1997 South Carolina Gamecocks football team

American college football season

1997 South Carolina Gamecocks football

Conference| Southeastern Conference
Division| Eastern Division
Record| 5–6 (3–5 SEC)
Head coach|

* Brad Scott (4th season)

Offensive coordinator| John Eason (3rd season)
Defensive coordinator| Wally Burnham (4th season)
Base defense| 4–3
Home stadium| Williams–Brice Stadium

Seasons

← 1996

1998 →

1997 Southeastern Conference football standings

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| Conf. |  |  | Overall

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Team |   | W |   | L |   |  |  |   | W |   | L |
Eastern Division
No. 7 Tennessee x$  |   | 7  | – | 1  |   |  |  |   | 11  | – | 2  |
No. 10 Georgia |   | 6  | – | 2  |   |  |  |   | 10  | – | 2  |
No. 4 Florida |   | 6  | – | 2  |   |  |  |   | 10  | – | 2  |
South Carolina |   | 3  | – | 5  |   |  |  |   | 5  | – | 6  |
Kentucky |   | 2  | – | 6  |   |  |  |   | 5  | – | 6  |
Vanderbilt |   | 0  | – | 8  |   |  |  |   | 3  | – | 8  |
Western Division
No. 11 Auburn xy  |   | 6  | – | 2  |   |  |  |   | 10  | – | 3  |
No. 13 LSU x  |   | 6  | – | 2  |   |  |  |   | 9  | – | 3  |
No. 22 Ole Miss |   | 4  | – | 4  |   |  |  |   | 8  | – | 4  |
Mississippi State |   | 4  | – | 4  |   |  |  |   | 7  | – | 4  |
Arkansas |   | 2  | – | 6  |   |  |  |   | 4  | – | 7  |
Alabama |   | 2  | – | 6  |   |  |  |   | 4  | – | 7  |
Championship: Tennessee 30, Auburn 29

* $ – Conference champion
* x – Division champion/co-champions

Rankings from AP Poll

The 1997 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina as a member of the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Brad Scott, the Gamecocks compiled an overall record of 5–6 with a mark of 3–5 in conference play, placing fourth in the SEC's Eastern Division. The team played home games at Williams–Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina.

This was the first of three consecutive losing seasons for South Carolina ending the 1990s.[1]

## Schedule

[edit]

Date| Time| Opponent| Site| TV| Result| Attendance| Source

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September 6| 7:00 p.m.| UCF*|

* Williams–Brice Stadium
* Columbia, SC

| FSS| W 33–31| 81,908| [2]
September 13| 3:30 p.m.| at No. 25 Georgia|

* Sanford Stadium
* Athens, GA (rivalry)

| CBS| L 15–31| 86,117| [3]
September 20| 3:00 p.m.| at East Carolina*|

* Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium
* Greenville, NC

| FSS| W 26–0| 38,902| [4]
September 27| 12:30 p.m.| at Mississippi State|

* Scott Field
* Starkville, MS

| JPS| L 17–37| 30,120| [5]
October 4| 12:30 p.m.| No. 9 Auburn|

* Williams–Brice Stadium
* Columbia, SC

| JPS| L 6–23| 79,411| [6]
October 11| 12:30 p.m.| Kentucky|

* Williams–Brice Stadium
* Columbia, SC

| JPS| W 38–24| 75,936| [7]
October 18| 7:00 p.m.| at Arkansas|

* War Memorial Stadium
* Little Rock, AR

| | W 39–13| 49,178| [8]
October 25| 7:00 p.m.| Vanderbilt|

* Williams–Brice Stadium
* Columbia, SC

| | W 35–3| 79,014| [9]
November 1| 12:30 p.m.| at No. 8 Tennessee|

* Neyland Stadium
* Knoxville, TN (rivalry)

| JPS| L 7–22| 106,301| [10]
November 15| 12:30 p.m.| No. 12 Florida|

* Williams–Brice Stadium
* Columbia, SC

| JPS| L 21–48| 80,072| [11]
November 22| 6:00 p.m.| Clemson*|

* Williams–Brice Stadium
* Columbia, SC (rivalry)

| ESPN2| L 21–47| 83,700| [12]

* *Non-conference game
* Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to the game
* All times are in Eastern time

.[13]

## Roster

[edit]

1997 South Carolina Gamecocks football team roster

Players  | Coaches
Offense 74 Kevin Rolack OL 6-3 302 Jr. HS Saint George, S.C. (St.George) 78 Travis Whitfield OG 6-4 293 Sr./RS 3VL Honea-Path, S.C. (Belton-Honea Path)  | Pos. | # | Name | Class

