	5	12

Date: October 15
Location: Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville, MS

Tennessee

	1	2	3	4	Total
• South Carolina	0	7	7	0	14
Tennessee	3	0	0	0	3

Date: October 29
Location: Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN

Arkansas

	1	2	3	4	Total
South Carolina	7	7	7	7	28
• Arkansas	10	14	6	14	44

Date: November 5
Location: Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, AR

Florida

	1	2	3	4	Total
Florida	3	0	3	6	12
• South Carolina	0	14	0	3	17

Date: November 12
Location: Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC

The Citadel

	1	2	3	4	Total
The Citadel	7	6	0	7	20
• South Carolina	7	13	7	14	41

Date: November 19
Location: Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC

Clemson

	1	2	3	4	Total
Clemson	0	10	0	3	13
• South Carolina	10	7	7	10	34

Date: November 26
Location: Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC

Capital One Bowl

	1	2	3	4	Total
Nebraska	13	0	0	0	13
• South Carolina	9	7	0	14	30

Date: January 2
Location: Florida Citrus Bowl, Orlando, FL

Players

Depth chart

Projected starters and primary backups versus Clemson on November 26, 2011.

Defense

FS
D. J. Swearinger
Jimmy Legree

WLB	MLB	SLB
⋅	Shaq Wilson	⋅
Quin Smith	Rodney Paulk	⋅

SS
DeVonte Holloman
Brison Williams

CB
C.C. Whitlock
Marty Markett

DE	DT	DT	DE
Melvin Ingram	Kelcy Quarles	Travian Robertson	Devin Taylor
Jadeveon Clowney	Aldrick Fordham	Byron Jerideau	Chaz Sutton

CB
Stephon Gilmore
Victor Hampton

Offense

WR
Alshon Jeffery
Nick Jones

LT	LG	C	RG	RT
Rokevious Watkins	A. J. Cann	T.J. Johnson	Terrence Campbell	Mike Matulis
Mike Matulis	Kyle Harris	Travis Ford	Ronald Patrick	Cody Gibson

TE
Justice Cunningham
Rory Anderson

WR
Ace Sanders
Bruce Ellington

QB
Connor Shaw
Dylan Thompson

Key Reserves
RB Eric Baker
WR DeAngelo Smith
WR Lamar Scruggs
WR Damiere Byrd
WR D.L. Moore
WR Jason Barnes
DE Byron McKnight
LB Qua Gilchrist

RB
Brandon Wilds
Kenny Miles

FB
Dalton Wilson
Connor McLaurin

Special Teams
PK Jay Wooten
P Joey Scribner-Howard
KR Bruce Ellington
PR Ace Sanders
LS Walker Inabinet
H Seth Strickland

Awards

Antonio Allen – AP Second-Team All-SEC;^[2] AP Second-Team All-American^[3]
A.J. Cann – Coaches SEC All-Freshman Team^[4]
Jadeveon Clowney – Coaches Second-Team All-SEC;^[5] Coaches SEC All-Freshman Team;^[6] SEC Freshman of the Year;^[7] Sporting News All-Freshman Team^[8]
Bruce Ellington – SEC Co-Freshman of the Week, 10/17/11;^[9] Coaches SEC All-Freshman Team^[10]
Melvin Ingram – Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week, 9/11/11;^[11] SEC Special Teams Player of the Week, 9/12/11;^[12] SEC Defensive Player of the Week, 9/26/11;^[13] SEC Defensive Player of the Week, 10/3/11;^[14] AP & Coaches First-Team All-SEC;^[15]^[16] AFCA All-American Team;^[17] Walter Camp First-Team All-American;^[18] AP First-Team All-American;^[19] Sporting News All-American Team^[20]
Alshon Jeffrey – AP Second-Team All-SEC;^[21] Capital One Bowl MVP
Marcus Lattimore – SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week, 9/19/11;^[22] AP & Coaches Second-Team All-SEC^[23]^[24]
Mike Matulis – Sporting News All-Freshman Team^[25]
Travian Robertson – SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week, 10/14/11^[26]
Connor Shaw – SEC Offensive Player of the Week, 10/10/11;^[27] SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week, 11/28/11^[28]
D.J. Swearinger – SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week, 10/17/11^[29]
Rokevious Watkins – SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week, 9/5/11;^[30] AP First-Team All-SEC;^[31] Coaches Second-Team All-SEC^[32]
Brandon Wilds – SEC Freshman of the Week, 10/31/11^[33]
Dalton Wilson – Capital One Academic All-America Second Team^[34]

