2015 South Carolina Gamecocks football team

2015 South Carolina Gamecocks football
Conference Southeastern Conference
Division Eastern Division
2015 record 3–9 (1–7 SEC)
Head coach Steve Spurrier
(first 6 games, 11th year)
Shawn Elliott
(interim)
Offensive coordinator G.A Mangus
Offensive scheme Multiple
Co-defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward (4th as DC, 7th overall year)
Co-defensive coordinator Jon Hoke (1st year)
Base defense 4–3
Home stadium Williams-Brice Stadium
(Capacity: 80,250)
Tiger Stadium (1 game)
(Capacity: 102,321)
2015 SEC football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
East Division
#25 Florida x   7 1         10 4  
#22 Tennessee   5 3         9 4  
Georgia   5 3         10 3  
Vanderbilt   2 6         4 8  
Kentucky   2 6         5 7  
Missouri   1 7         5 7  
South Carolina   1 7         3 9  
West Division
#1 Alabama x$#^   7 1         14 1  
#10 Ole Miss   6 2         10 3  
Arkansas   5 3         8 5  
#16 LSU   5 3         9 3  
Texas A&M   4 4         8 5  
Mississippi State   4 4         9 4  
Auburn   2 6         7 6  
Championship: Alabama 29, Florida 15
  • # College Football Playoff champion
  • ^ College Football Playoff participant
  • $ Conference champion
  • x Division champion/co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2015 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Gamecocks competed as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) as part of its Eastern Division. The team was led by head coach Steve Spurrier, who was in his eleventh year before his resignation on October 12, 2015;[1] co-offensive coordinator Shawn Elliott took over as interim head coach. They played their home games at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina. They finished the season 3–9, 1–7 in SEC play to finish in a tie for sixth place in the Eastern Division.

Previous season

Projected to win the East Division by many entering the season, the 2014 South Carolina Gamecocks football team endured a disappointing 2014 regular season, going 6-6 overall and 3-5 against SEC opponents, and finishing in fifth place finish in their division. The Gamecocks opened the 2014 season against their new inter-division rival, Texas A&M who replaced Arkansas in the SEC's new scheduling formula. South Carolina ranked #9 in the nation entering the game but lost to the #21 Aggies in an upset that ended their NCAA leading 18-game home winning streak. The team won their next two SEC contests over Vanderbilt 48-34 and #6 Georgia 38-35. South Carolina then suffered close losses in their next four games against SEC foes Missouri, Kentucky, Auburn, and Tennessee. The Gamecocks did win their final SEC game in come-from-behind fashion over Florida, but lost to their in-state rival Clemson for the first time since 2008 to close out the season. South Carolina was invited to play in the 2014 Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana against Miami of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Gamecocks ended the season with a 24-21 win over the Hurricanes to finish the 2014 season 7-6.

Schedule

South Carolina announced their 2015 football schedule on October 14, 2014. The 2015 schedule consists of 7 home games, 4 away games and 1 neutral game in the regular season. The Gamecocks will host SEC foes Florida, Kentucky, LSU, and Vanderbilt, and will travel to Georgia, Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas A&M.[2]

The Gamecocks will host three of the four non–conference play against UCF, The Citadel and in–state rival Clemson. South Carolina traveled to play North Carolina at a neutral site in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Gamecocks were supposed to host the LSU Tigers for the first time since 2008 and travel to College Station, Texas for the first time on Halloween. On October 13, 2015 Steve Spurrier officially announced his resignation as head football coach, and co-offensive coordinator Shawn Elliott was named interim head coach for the remaining games of the season.[3]

Date Time Opponent Site TV Result Attendance
September 3 6:00 p.m. vs. North Carolina* Bank of America StadiumCharlotte, NC (Belk Kickoff Game/Battle of the Carolinas) ESPN W 17–13   51,664
September 12 7:30 p.m. Kentucky Williams-Brice StadiumColumbia, SC SECN L 22–26   82,178
September 19 6:00 p.m. at No. 7 Georgia Sanford StadiumAthens, GA (Rivalry) ESPN L 20–52   92,746
September 26 Noon UCF* Williams-Brice Stadium • Columbia, SC ESPNU W 31–14   78,411
October 3 Noon at Missouri Faurot FieldColumbia, MO SECN L 10–24   66,751
October 10 3:30 p.m. No. 7 LSU Tiger StadiumBaton Rouge, LA[a] ESPN L 24–45   42,058
October 17 4:00 p.m. Vanderbiltdagger Williams-Brice Stadium • Columbia, SC SECN W 1910   75,159
October 31 Noon at Texas A&M Kyle FieldCollege Station, TX SECN L 28–35   102,154
November 7 4:00 p.m. at Tennessee Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN SECN L 24–27   101,253
November 14 Noon No. 11 Florida Williams-Brice Stadium • Columbia, SC ESPN L 14–24   78,536
November 21 Noon No. 25 (FCS) The Citadel* Williams-Brice Stadium • Columbia, SC SECN L 22–23   77,241
November 28 Noon No. 1 Clemson* Williams-Brice Stadium • Columbia, SC (Palmetto Bowl) ESPN L 32–37   81,409
*Non-conference game. daggerHomecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.
^[a] The game between South Carolina and LSU was originally scheduled to take place in Columbia. However, in light of massive flooding in Columbia earlier in the week, the game was moved to Baton Rouge. The game was still considered a home game for South Carolina[4]
Schedule Source:[5]

References

  1. Hunte, Sydney (October 12, 2015). "South Carolina Head Coach Steve Spurrier Resigns, Effective Immediately". SB Nation. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
  2. "2015 Football Schedule Announced" (Press release). University of South Carolina Department of Athletics. October 14, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  3. Kendall, Josh (October 12, 2015). "Steve Spurrier Is Retiring Immediately as South Carolina's Football Coach". The State. Columbia, SC. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
  4. "Football Game Moved to Baton Rouge" (Press release). University of South Carolina Department of Athletics. October 7, 2015. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
  5. "2015 South Carolina Gamecocks Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
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