South Carolina football wrapped up its season on Saturday with a loss to the Clemson Tigers, a defeat that dropped the team's record to 4-8 on the season and the Gamecocks to their worst record since 2020. The team entered the season ranked No. 13 in the AP poll coming off a nine-win season in 2024.
Starting the season 2-0, chinks in the armor gave ample reason to proceed with cautious optimism regarding the team's legitimacy. The Gamecocks struggled through three quarters against Virginia Tech on Aug. 31, leading just 10-8 entering the final period. Two massive fourth quarter scores, an 80-yard punt return touchdown by redshirt sophomore defensive back Vicari Swain and a 64-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Nyck Harbor, helped South Carolina to a 24-11 win and a 1-0 record.
In the following week against South Carolina State, the Gamecocks were outscored 3-0 in the first quarter before a second quarter explosion by Swain, returning two punts for touchdowns across just eight total plays from scrimmage.
Just 14 of the Gamecocks' 38 total points in the game came from offensive touchdowns. The Gamecocks were 3/12 on third down compared to the Bulldogs 6/16. Redshirt sophomore quarterback LaNorris Sellers and company only earned three more first downs than South Carolina State as well, and were out-gained 270-253 in total yardage.
Inevitable reality hit at home against Vanderbilt in game three. The Commodores pummeled South Carolina 31-7 after Sellers was taken out of the game with a concussion in the first quarter. Sellers did lead the team to an opening drive touchdown, but followed up the score with an interception and punt on the following two possessions before the injury.
Offensive coordinator Mike Shula began facing criticism after the team once again struggled on third down, going 4/12 in the game, including 1/3 on fourth down. The Gamecocks were penalized eight times for 85 yards, turned the ball over four times, and were dominated in time of possession 35:43 to 24:17.
Sellers returned the following week against No. 23 Missouri, where South Carolina would drop their second consecutive game, this time 29-20. The team hung around in this one thanks to a 302-yard passing performance from Sellers, but managed to finish with -9 rushing yards as a team for the game across 22 total attempts. The Tigers sacked Sellers five times.
In the following week, the Gamecocks got back on track with a 35-13 win over Kentucky, posting 341 yards on offense as well as forcing four turnovers defensively. Defense was an area of strength for South Carolina all season, as their season average of 353 total yards allowed per game ranked 10th in the SEC. They were one of only two teams to rank top ten in the stat and finish with a losing record on the season, joining Auburn.
The 3-2 Gamecocks then faced five consecutive SEC opponents, all of which were ranked 14th or higher in the AP poll. The team fell 20-10 to No. 11 LSU despite putting up 193 total rushing yards. Just 124 passing yards coupled with poor third down efficiency (6/16) stifled a solid defensive performance that included three takeaways. South Carolina was penalized 13 times in the game, turning the ball over twice.
Next turning to host No. 14 Oklahoma, the Sooners made light work of yet another poor offensive outing, defeating the Gamecocks 26-7. Excluding the team's final drive of the game, the unit posted just 165 total yards on offense.
Taking on No. 4 Alabama for homecoming, the team earned a 15-14 lead through three quarters. Totaling 333 yards of offense, the Gamecocks played the top ranked Crimson Tide close throughout. They earned more first downs, rushing yards and had a better fourth-down efficiency than Alabama.
A 10-yard touchdown run from Sellers took a 22-14 lead with 10:00 to play in the game. The Crimson Tide tied the game at 22 with 2:16 left to play, and on the second play of South Carolina's attempted game winning drive, Sellers fumbled on a quarterback keeper, giving Alabama the ball in Gamecock territory.
Alabama would defeat the Gamecocks 29-22 after a go-ahead touchdown run with 0:34 left to play.
"A gut wrenching loss, to say the least," head coach Shane Beamer said. "The culture in our program is stronger than ever, and it was on display today."
Such a demoralizing loss to one of the best teams in the country became hard to bounce back from, and the Gamecocks fell to No. 7 Ole Miss in the following week 30-14. The defense held the Rebels to just 1/11 on third down and just 12 pass completions on the day, but three turnovers by South Carolina voided the two accrued by their defense.
The team parted ways with Shula following the loss, their sixth in nine games. In Shula's tenure as play caller, the Gamecocks averaged 19.7 points per game and 294.1 yards per game, both marks the worst in the conference.
In their first game without Shula, South Carolina traveled to Kyle Field to take on No. 3 Texas A&M. The Gamecocks dominated the first half, surging to a 30-3 lead through two quarters, their largest in any first half all season. The defense forced four turnovers from the Aggies, only allowing points on Texas A&M's first drive of the period. The unit even added to the lead themselves with a touchdown on a scoop-and-score.
In the same fashion the team had operated all season, collapse quickly followed. The Aggies took a 31-30 lead by 10:47 in the fourth quarter, scoring touchdowns on four straight possessions. In five second half offensive possessions for the Gamecocks, they punted three times and turned the ball over on downs twice. Neither team scored following Texas A&M's fourth touchdown, and South Carolina fell to 3-7.
"I think they just played harder, honestly," Sellers said after the game. "It's a momentum game, they had momentum in the second half."
Ending the season with two in-state match ups, the Gamecocks handily defeated Coastal Carolina 51-7 with a season-high 579 total yards of offense. A 264-yard performance on the ground paved the way for victory that felt decided by the second quarter.
Come the long-awaited Palmetto Bowl against Clemson, the Gamecocks had nothing to play for except bragging rights. The Gamecocks last four full drives resulted in two interceptions, a turnover on downs, and a fumble. The second interception was returned for a Clemson touchdown, and the Tigers won 28-14, dropping South Carolina to a 4-8 record on the year.
"When you're 2/14, I think at one point we were 0/10 on third downs, it's gonna be hard to win," Beamer said. "Extremely disappointing finish to an extremely disappointing season."
In a year where the Gamecocks lost five defenders to the 2025 NFL Draft in April, the team's downfall was aided by a lack of offensive cohesion and consistency. South Carolina was dominated in time of possession nearly every week, possessing the ball for more game time than their opponents in just three games all year (Kentucky, LSU, Alabama). The team's average possession time per game this season was 28:14, coming in at 118th among 136 FBS teams.
With questions surrounding who will return for the Gamecocks next season, the team has already lined up a 2026 recruiting class that consists of 14 players as of Dec. 3. Those players average a prospect rating of 91.29, the tenth highest of any class in the country, according to 247 Sports.
"I'm going to get it fixed so we're never feeling this feeling again," Beamer said.