2011 recruiting class

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40^‡	Commit date
Jerell Adams TE	Summerton, SC	Scotts Branch HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	4.53	Jan 31, 2011
Jerell Adams TE	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 76
Rory Anderson TE	Powder Springs, GA	McEachern HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	4.65	Jan 19, 2011
Rory Anderson TE	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79
K.J. Brent WR	Waxhaw, NC	Marvin Ridge HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	4.5	Apr 14, 2010
K.J. Brent WR	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 75
Kaleb Broome OL	Milledgeville, GA	Georgia Military College	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	315 lb (143 kg)	4.97	Jul 23, 2010
Kaleb Broome OL	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: -
Damiere Byrd WR	Sicklerville, NJ	Timber Creek HS	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	4.27	Feb 4, 2011
Damiere Byrd WR	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78
Shon Carson RB	Scranton, SC	Lake City HS	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	4.4	Oct 10, 2010
Shon Carson RB	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77
Ahmad Christian DB	Jacksonville, FL	Trinity Christian HS	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	4.5	Jan 23, 2011
Ahmad Christian DB	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77
Jadeveon Clowney DE	Rock Hill, SC	South Pointe HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	4.6	Feb 14, 2011
Jadeveon Clowney DE	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 95
Cedrick Cooper LB	Lithonia, GA	Lithonia HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	4.5	Feb 2, 2011
Cedrick Cooper LB	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78
Gerald Dixon DE	Rock Hill, SC	South Pointe HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	240 lb (110 kg)	-	Jan 4, 2011
Gerald Dixon DE	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77
Gerald Dixon, Jr. DT	Rock Hill, SC	Northwestern HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	270 lb (120 kg)	5.0	Jan 4, 2011
Gerald Dixon, Jr. DT	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 71
Phillip Dukes DT	Manning, SC	Manning HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	290 lb (130 kg)	5.0	Feb 1, 2011
Phillip Dukes DT	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79
Deon Green DT	Orlando, FL	Olympia HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	270 lb (120 kg)	-	Jun 29, 2010
Deon Green DT	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78
Kyle Harris OT	Lindale, GA	Pepperell HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	280 lb (130 kg)	4.97	Nov 7, 2010
Kyle Harris OT	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79
Mason Harris LB	Rossville, GA	Ridgeland HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	4.5	Jun 7, 2010
Mason Harris LB	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 76
Shamier Jeffery WR	St. Matthews, SC	Calhoun County HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	4.6	Nov 29, 2010
Shamier Jeffery WR	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79
Kadetrix Marcus DB	Stone Mountain, GA	Stephenson HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	4.6	Nov 7, 2010
Kadetrix Marcus DB	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 80
Ronnie Martin DB	Spartanburg, SC	Spartanburg HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	4.4	Aug 4, 2010
Ronnie Martin DB	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77
Martay Mattox ATH	Athens, GA	Clarke Central HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	4.5	May 17, 2010
Martay Mattox ATH	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 74
Mike Matulis OT	Lake Worth, FL	Park Vista HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	275 lb (125 kg)	5.1	Jul 24, 2010
Mike Matulis OT	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 76
Tanner McEvoy QB	Oradell, NJ	Bergen Catholic HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	4.6	Jan 20, 2011
Tanner McEvoy QB	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78
Quincy McKinney OL	Columbus, GA	Carver HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	295 lb (134 kg)	-	Aug 25, 2010
Quincy McKinney OL	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78
Edward Muldrow LB	Snellville, GA	South Gwinnett HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	4.7	Jun 19, 2010
Edward Muldrow LB	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79
Drew Owens TE	Charlotte, NC	Ardrey Kell HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	4.8	Dec 20, 2010
Drew Owens TE	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79
Kelcy Quarles DT	Fork Union, VA	Fork Union Military Academy	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	265 lb (120 kg)	-	Nov 24, 2008
Kelcy Quarles DT	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: -
Marcquis Roberts LB	Powder Springs, GA	McEachern HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	4.7	Jan 19, 2011
Marcquis Roberts LB	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78
Sheldon Royster DB	Jersey City, NJ	St. Peter's Prep	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	-	Jan 20, 2011
Sheldon Royster DB	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77
Brandon Shell OL	Charleston, SC	Goose Creek HS	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	310 lb (140 kg)	5.35	Nov 1, 2010
Brandon Shell OL	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79
Will Sport OL	Pace, FL	Pace HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	275 lb (125 kg)	-	Oct 4, 2010
Will Sport OL	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 76
Angelo Watley LB	Suwanee, GA	Peachtree Ridge HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	-	Jun 25, 2010
Angelo Watley LB	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 76
Brandon Wilds RB	Blythewood, SC	Blythewood HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	4.5	Aug 19, 2010
Brandon Wilds RB	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 76
Brison Williams DB	Fork Union, VA	Fork Union Military Academy	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	-	Aug 25, 2010
Brison Williams DB	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: -
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 12 Rivals: 18 ESPN: 15
‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "South Carolina Signee List 2011". Rivals.com. "Scout.com Football Recruiting: South Carolina". Scout.com. "2011 Player Signees- South Carolina". ESPN.com. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. "2011 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. ( ) = First place votes.
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	12	12	10	12	10	18	15	14	14	10	15	14	14	14	10	9
Coaches'	12	12	11	10	9	14	13	12	14	10	15	14	13	13	9	8
Harris	Not released						15	13	14	11	16	15	13	14	9	Not released
BCS	Not released							14	13	9	13	12	12	12	9	Not released

Coaching staff

Steve Spurrier – Head Coach^[35]
Ellis Johnson – Assistant Head Coach & Defense Assistant Coach^[36]
Lorenzo Ward – Defensive Coordinator & Cornerbacks^[37]
John Butler – Special Teams Coordinator^[38]
Shawn Elliott – Offensive Line/Running Game Coordinator^[39]
Craig Fitzgerald – Strength & Conditioning^[40]
Jay Graham – Running Backs/Tight Ends^[41]
Jeep Hunter – Safeties^[42]
Brad Lawing – Defensive Line^[43]
G.A. Mangus – Quarterbacks^[44]
Steve Spurrier, Jr. – Wide Receivers^[45]

References

South Carolina Gamecocks football

Venues	Williams-Brice Stadium (1934–present)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Clemson Georgia

Culture & lore	Cocky "The Fighting Gamecocks Lead the Way" Mighty Sound of the Southeast Sandstorm Clemson–South Carolina football brawl

People	Head coaches Statistical leaders NFL draftees

Seasons	1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015