# 2004 South Carolina Gamecocks football team

The 2004 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Gamecocks were led by Lou Holtz in his sixth and final season as head coach and played their home games in Williams–Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina. They finished the season with a 6–5 record.
Senior Dondrial Pinkins and sophomore Syvelle Newton shared the quarterback position. Wide receiver Troy Williamson became a focal point of the offense, nearly doubling his production. Free safety Ko Kimpson was named the SEC Freshman of the Year.
Holtz had privately indicated in the summer that the upcoming season might be his last. The Gamecocks started the season somewhat successfully, with five wins and two close conference losses. However, to Holtz's surprise, the Gamecocks then played poorly against No. 12 Tennessee at home, the first of three losses in South Carolina's final four games. During the two weeks between the losses to Tennessee and Florida, in secret, Holtz informed the athletics department that it would be his last season and former Florida head coach Steve Spurrier agreed to replace him.
Two days before the regular season finale against archrival Clemson, Holtz informed his players of his decision. Down 7–29 against the Tigers near the end of the fourth quarter, a fight broke out between the two teams. Although they had their first winning season since 2001, South Carolina declined to accept a bowl bid due to the team's involvement in the brawl, marking the first time the school had declined a bowl bid since 1990. Over the next several days, Holtz retired from coaching after 44 years and Spurrier was introduced as the next head coach at South Carolina.

## Schedule

The September 11 game against Georgia played host to ESPN's College Gameday.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 4 | 12:30 pm | at Vanderbilt | | Vanderbilt StadiumNashville, Tennessee | JPS | W 31–6 | 33,670 |
| September 11 | 5:30 pm | No. 3 Georgia | | Williams-Brice StadiumColumbia, South Carolina (rivalry) (College GameDay) | ESPN | L 16–20 | 84,300 |
| September 18 | 7:00 pm | South Florida* | | Williams-Brice StadiumColumbia, South Carolina | | W 34–3 | 78,900 |
| September 25 | 7:00 pm | Troy* | | Williams-Brice StadiumColumbia, South Carolina | PPV | W 17–7 | 79,700 |
| October 2 | 6:00 pm | at Alabama | | Bryant–Denny StadiumTuscaloosa, Alabama | ESPN2 | W 20–3 | 82,141 |
| October 9 | 1:00 pm | Ole Miss | No. 25 | Williams-Brice StadiumColumbia, South Carolina | PPV | L 28–31 | 79,100 |
| October 16 | 7:00 pm | at Kentucky | | Commonwealth StadiumLexington, Kentucky | PPV | W 12–7 | 63,086 |
| October 30 | 12:30 pm | No. 12 Tennessee | | Williams-Brice StadiumColumbia, South Carolina (rivalry) | JPS | L 29–43 | 81,400 |
| November 6 | 12:30 pm | Arkansas | | Williams-Brice StadiumColumbia, South Carolina | JPS | W 35–32 | 78,800 |
| November 13 | 7:00 pm | at Florida | | Ben Hill Griffin StadiumGainesville, Florida | ESPN2 | L 14–48 | 90,294 |
| November 20 | 12:00 pm | at Clemson* | | Memorial StadiumClemson, South Carolina (Palmetto Bowl) | JPS | L 7–29 | 82,382 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time ||||||||