Wide receiver Alshon Jeffery runs in for the touchdown against Alabama in 2010
1 DIVISION CHAMPIONS STEVE SPURRIER WON THE HEISMAN TROPHY AS A QUARTERBACK AT THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA HE ALSO WON A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP THERE AS HEAD COACH BUT ONE OF HIS TOUGHEST JOBS WAS TURNING SOUTH CAROLINA INTO A WINNER Spurrier took over as the Gamecocks head coach in 2005 South Carolina wasn’t a traditional power by any means Its only conference championship in football came in 1969 in the Atlantic Coast Conference ACC Spurrier faced an uphill battle to turn the program around in the rugged Southeastern Conference SEC But by 2010 he had built a team that he thought was a winner The Gamecocks opened SEC play with a 17 6 win over 22nd-ranked Georgia A 35 27 loss at Auburn was a setback But the Gamecocks were ready when No 1 Alabama visited Columbia South Carolina
Quarterback Stephen Garcia prepares to pass against the Crimson Tide South Carolina had played Alabama three times before The Gamecocks were 0 3 in those games But none of that mattered to the fans who packed Williams-Brice Stadium on October 9 2010 The crowd went wild as the 19th-ranked Gamecocks ran onto the field Then their roars shook the stadium as the home team raced to a 21 3 lead Alabama’s fans were stunned into silence They were used to seeing their Crimson Tide roll over their opponents Alabama was the defending national champion and riding a 19-game winning streak That year’s team featured a number of future National Football League NFL stars Junior running back Mark Ingram had won the Heisman Trophy a year earlier Wide receiver Julio Jones would be the sixth pick
GAMECOCKS in the NFL Draft the next spring Four defensive starters would go on to be first-round picks Alabama was loaded with talent But South Carolina had a few weapons of its own Freshman running back Marcus Lattimore was heading for a 1,000-yard season Wide receiver Alshon Jeffery would lead the SEC with 88 catches and 1,517 receiving yards Quarterback Stephen Garcia seemed to come up with a big play whenever the Gamecocks needed it most Garcia threw a touchdown pass to Lattimore and two more to Jeffery and the Gamecocks led by 18 points early in the second quarter Alabama tried to rally but the Tide never got closer than a touchdown Lattimore scored on two short runs in the second half the latter sealing a 35 21 victory It was the type of victory that helped Spurrier make his name as a A QUICK STUDY Stephon Gilmore graduated from high school in December 2008 a half-year before his classmates He had earned a scholarship to South Carolina and wanted to join the Gamecocks for practice as early as he could His efforts paid off handsomely Gilmore started all 13 games at cornerback for South Carolina that fall It’s rare that a true freshman is given that type of responsibility in the SEC But Gilmore was a rare talent He was named to three Freshman All-America teams that year He went on to start every game the next two years as well leading the team in interceptions both years His solid play anchored the Gamecocks defensive backfield It also drew the attention of NFL scouts The Buffalo Bills chose Gilmore with the 10th pick of the 2011 NFL Draft big-time coach at Florida Spurrier was head coach there from 1990 to 2001 He led the Gators to the national title in 1996 DIVISION CHAMPIONS
