The Road Ahead for South Carolina

By Ruben Conyers Jr. 

The South Carolina Gamecocks have come a long way since being 3-9 during the 2015 season. Since then, every season the team has remained consistent with making the necessary improvements to contend with the opponents on the schedule going into the 2019 season for the Gamecocks.  If it’s one thing that Carolina fans are looking for, that one thing would be for the Gamecocks to build on last season (which was a pretty solid season), study each team and develop a strategic game plan on both sides of the ball that can help the team win as much as possible.

With myself being a student at the University of South Carolina, I always want to say my school is the best school in the SEC. But at the same time I do have to face reality and understand the fact that there is also Alabama, Auburn, Kentucky, etc. When it comes to the teams that we face this upcoming season, it’s important that the teams are ranked from most important to least important. Here are my teams in order of most important to least important:

 1. Clemson 

Of course, it is imperative that we start off with the team that’s not only our in-state rival, but also the defending NCAAF Champions. Now as much as I hate Clemson due to the facts that they’re our school rival, we must give them credit for the run that they’ve been on in recent years. With Dabo Swinney leading the Tigers to two titles in three years, it resulted in him signing the biggest contract offered in the history of College Football. The contract that Coach Swinney agreed to was worth 10 years and $93 million dollars. With him agreeing to that contract extension and with Clemson becoming a top recruiting school, it doesn’t look like they’re going to fall off anytime soon.

2. Alabama 

This season the Gamecocks are scheduled to host the Alabama Crimson Tide on September 14, 2019. Now this is the first time that we’ve had Alabama on our schedule for a while and defeating them is no easy task at all. Let’s not forget that in 2010, the Gamecocks upset the number 1 ranked and defending national champion Crimson Tide. Will we see a repeat of defeating the nationally top-ranking powerhouse? Only time will tell. 

 3. Texas A&M 

Now if you know anything about the rivalry between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Texas A&M Aggies, you know that this is a permanent cross-divisional rivalry in the SEC. The rivalry originally started in 2014, however, Texas A&M has won every single game between them and the Gamecocks in the 5 games that they’ve played each other.

Every time these two teams play, they play for the Bonham Trophy. For those who don’t know, the Bonham Trophy is named after South Carolina native and South Carolina College graduate James Butler Bonham who fought at the Alamo during the Texas Revolution. This history lesson should hopefully be used as some motivation since the trophy is named after a South Carolinian, so it’s about time the trophy switched locations at least for now because Texas A&M has yet to lose to South Carolina as mentioned earlier. 

 4. Kentucky 

No doubt Kentucky has been a challenge for the Gamecocks, especially with the Gamecocks losing to the Wildcats for 5 straight seasons. Last year on September 29, 2018 the Gamecocks traveled to Lexington, KY for a matchup with the Wildcats that resulted in the Gamecocks losing to the Wildcats 24-10. Jake Bentley threw 3 interceptions that game before being taken out of the game due to a knee injury. That loss helped Kentucky improve to a 5-0 start (3-0 SEC) since the 2007 season. The Gamecocks realized after the game that their defense was not up to par during that game. 

 5. Tennessee 

Last year, the Gamecocks came out on top against the Tennessee Volunteers, but only by three points. This was one of those wins that they had to grind out down the stretch as Tennessee was looking well on both sides of the ball early in the game.  They always say that the 4^th quarter is the most important quarter and the Gamecocks proved how much they wanted to win in the final quarter by getting two defensive stops on the Volunteers and rallying back by 12 points to win the game. This is one of those games that should serve as motivation for the Gamecocks whenever things seem out of reach, you just keep fighting until the end. This game also shows that the Gamecocks are indeed a team that continues to push through and get the job done. 

 6. Georgia 

The rivalry between these schools dates all the way back to the year 1894 when Georgia and South Carolina faced off for the first time. These two schools played each other not very often until the Gamecocks joined the SEC in 1992.

Last year, when these two teams faced off, Georgia’s offense was just too much for the Gamecocks resulting in the Gamecocks losing to the Bulldogs 41-17. Georgia QB Jake Fromm threw 194 yards and 3 touchdowns as well as Georgia’s running trio putting in some work on the offensive side of the ball. Georgia is one of those teams that the Gamecocks must prepare for defensively for them to win, especially with them getting 473 yards for the game. 

7. Florida

The last time the Gamecocks and the Gators battled it was quite the game. Both teams going back and forth in a tight football game is something you always look forward to seeing whenever you tune in to watch. This game is like when the Gamecocks played the Tennessee Vols and came through with major defensive plays in the 4^th quarter, however, the Gamecocks were on the wrong end of the deal this time around. Florida QB Feleipe Franks made a statement this game by running in two touchdowns after fans harshly critiqued his play up to a week before this game. Florida ended up rallying back in the late 2^nd half to beat the Gamecocks 35-31. 

8.  Appalachian State

In March of 2018, it was announced that South Carolina and App State came to an agreement that the teams will have a three-game football series over the next 9 years.  Now while it says there will only be a three-game series, depending on how the first one turns out may be an indicator of potential future matchups beyond the current series that both schools have agreed on. App State will play the Gamecocks three times between now and 2027. 

 9. North Carolina 

First game of the 2019 season for the Gamecocks will take place in Charlotte, NC as they will face up against the Tar Heels from Chapel Hill. Throughout history, the Tar Heels have had the upper hand of the Gamecocks, but South Carolina has been holding their own against the Tar Heels in recent years by beating them the last three times these two teams met. Both teams are looking to make tremendous strides in their respective conferences this upcoming season. And what better way to kick off College Football in the Carolinas by having North Carolina and South Carolina face off at the border? 

10. Missouri 

Last year when the Gamecocks played the Missouri Tigers, it was a win for the Gamecocks, but it was another one of those wins where you must grind it out until the very end. The 3^rd quarter really gave the Gamecocks a boost because they scored 17 points while holding Mizzou scoreless. Nevertheless, Mizzou’s effort does deserve some credit because they never truly went away. Even though they didn’t score in the 3^rd quarter, they made a rally in the 4^th quarter, but it wasn’t quite enough to top the Gamecocks. 

11. Vanderbilt  

The Gamecocks came out on top against the Vanderbilt Commodores with the final score being 37-14. This game was one of Jake Bentley’s best performances of the season with 261 yards, and 1 TD. The Gamecocks were also very good on the defensive side of the ball where they only allowed Vanderbilt to score twice in the 2^nd quarter but not for the rest of the game. 

12. Charleston Southern 

Charleston Southern plays South Carolina on September 7, 2019 at Williams-Brice Stadium. I expect the Gamecocks to come out on top just like most people predict. But we cannot sleep on them because they’re still a Division 1 school and anything can happen. They had a 5-6 overall record and a 3-2 conference record last year. We’ll just have to see what happens. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Gamecocks will have their work cut out for them this upcoming season, but I’m a firm believer that the Gamecocks will shock a lot of people and prove many doubters wrong. There were many games that could’ve went South Carolina’s way, but those are the little things that need to be worked on so things can have a different result in outcomes of games. Especially with the close game that South Carolina lost last year. 

Ruben Conyers Jr. is a senior at University of South Carolina, and he plans to graduate in December with a BA in Political Science with a minor in Art Studio. He is working on following his passion of talking about sports, and hopes to travel as a sports writer for the NFL or NBA one day.