With the addition of Texas an Oklahoma to the SEC snd elimination of divisions in the Southeastern conference, South Carolina forever gets the distinct honor of being the last SEC East team to beat Alabama in the regular season.
In front of a packed house at Williams-Brice Stadium, the Gamecocks upset Alabama in 2010. The Crimson Tide made the trip back to Columbia in 2019, but South Carolina hasn’t played inside Bryant-Denny Stadium since 2009. That changes this season when Shane Beamer’s Gamecocks roll into Tuscaloosa for Game 6.
Beamer took South Carolina to bowl games in each of his first two seasons as head coach before a disappointing 5-7 finish last season. The Gamecocks got off to a 2-6 start before rallying down the final stretch of the season. Beamer isn’t necessarily on the hot seat heading into 2024, but he can’t afford to get off to another poor start with a challenging SEC slate ahead.
South Carolina’s offense was pass-reliant in 2023 with Spencer Rattler at quarterback and first-rounder Xavier Legette at receiver. Both players are gone now, so offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains will be working with a new QB in his second year with the Gamecocks.
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Beamer named redshirt freshman LaNorris Sellers the starter after spring football. Sellers appeared on three games for South Carolina last season with just four total pass attempts, but two touchdowns against Furman.
Not only did the Gamecocks not have an individual 1000-yard rusher last season, but the offense barely crossed 1,000 yards total rushing as a team. Leading rusher Mario Anderson transferred to Memphis, but Beamer added two running backs out of the portal in North Texas’ Oscar Adaway III and Arkansas’ Raheim Sanders. The former Arkansas back missed time with injury last season, but 1443 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2022.
Returner Nyck Harbor (12 catches for 195 yards) and transfers Ahmari Huggins-Bruce (Louisville) and Jared Brown (Coastal Carolina) will look to pick up the production gap left behind by Legette. With a lot of new faces to work into the offense at the skill positions, South Carolina does bring back a lot of experience along the offensive line. All five starters up front have at least one start under their belt with the Gamecocks. The O-line will need to show improvement after allowing 41 sacks a season ago.
Defensive coordinator Clayton White has been with Beamer all three seasons in Columbia so far, but has never had a defense finish higher than 41st in the country. They have really struggled the past two seasons finishing 89th in 2022 and 90th in 2023, allowing nearly 400 yards per game last season.
South Carolina obviously needs to improve on those numbers if it wants to have more success in 2024. The defense is headlined by all-SEC linebacker Debo Williams, who led the Gamecocks with 113 tackles a year ago.
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The Gamecocks have three talented returners leading in the secondary with sophomore Jalon Kilgore, who earned freshman all-American honors with 76 tackles and an interception last season in 10 starts, junior Nick Emmanwori and redshirt senior O’Donnell Fortune.
Junior defensive tackle T.J. Sanders led South Carolina with 4.5 sacks last season and looks to build on that breakout season in his redshirt junior campaign alongside redshirt senior Tonka Hemingway.
South Carolina faces Alabama in the middle of a brutal three-game stretch for the Gamecocks against three straight projected top-25 teams starting with Ole Miss at home followed by road games at Alabama and Oklahoma.
For Alabama, the schedule will be a little lighter at this point with a matchup at Vanderbilt the week before. However, the Crimson Tide does have a big road game at Tennessee after facing South Carolina, so Alabama could get caught looking ahead. Both the Crimson Tide and Gamecocks will have already had one of their two bye weeks for the season ahead of this matchup in September.
Alabama will likely by double-digit home favorites over South Carolina for this mid-October matchup. Both teams should be settled into the season by this point, but the Gamecocks have a lot more questions surrounding their team than the Crimson Tide. Jalen Milroe will be returning as starting quarterback for Alabama, and South Carolina will either be breaking in a redshirt freshman or transfer at the position.
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Beamer has done a good job trying to turn around the South Carolina program over the last three years, but Alabama still has a much deeper and more talented roster.
South Carolina only has one win in Tuscaloosa all time (2004), and I don’t see that changing this season.
Date: Oct. 12
Time: 11 a.m. CT
TV: TBD
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Location: Bryant-Denny Stadium
Series history: Alabama leads, 11-4
Last meeting: Alabama beat South Carolina 47-23 in Columbia in 2019. Tua Tagovailoa threw for 444 yards and five touchdowns.
Coach: Shane Beamer, fourth season, 20-18 record
Offensive coordinator: Dowell Loggains
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Defensive coordinator: Clayton White
2023 record: 5-7 (3-5 SEC)
2023 rankings: Total offense (83rd), Total defense (90th)
Returning Starters
11 (four on offense, seven on defense)
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Players to Watch
RB Raheim Sanders, WR Nyck Harbor, LB Debo Williams, DT Tonka Hemingway, DB Nick Emmanwori, DB Jalon Kilgore
Top Newcomer:
Arkansas transfer running back Raheim Sanders will bring a new dynamic to the South Carolina offense if he can stay healthy. His career with the Razorbacks was hampered by injuries, but he has 2,230 yards and 17 rushing touchdowns in his career.
Biggest Question
Will Sellers be able to settle into the starting quarterback job, or will Beamer have to turn to Auburn transfer Robbie Ashford or Pitt transfer Davis Beville?
