1979 South Carolina Gamecocks football team

1979 South Carolina Gamecocks football
ConferenceIndependent
Record8–4
Head coach
Defensive coordinatorRichard Bell (5th season)
Home stadiumWilliams–Brice Stadium
1979 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 6 Florida State   –   –   11 – 1 – 0
No. 7 Pittsburgh   –   –   11 – 1 – 0
UNLV   –   –   9 – 1 – 2
No. 17 Temple   –   –   10 – 2 – 0
Tulane   –   –   9 – 3 – 0
Rutgers   –   –   8 – 3 – 0
Tennessee State   –   –   8 – 3 – 0
East Carolina   –   –   7 – 3 – 1
No. 20 Penn State   –   –   8 – 4 – 0
  –   –   8 – 4 – 0
Navy   –   –   7 – 4 – 0
Notre Dame   –   –   7 – 4 – 0
Southern Miss   –   –   6 – 4 – 1
Syracuse   –   –   7 – 5 – 0
Colgate   –   –   5 – 4 – 1
Boston College   –   –   5 – 6 – 0
Holy Cross   –   –   5 – 6 – 0
Memphis State   –   –   5 – 6 – 0
Miami (FL)   –   –   5 – 6 – 0
North Texas State   –   –   5 – 6 – 0
Villanova   –   –   5 – 6 – 0
Virginia Tech   –   –   5 – 6 – 0
West Virginia   –   –   5 – 6 – 0
Georgia Tech   –   –   4 – 6 – 1
Louisville   –   –   4 – 6 – 1
William & Mary   –   –   4 – 7 – 0
Illinois State   –   –   3 – 8 – 0
Northeast Louisiana   –   –   3 – 8 – 0
Army   –   –   2 – 8 – 1
Air Force   –   –   2 – 9 – 0
Cincinnati   –   –   2 – 9 – 0
Richmond   –   –   0 – 11 – 0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1979 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina as an independent during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Jim Carlen, the Gamecocks compiled a record of 8–4. South Carolina was invited to the Hall of Fame Classic, where they lost to Missouri, 24–14.

In 1979, despite pressure on Carlen's job security, South Carolina received some preseason hype, as they returned eighteen of the 22 starters from last season.[1] The Gamecocks would live up to the hype, with wins over two top-20 teams,[2] their highest ranking since 1976,[3] and their first bowl appearance since 1975.[4] South Carolina's eight wins were the most since 1903. If only considering wins against college football teams, the eight wins were the most in program history.[1][5] It would be the first of five eight-win seasons for the program in the late 1970s and 1980s.[5]

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 8at North Carolina
ESPNL 0–2849,500[6]
September 15Western Michigan
W 24–750,137[7]
September 22Duke
  • Williams–Brice Stadium
  • Columbia, SC
W 35–053,793[8]
September 26at Georgia
W 27–2060,100[9]
October 6Oklahoma State
  • Williams–Brice Stadium
  • Columbia, SC
W 23–1656,405[10]
October 20Ole Miss
  • Williams–Brice Stadium
  • Columbia, SC
W 21–1456,407[11]
October 27at No. 14 Notre Dame
L 17–1859,075[12]
November 3NC State
  • Williams–Brice Stadium
  • Columbia, SC
W 30–2856,409[13]
November 10at No. 7 Florida StateNo. 19
L 7–2749,490[14]
November 17No. 17 Wake Forest
  • Williams–Brice Stadium
  • Columbia, SC
W 35–1456,407[15]
November 24No. 13 ClemsonNo. 19
  • Williams–Brice Stadium
  • Columbia, SC (rivalry)
ESPNW 13–956,887[16]
December 29vs. MissouriNo. 16
MizlouL 14–2462,785[17]
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[18]

Roster

1979 South Carolina Gamecocks football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
G 63 Fred David Sr
C 61 Quay Farr Sr
QB 10 Garry Harper Jr
WR 41 Zion McKinney Sr
TE 47 Willie Scott Jr
RB 38 George Rogers Jr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DT 74 Chuck Allen Jr
DT 70 Steve Bernish Sr
DB 23 Lou Biondi Sr
DE 81 Brett Bond Sr
DE 82 Arthur Broussard Sr
DB 21 Andy Hastings Sr
DB 22 Tim Rhino Fr
LB 54 Tim Singleton Sr
LB 23 Scott Wade Sr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
P Ray Feltz
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured
  • Redshirt

References

  1. ^ a b "Do not ignore all the signs. But which, the optimistic or ominous, will South Carolina's Jim Carlen heed?". Sports Illustrated Vault. 1979. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  2. ^ "1979 South Carolina Gamecocks Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  3. ^ "South Carolina Gamecocks Poll History". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  4. ^ "South Carolina Gamecocks Bowls". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "South Carolina Gamecocks College Football History, Stats, Records". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  6. ^ "Tar Heels get their kicks in 28–0 win". The Charlotte Observer. September 9, 1979. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "South Carolina rallies to top Western Michigan". Winston-Salem Journal. September 16, 1979. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "USC routs Duke, 35–0". Florence Morning News. September 23, 1979. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Gamecocks rally to drop Georgia, 27–20". Anderson Independent/Daily Mail. September 30, 1979. Retrieved October 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Gamecock ball control stalls Pokes". The Sunday Oklahoman. October 7, 1979. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "USC trims Ole Miss". The State. October 21, 1979. Retrieved October 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Irish escape Gamecocks". The Indianapolis Star. October 21, 1979. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Rogers, USC outrun 'Pack". The Greenville News. November 4, 1979. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "FSU gives bowl scouts a 27–7 message". The Tampa Tribune. November 11, 1979. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Wake's mistakes boost Gamecocks". The Charlotte Observer. November 18, 1979. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Abe Hardesty (November 25, 1979). "Gamecocks trip lunging Tigers". The Greenville News. p. 1C – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Missouri topples Gamecocks 24–14". The Kansas City Star. December 30, 1979. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "1979 Football Schedule". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
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