The 2009 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the
University of South Carolina in the
2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season
9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding .
Evolution of the Arabic digit
In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...
. The team's head coach was
Steve Spurrier, who was in his fifth 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 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-largest ...
. Carolina finished the season 7–6, winning the
Palmetto Bowl
Palmetto (meaning "little palm") may refer to:
Palms
Several small palms in the Arecaceae (palm tree) family:
*in the genus ''Sabal'':
**Bermuda palmetto, ''Sabal bermudana''
**Birmingham palmetto, ''Sabal'' 'Birmingham'
**Dwarf, or bush palme ...
over in-state rival
Clemson 34–17 in their final regular season game, before losing in the
PapaJohns.com Bowl 20–7 against
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
.
The victory over Clemson was the first of five in a row, South Carolina's longest win streak in the history of the rivalry.
This season also saw the introduction of
"Sandstorm". The 1999 Finnish trance song was played before two decisive plays during a home game against No. 4
Ole Miss. With these plays, South Carolina sealed a historic upset, their first win against a top 5 team since
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
. After this, the song became a Gamecock anthem. By 2021, new head coach
Shane Beamer
Shane Beamer (born March 31, 1977) is an American football coach and former player who is currently the head coach at the University of South Carolina. He is the son of former Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechni ...
had said that "you hear that song and immediately - I do, and I'm sure most people do - think of South Carolina football."
Preseason
On April 11, 2009, the Garnet squad defeated the Black squad, 30–14, in the annual Garnet & Black Spring Game, in front of a crowd of 25,157. Redshirt sophomore quarterback
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 t ...
finished the game 13–20 with 144 yards and two touchdowns, while true freshman
Jarvis Giles
Jarvis Giles (born January 15, 1990) is an American football running back. After graduating from Gaither High School in 2008, Giles committed to South Carolina for 2009. In Week 3 of 2009 against Florida Atlantic, Giles led the Gamecocks with 113 ...
led the ground game with 114 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries.
Schedule
Schedule notes
*Carolina's 2009 schedule was rated the toughest in the nation by college football guru
Phil Steele
Phil Steele (c. 1960) is an American sportswriter and analyst who focuses exclusively on college and professional football. He is considered a "highly respected prognosticator" within the sports media. His company, Phil Steele Publications, pr ...
.
*Radio coverage for all games was on the Gamecock Sports Radio Network.
*The week four game against Ole Miss were played on Thursday, September 24, as part of the
ESPN College Football Thursday Primetime
''ESPN College Football Primetime'' is a live game presentation of Division 1-FBS college football on ESPN or sometimes ESPN2. In the past, the presenting sponsor was Cooper Tires, but since the 2006 season, the current presenting sponsor is App ...
package.
*The week eleven game against Florida on November 14, 2009 featured the Gamecocks wearing special black and desert camouflage uniforms designed by
Under Armour
Under Armour, Inc. is an American sports equipment company that manufactures footwear, sports and casual apparel. Under Armour's global headquarters are located in Baltimore, Maryland, with additional offices located in Amsterdam (European head ...
in support of the
Wounded Warrior Project
Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) is an American charity and veterans service organization that offers a variety of programs, services and events for wounded veterans of the military actions following September 11, 2001. It operates as a nonprofit ...
.
Game summaries
NC State
Georgia
Florida Atlantic
Ole Miss
SC State
Kentucky
Alabama
Vanderbilt
Tennessee
Arkansas
Florida
Clemson
Connecticut
Players
Depth chart
Projected starters and primary backups versus Clemson on November 28, 2009.
Awards
*Devin Taylor - SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week, 9/7/09; College Football News Third-Team Freshman All-American; SEC Coaches All-Freshmen Team; Rivals.com SEC All-Freshman Team
*Jarvis Giles – SEC Freshman of the Week, 9/21/09
*Eric Norwood – SEC Defensive Player of the Week, 9/28/09; Butkus Award Finalist; First-Team Coaches All-SEC; First-Team AP All-SEC; First-Team ESPN All-SEC; Walter Camp First-Team All-American; First-Team AP All-American
*Alshon Jeffery – SEC Freshman of the Week, 10/12/09; College Football News First-Team Freshman All-American; SEC Coaches All-Freshmen Team; Rivals.com SEC All-Freshman Team; Scout.com Freshman All-American Team; FWAA Freshman All-American Team
*Ladi Ajiboye - SEC Co-Defensive Lineman of the Week, 11/30/09
*Cliff Matthews – Second-Team Coaches All-SEC; Honorable Mention AP All-SEC
*Chris Culliver – Second-Team AP All-SEC
*Stephon Gilmore – College Football News First-Team Freshman All-American; SEC Coaches All-Freshmen Team; Rivals.com SEC Defensive Freshman of the Year; Scout.com Freshman All-American Team
*T.J. Johnson – SEC Coaches All-Freshmen Team; Rivals.com SEC All-Freshman Team
2009 recruiting class
Rankings
Statistics
Scores by quarter
Team
Offense
Rushing
Passing
Receiving
Defense
Special teams
Coaching staff
*
Steve Spurrier – Head Coach
*
Ellis Johnson – Assistant Head Coach & Defense Assistant Coach
*
Lorenzo Ward – Defensive Coordinator & Safeties
*
Shane Beamer
Shane Beamer (born March 31, 1977) is an American football coach and former player who is currently the head coach at the University of South Carolina. He is the son of former Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechni ...
– Cornerbacks/Special Teams & Recruiting Coordinator
*
Jay Graham – Running Backs
*Johnson Hunter – Tight Ends
*Brad Lawing – Defensive Line
*G.A. Mangus – Quarterbacks
*Steve Spurrier, Jr. – Wide Receivers
*
Eric Wolford
Eric Wolford is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the offensive line coach at the University of Alabama. Wolford previously served as the offensive line coach at the University of Kentucky in 2021. He was the head footb ...
– Offensive Line
*
Craig Fitzgerald – Strength
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 = ...
South Carolina Gamecocks football seasons
South Carolina Gamecocks football