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Location: Columbia, South Carolina
Founded: 1801
Enrollment: 53,455
Nickname: Gamecocks
Colors: Garnet, black and white
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Mascot: Sir Big Spur
Last time beat Alabama: 2010
Last time won SEC: Never
Last time won SEC East: 2010
National championships: None
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Playoff Appearances: None
Conference championships: 1 (1969 in ACC)
Bowl record: 10-15
Last season missed bowl: 2023
Heisman trophies: 1 (George Rogers- 1980)
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2024 NFL Draft:
Last four recruiting class rankings: No. 22 (2024), No. 16 (2023), No. 24 (2022), No. 80 (2021)
Aug. 31: Old Dominion Sept. 7: at Kentucky Sept. 14: LSU Sept. 21: Akron Oct. 5: Ole Miss Oct. 12: at Alabama Oct. 19: at Oklahoma Nov. 2: Texas A&M Nov. 9: at Vanderbilt Nov. 16: Missouri Nov. 23: Wofford Nov. 30: at Clemson
UCLA’s win over No. 1 ranked South Carolina wasn’t a fluke, and Bruins center Lauren Betts says if you haven’t been paying attention, now would be the time to.
Let’s say the thing. It was not close on Sunday. From the opening tip to the final buzzer, UCLA commanded the floor and had an answer for everything the Gamecocks tried to do. The Bruins beat South Carolina on the boards (41-34), held four starters to under five points, and *checks notes* not a single starter went to the free-throw line. UGLY STUFF.
Furthermore, five UCLA players scored in double figures, including Londynn Jones, who was sensational from the line with five 3-pointers, and star center Lauren Betts, who had 11 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and four blocks. WHEW. Postgame, Betts raved about her team and how proud she was, but she also sent a direct warning to college basketball. “If you’ve been sleeping on UCLA,” Betts said. “You need to stop right now.”
Clemson football looks to win its second straight Palmetto Bowl.
The No. 12 Tigers (9-2) faces in-state rival No. 14 South Carolina (8-3) on Saturday (noon ET, ESPN) at Memorial Stadium. This will be the 121st meeting between these two programs and one of the highest-ranked rivalry games in Week 14.
There are still tickets available for Clemson’s last game in Death Valley in the regular season. Here are the best prices for remaining seats.
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See Clemson ticket prices for every game this season
Clemson tickets vs South Carolina
Ticket prices for Clemson’s final home game against South Carolina on Saturday start at $175 on StubHub and at $167 on VividSeats. Prices in the lower bowl range from $224 to over $1000 on both sites.
To see a full list of ticket prices, visit StubHub or VividSeats.
MORE: Why Clemson showcases patriotism before football games at Memorial Stadium
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Clemson football schedule 2024
Aug. 31: Georgia 34, Clemson 3
Sept. 7: Clemson 66, Appalachian State 20
Sept. 21: Clemson 59, NC State 35
Sept. 28: Clemson 40, Stanford 14
Oct. 5: Clemson 29, Florida State 13
Oct. 12: Clemson 49, Wake Forest 14
Oct. 19: Clemson 48, Virginia 31
Nov. 2: Louisville 33, Clemson 21
Nov. 9: Clemson 24, Virginia Tech 14
Nov. 16: Clemson 24, Pitt 20
Nov. 23: Clemson 51, The Citadel 14
Nov. 30: vs. No. 14 South Carolina, noon ET (ESPN)
South Carolina football 2024 schedule
Aug. 31: South Carolina 23, Old Dominion 19
Sept. 7: South Carolina 31, Kentucky 6
Sept. 14: LSU 36, South Carolina 33
Sept. 21: South Carolina 50, Akron 7
Oct. 5: Ole Miss 27, South Carolina 3
Oct. 12: Alabama 27, South Carolina 25
Oct. 19: South Carolina 35, Oklahoma 9
Nov. 2: South Carolina 44, Texas A&M 20
Nov. 9: South Carolina 28, Vanderbilt 7
Nov. 16: South Carolina 34, Missouri 30
Nov. 23: South Carolina 56, Wofford 12
Nov. 30: at No. 12 Clemson, noon ET (ESPN)
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The UCLA women’s basketball put the country on notice, defeating the #1 South Carolina Gamecocks 77-62 at home on Sunday.
The sold out crowd at Pauley Pavilion was engaged all night, with UCLA never trailing in the win, a signature victory for Cori Close’s program. South Carolina entered Sunday’s game winners of 43 in a row, including an undefeated season last year that ended with a national title.
UCLA took a 43-22 lead into halftime, taking an early first quarter lead and never looking back. UCLA didn’t allow a South Carolina basket in the game’s first five minutes, holding the Gamecocks for the first half of the first quarter. A three by junior guard Londynn Jones gave the Bruins a 15-2 lead with 2:36 to play in the opening quarter.
Junior guard Kiki Rice was a full-go for UCLA for the first time all season, with Rice scoring 11 points on 5-11 shooting in 28 minutes. It was a modest scoring night for junior center Lauren Betts, finishing with 11 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks while playing 37 minutes. Jones led the Bruins with 15 points, as UCLA had five players with double figures.
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South Carolina shot the three ball well, going 8-12 from deep but just 29.6% on two point shots. The Gamecocks would win the second half 40-34 but after the dominant first half by the Bruins, it was too late.
The #5 Bruins are due to climb in the rankings after doing what no other women’s college basketball team has done since April of 2023, beat the South Carolina Gamecocks.
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