The 2012 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina in the

2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season The 2012 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 30, 2012 and ended on De ...

. The Gamecocks were led by eighth-year head coach

Steve Spurrier Stephen Orr Spurrier (born April 20, 1945) is an American former football quarterback and coach who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons before coaching for 38 years, primarily in college. He is often referred to by his ...

and played their home games at Williams-Brice Stadium. They were a member of the East Division of the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities o ...

. The season finished with 11–2, 6–2 in SEC to finish in third place in the East Division. They reached No. 3 in the AP Poll, their highest ranking since

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast As ...

and not matched since then. They were invited to the

Outback Bowl The ReliaQuest Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, usually on New Year's Day. The event has been formerly called the Hall of Fame Bowl from 1986 to 1995 and the Outback Bowl from 1996 to ...

, where the Gamecocks defeated

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

33–28 by a game-winning TD with 11 seconds remaining in the game.

Preseason

On April 14, 2012, the Black squad defeated the Garnet squad, 38–24, in the annual Garnet & Black Spring Game, in front of a crowd of 34,513. Quarterback Connor Shaw finished the day 6–7 for 128 yards and two touchdowns for the Black team, while Garnet QB

Dylan Thompson Dylan Thompson (born October 24, 1991) is an American football coach and former quarterback who currently serves as a character coach for the Houston Texans. He played college football at South Carolina. Thompson performed backup signal caller ...

was 15–20 for 168 yards and a rushing touchdown.

Schedule

The October 6 game against Georgia played host to ESPN's College GameDay, the school's sixth time hosting the popular ESPN show. SEC 2012 TV Schedule
, Matt Sarz Sports, retrieved April 12, 2012 *‡ New Williams–Brice Stadium Attendance Record

Game summaries

Vanderbilt

East Carolina

UAB

Missouri

Kentucky

Georgia

LSU

Florida

Tennessee

Arkansas

Wofford

Clemson

Michigan

Players

Depth chart

Projected starters and primary backups versus Clemson on November 24, 2012.

Awards

Jadeveon Clowney Jadeveon Davarus Clowney ( ; born February 14, 1993) is an American football defensive end for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at South Carolina, where he won the Ted Hendricks Award, and ...

– SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week, 9/17/12; SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week, 10/1/12; SEC Defensive Lineman and Co-Defensive Player of the Week, 11/26/12 * T.J. Johnson - SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week, 10/8/12Johnson and Sanders Honored by SEC
/ref> * Marcus Lattimore – SEC Offensive Player of the Week, 9/3/12 *

Ace Sanders Tracy Lavon "Ace" Sanders (born November 11, 1991) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at South Carolina. Early years S ...

- SEC Co-Special Teams Player of the Week, 9/24/12,Shaw and Sanders Receive SEC Honors
/ref> SEC Co-Special Teams Player of the Week, 10/8/12 * Connor Shaw - SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week, 9/24/12, SEC Offensive Player of the Week, 10/29/12 *

D. J. Swearinger Dayarlo Jamal Swearinger Sr. ( ; born September 1, 1991) is an American football strong safety for the DC Defenders of the XFL. He played college football at South Carolina and was drafted by the Houston Texans in the second round of the 2013 NF ...

- Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week, 11/11/12

Rankings

Coaching staff

– Head coach * Lorenzo Ward – Defensive coordinator * Kirk Botkin - Linebackers, spurs coach * Grady Brown - Secondary coach, assistant special teams coordinator *

Shawn Elliott Shawn, Shaun, or Sean Elliott may refer to: * Shawn Elliott (actor) (1937–2016), American actor and singer * Shawn Elliott (American football) (born 1973), American football coach and defensive end * Sean Elliott (born 1968), American basketbal ...

– Co-offensive coordinator, offensive line coach * Brad Lawing – Defensive line coach * G.A. Mangus – Quarterbacks coach * Joe Robinson - Special teams coordinator, tight ends coach * Everette Sands - Running backs coach * Steve Spurrier Jr. – Recruiting coordinator, wide receivers coach

References

{{South Carolina Gamecocks football navbox

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = "Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = G ...

South Carolina Gamecocks football seasons ReliaQuest Bowl champion seasons

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