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|
|

QB | `1` | Anthony Wright | Jr
RB | `4` | Boo Williams | So
WR | `8` | Ben Fleming |  So
WR | `9` | Kerry Hood |  So
WR | `10` | Carlos Spikes | Fr
FB | `11` | Jacob Bush | So
QB | `14` | Phil Petty | Fr
QB | `16` | Joey Unitas | Sr
QB | `17` | Victor Penn |  Fr
QB | `18` | Kevin Sides | Jr
RB | `19` | Troy Hambrick | So
WR | `21` | Zola Davis |  Jr
RB | `22` | Ryght Jordan | Fr
C | `53` | Paul Beckwith | Sr
G | `63` | Ed Hrubiec |  Sr
OL | `64` | Taylor Irvin | Fr
OL | `65` | Philip Jones | Fr
OL | `67` | Jesse Washington |  Sr
OT | `68` | Reggie Baker | Sr
OL | `69` | Todd Davis | Fr
OT | `70` | Andray Spearman |  Jr
OL | `71` | Kevin Rivers | Fr
OL | `72` | Melvin Paige | Fr
OL | `73` | Jason Thomas |  So
OL | `75` | Adam Buckley | Fr
OL | `77` | Jim Pietrzak |  Fr
OT | `79` | Jamar Nesbit | Jr
WR | `80` | Donovan Norman | So
TE | `81` | Rod Trafford | Fr
WR | `82` | Calvin Owens |  Sr
WR | `83` | Tyrance Williams |  Fr
WR | `84` | Jermale Kelly |  Fr
WR | `85` | Shah Mays |  Jr
TE | `86` | Trevon Matthews |  So
Defense 57 Errol Rochester LB 6-0 245 So./RS 1VL Miami Springs, Fla. (Miami Springs)  | Pos. | # | Name | Class

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DB | `3` | Ray Green |  So
CB | `5` | Kevin Brooks | Jr
SS | `6` | Ben Washington | Sr
FS | `12` | Arturo Freeman | Jr
DB | `20` | Willie Offord | Fr
LB | `42` | Darren Hambrick | Sr
DE | `55` | Selvesta Miller |  Sr
LB | `58` | Corey Atkins |  So
LB | `45` | James McDougald | Sr
DT | `90` | Henry Taylor | Sr
DL | `91` | John Stamper | Fr
LB | `92` | Ryan Koop | Sr
DT | `93` | Michael Maddox |  Sr
DE | `94` | Matt Marsters | So
DE | `95` | John Abraham | So
DT | `96` | Cecil Caldwell | So
DT | `97` | Trey Pennington | So
DT | `98` | Rachad Wilson | Jr
DE | `99` | Anthony Overstreet |  Fr
Special teams | Pos. | # | Name | Class

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|
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P/K | `7` | Courtney Leavitt | So
K | `15` | Steve Florio | Jr

Head coach

* Brad Scott

Coordinators/assistant coaches

* Oliver Pough
(Running backs coach)

* * *

Legend

* (C) Team captain
* (S) Suspended
* (I) Ineligible

* Injured
* Redshirt

* * *

Roster
Last update: 1998-01-28

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "South Carolina Gamecocks College Football History, Stats, Records". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
2. ^ "Gamecocks overcome Golden Knights 33–31". The Index-Journal. September 7, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
3. ^ "USC whipped between the hedges". The Herald. September 14, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
4. ^ "Gamecocks even a score with punchless Pirates". The News and Observer. September 21, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. ^ "Gamecocks can't run, can't hide". The Charlotte Observer. September 28, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
6. ^ "Craig-led Auburn shuts door on Gamecocks, 23–6". The Courier-Journal. October 5, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. ^ "USC gets it Wright; Slow start belies strong showing in 38–24 victory". The State. October 12, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. ^ "Gamecocks march forward with victory over Arkansas". The Greenville News. October 19, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
9. ^ "Turnovers end hope of upset". The Tennessean. October 26, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
10. ^ "Vols back in control". The Jackson Sun. November 2, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
11. ^ "Florida pulls away from Gamecocks". The Times and Democrat. November 16, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
12. ^ "Clemson bowls over USC". The Times and Democrat. November 23, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
13. ^ "1997 South Carolina Gamecocks Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 26, 2024.

* v
* t
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South Carolina Gamecocks football

Venues|

* Old State Fairgrounds (1894, 1896–1898)
* Shandon Park (1895)
* College Park/Davis Field (1899–1925)
* Melton Field (1926–1934)
* Williams–Brice Stadium (1934–present)

Bowls & rivalries|

* Bowl games
* Clemson
* Georgia
* North Carolina
* Tennessee

Culture & lore|

* Spurrier
* Cocky
* "The Fighting Gamecocks Lead the Way"
* Mighty Sound of the Southeast
* "Sandstorm"
* The Brawl
* University of South Carolina steroid scandal

People|

* Head coaches
* Statistical leaders
* NFL draftees

Seasons|

* 1892
* 1893
* 1894
* 1895
* 1896
* 1897
* 1898
* 1899
* 1900
* 1901
* 1902
* 1903
* 1904
* 1905
* 1906
* 1907
* 1908
* 1909
* 1910
* 1911
* 1912
* 1913
* 1914
* 1915
* 1916
* 1917
* 1918
* 1919
* 1920
* 1921
* 1922
* 1923
* 1924
* 1925
* 1926
* 1927
* 1928
* 1929
* 1930
* 1931
* 1932
* 1933
* 1934
* 1935
* 1936
* 1937
* 1938
* 1939
* 1940
* 1941
* 1942
* 1943
* 1944
* 1945
* 1946
* 1947
* 1948
* 1949
* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

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*[v]: View this template
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*[Conf.]: Conference record
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[No.]: Number