The 2008 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

in the

2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season The 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The regular season began on August 28, 2008, and ended on ...

. The team's head coach was

Steve Spurrier Stephen Orr Spurrier (born April 20, 1945) is an American former football player and coach. He played ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL) before coaching for 38 years, primarily in college. He is often referred to by his nicknam ...

, who served his fourth season at USC. The Gamecocks played their home games at Williams-Brice Stadium in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-mo ...

. The team compiled a record of 7–6. South Carolina had the top defense in the country by October, but also three different starting quarterbacks and one of the worst offensive lines in the country throughout the year. After Tommy Beecher sustained a poor performance and injury in the season-opener against

NC State North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina sy ...

, the team's offense alternated mainly between quarterbacks Chris Smelley and

Stephen Garcia Stephen Glenn Garcia (born February 15, 1988) is a former collegiate American football quarterback for the University of South Carolina. Garcia had a 20–14 record as a starter for the Gamecocks. He completed 7,597 passing yards including 47 to ...

. The Gamecocks nearly upset No. 2

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

and defending national champion No. 13

LSU Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

, but fell short in both games.

Preseason

Carolina had their first spring practice on March 21, 2008. It was the first of 15 spring practice sessions for the Gamecocks, who returned 54 lettermen in Steve Spurrier's fourth season. The annual Garnet & Black Spring Game was scheduled for 1:00 p.m., Saturday, April 19.

Schedule

Radio coverage for all games was provided by the Gamecock Sports Radio Network.

Game summaries

North Carolina State

Vanderbilt

Georgia

Wofford

UAB

Mississippi

Kentucky

LSU

Tennessee

Arkansas

Florida

Clemson

Players

Depth chart

These are the projected starters and primary backups for the Outback Bowl on January 1, 2009. Key Committed Freshmen ''Antonio Allen – DB'' ''Akeem Auguste – DB'' ''Eric Baker – RB'' ''Reggie Bowens – LB'' ''Jarrett Burns – ATH'' ''Ronald Byrd – DL'' ''Kenny Davis – DL'' ''Aramis Hillary – QB'' ''T.J. Johnson – OL'' ''Jarriel King – DL'' ''Reid McCollum – QB'' ''Kenneth Miles – RB'' ''D.L. Moore – WR'' ''Darrell Simmons - DB'' ''Jay Spearman – DB'' ''Chaz Sutton – DL'' ''Devin Taylor – DL'' ''Mike Triglia – TE'' ''Charles Whitlock – DB/WR'' ''Elliot Williams - OL'' ''LaCharles Lindsey - WR''

Roster

Awards

Rankings

Statistics

Team

Scores by quarter

Offense

Rushing

Passing

Receiving

Defense

Special teams

Coaching staff

- Head Coach * Ellis Johnson - Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers & Assistant Head Coach * Shane Beamer - Cornerbacks * Ron Cooper- Safeties * Robert Gillespie- Running Backs * John Hunt- Offensive Line *Brad Lawing - Defensive Line *David Reaves - Quarterbacks & Recruiting Coordinator *Ray Rychleski - Special Teams *Steve Spurrier, Jr. - Wide Receivers

References

{{South Carolina Gamecocks football navbox

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

South Carolina Gamecocks football seasons

South Carolina Gamecocks football The South Carolina Gamecocks football program represents the University of South Carolina. The South Carolina Gamecocks, Gamecocks compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern ...