# 2021 South Carolina Gamecocks football team

The 2021 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina in the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The season marked the Gamecocks' 128th overall season, and 30th as a member of the SEC East Division. The Gamecocks played their home games at Williams–Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina, and were led by first-year head coach Shane Beamer.
In what was later deemed 2021's best season by a first-year head coach, South Carolina compiled a record of 7–6. The Gamecocks played in their first bowl game since 2018 and won their first bowl game since 2017, defeating North Carolina in the Duke's Mayo Bowl 38–21. Home games also returned to full capacity, though that capacity was now slightly reduced due to renovations.

## Background
### New head coach announced

On December 6, 2020, Oklahoma assistant head coach Shane Beamer was announced as the Gamecocks 36th head coach. A former Gamecock assistant coach and recruiting coordinator under Steve Spurrier from 2007 to 2010, he is also the son of long time Virginia Tech Head coach Frank Beamer. Beamer was born in Charleston, South Carolina, after graduating from Virginia Tech, he was a graduate assistant at Georgia Tech, and Tennessee, before becoming an assistant coach at Mississippi State. Beamers other stops as an assistant included Virginia Tech and Georgia. Notable recruits signed during Beamer's time as recruiting coordinator at South Carolina included Alshon Jeffery, Stephon Gilmore, and D. J. Swearinger.
Beamer cleaned out the staff from the Muschamp era, hiring Marcus Satterfield from the Carolina Panthers as Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Clayton White from NC State as Defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach, and a slew of other hires including Pete Lembo as Associate head coach/special teams coordinator and Hammond coach and former Gamecock QB Erik Kimrey as Tight ends coach. Defensive backs coach Torrian Gray was hired away from Florida, and Wide receivers coach Justin Stepp was hired away from Arkansas.

## Preseason
### Offseason departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Note |
| Jaycee Horn | #1 | CB | 6'1 | 205 | Junior | Alpharetta, Georgia | Declared for NFL Draft |
| Ernest Jones | #53 | LB | 6'2 | 230 | Junior | Waycross, Georgia | Declared for NFL Draft |
| Shi Smith | #13 | WR | 5'10 | 190 | Senior | Union, South Carolina | Declared for NFL Draft |
| Israel Mukuamu | #24 | CB | 6'4 | 205 | Junior | Bossier City, Louisiana | Declared for NFL Draft |
| Ryan Hilinski | #3 | QB | 6'3 | 225 | Sophomore | Orange, California | Transferred |
| Jay Urich | #10 | QB | 6'5 | 215 | RS Junior | Greenville, South Carolina | Graduated |
| Collin Hill | #15 | QB | 6'4 | 222 | Graduate | Moore, South Carolina | Graduated |
| Deshaun Fenwick | #14 | RB | 6'1 | 220 | RS Sophomore | Bradenton, Florida | Transferred |
| Slade Carroll | #33 | RB | 5'9 | 205 | RS Senior | Lexington, South Carolina | Graduated |
| Adam Prentice | #46 | FB | 6'0 | 245 | Graduate | Fresno, California | Graduated |
| Christian Kinsley | #36 | P | 6'2 | 220 | RS Senior | Lexington, South Carolina | Graduated |
| KeShawn Toney | #82 | TE | 6'2 | 248 | RS Freshman | Williston, South Carolina | Transferred |
| Will Register | #88 | TE | 6'4 | 245 | RS Junior | Chapin, South Carolina | Graduated |
| Sadarius Hutcherson | #50 | OL | 6'4 | 320 | RS Senior | Huntingdon, Tennessee | Graduated |
| Keir Thomas | #5 | DL | 6'2 | 275 | RS Senior | Miami, Florida | Transferred |
| Chandler Farrell | #31 | TE | 6'3 | 278 | RS Senior | Summerville, South Carolina | Graduated |
| Jammie Robinson | #7 | DB | 5'11 | 195 | Sophomore | Leesburg, Georgia | Transferred |
| Shilo Sanders | #21 | DB | 6'0 | 195 | RS Freshman | Cedar Hill, Texas | Transferred |
| John Dixon | #22 | DB | 6'0 | 185 | Sophomore | Tampa, Florida | Transferred |

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 4 | 7:00 p.m. | Eastern Illinois* | Williams–Brice StadiumColumbia, SC | ESPN+/SECN+ | W 46–0 | 64,868 |
| September 11 | 12:00 p.m. | at East Carolina* | Dowdy–Ficklen StadiumGreenville, NC | ESPN2 | W 20–17 | 40,816 |
| September 18 | 7:00 p.m. | at No. 2 Georgia | Sanford StadiumAthens, GA (rivalry) | ESPN | L 13–40 | 92,746 |
| September 25 | 7:00 p.m. | Kentucky | Williams–Brice StadiumColumbia, SC (SEC Nation) | ESPN2 | L 10–16 | 77,559 |
| October 2 | 3:30 p.m. | Troy* | Williams–Brice StadiumColumbia, SC | SECN | W 23–14 | 60,686 |
| October 9 | 12:00 p.m. | at Tennessee | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN (rivalry) | ESPN2 | L 20–45 | 89,437 |
| October 16 | 4:00 p.m. | Vanderbilt | Williams–Brice StadiumColumbia, SC | SECN | W 21–20 | 64,695 |
| October 23 | 7:30 p.m. | at No. 17 Texas A&M | Kyle FieldCollege Station, TX | SECN | L 14–44 | 103,889 |
| November 6 | 7:30 p.m. | Florida | Williams–Brice StadiumColumbia, SC | SECN | W 40–17 | 70,131 |
| November 13 | 4:00 p.m. | at Missouri | Faurot FieldColumbia, MO (Mayor's Cup) | SECN | L 28–31 | 44,092 |
| November 20 | 7:00 p.m. | Auburn | Williams–Brice StadiumColumbia, SC | ESPN | W 21–17 | 70,299 |
| November 27 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 23 Clemson* | Williams–Brice StadiumColumbia, SC (rivalry) | SECN | L 0–30 | 79,897 |
| December 30 | 11:30 a.m. | vs. North Carolina* | Bank of America StadiumCharlotte, NC (Duke’s Mayo Bowl) (rivalry) | ESPN | W 38–21 | 45,520 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||

## Game summaries
### Vs. Eastern Illinois

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eastern Illinois | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| South Carolina | 15 | 14 | 3 | 14 | 46 |
at Williams-Brice Stadium • Columbia, South Carolina
* Date: Saturday, September 4, 2021
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature -
* Game attendance: 64,868
* TV announcers (SECN+): Unknown
* Box Score
| Statistics | EIU | SC |
| First downs | 9 | 22 |
| Plays–yards | 44–109 | 74–439 |
| Rushes–yards | 31 | 254 |
| Passing yards | 78 | 185 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 13–22–2 | 18–27–0 |
| Time of possession | 25:20 | 34:40 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| EIU | Passing | Chris Katrenick | 13/22, 78 yards, 2 INT |
| EIU | Rushing | Harrison Bey-Bule | 5 carries, 12 yards |
| EIU | Receiving | Tyler Hamilton | 5 receptions, 32 yards |
| SC | Passing | Zeb Noland | 13/21, 121 yards, 4 TD |
| SC | Rushing | ZaQuandre White | 12 carries, 128 yards, TD |
| SC | Receiving | ZaQuandre White | 4 receptions, 39 yards, TD |

### At East Carolina

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| South Carolina | 0 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 20 |
| East Carolina | 7 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, North Carolina
* Date: Saturday, September 11, 2021
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature - 78 °F (26 °C)
* Game attendance: 40,816
* Referee: Alex Moore
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Brian Custer (play-by-play), Kelly Stouffer (color) and Lauren Sisler (sideline)
* Box Score
| Statistics | SC | ECU |
| First downs | 15 | 12 |
| Plays–yards | 63–325 | 63–268 |
| Rushes–yards | 100 | 116 |
| Passing yards | 225 | 152 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 13–24–1 | 12–25–2 |
| Time of possession | 18:57 | 41:03 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| SC | Passing | Zeb Noland | 13/24, 225 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| SC | Rushing | JuJu McDowell | 11 carries, 71 yards |
| SC | Receiving | Josh Vann | 5 receptions, 127 yards |
| ECU | Passing | Holton Ahlers | 11/24, 77 yards, 2 INT |
| ECU | Rushing | Rahjai Harris | 14 carries, 70 yards |
| ECU | Receiving | Jsi Hatfield | 2 receptions, 90 yards, 1 TD |

### At #2 Georgia

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| South Carolina | 6 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| No. 2 Georgia | 14 | 12 | 14 | 0 | 40 |
at Sanford Stadium • Athens, Georgia
* Date: Saturday, September 18, 2021
* Game time: 7:10 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Mostly Cloudy • Temperature - 77 °F (25 °C) • Wind - SSE at 5MPH
* Game attendance: 92,746
* TV announcers (ESPN): Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (color) and Molly McGrath (sideline)
* Box Score
| Statistics | SC | UGA |
| First downs | 13 | 26 |
| Plays–yards | 63–296 | 66–491 |
| Rushes–yards | 82 | 184 |
| Passing yards | 214 | 307 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 24–29–1 | 24–35–2 |
| Time of possession | 31:58 | 28:02 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| SC | Passing | Luke Doty | 13/26, 153 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| SC | Rushing | ZaQuandre White | 5 carries, 31 yards |
| SC | Receiving | Josh Vann | 3 receptions, 128 yards, 1 TD |
| UGA | Passing | JT Daniels | 23/31, 303 yards, 3 TD |
| UGA | Rushing | Kendall Milton | 10 carries, 66 yards |
| UGA | Receiving | Adonai Mitchell | 4 receptions, 77 yards, 1 TD |

### Vs. Kentucky

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Kentucky | 7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
| South Carolina | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 10 |
at Williams-Brice Stadium • Columbia, South Carolina
* Date: Saturday, September 25, 2021
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature - 74°F
* Game attendance: 77,559
* Referee: Justin Autrey
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Brian Custer (play-by-play), Kelly Stouffer (color) and Lauren Sisler (sideline)
* Box Score
| Statistics | UK | SC |
| First downs | 22 | 12 |
| Plays–yards | 66–332 | 51–216 |
| Rushes–yards | 230 | 58 |
| Passing yards | 102 | 158 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 15–22–1 | 17–25–0 |
| Time of possession | 35:36 | 24:24 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UK | Passing | Will Levis | 15/22, 102 yards, INT |
| UK | Rushing | Chris Rodriguez Jr. | 26 carries, 144 yards |
| UK | Receiving | Wan'Dale Robinson | 7 receptions, 65 yards |
| SC | Passing | Luke Doty | 17/25, 158 yards, TD |
| SC | Rushing | Kevin Harris | 12 carries, 38 yards |
| SC | Receiving | Jalen Brooks | 4 receptions, 63 yards, TD |

### Vs. Troy

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Troy | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| South Carolina | 3 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 23 |
at Williams-Brice Stadium • Columbia, South Carolina
* Date: Saturday, October 2, 2021
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature - 84°F
* Game attendance: 60,866
* Referee: Alex Moore
* TV announcers (SEC Network): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (color analyst), and Alyssa Lang (sideline)
* Box Score
| Statistics | TROY | SC |
| First downs | 21 | 19 |
| Plays–yards | 69–308 | 62–356 |
| Rushes–yards | 145 | 101 |
| Passing yards | 163 | 255 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 22–38–2 | 20–34–0 |
| Time of possession | 29:22 | 30:38 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| TROY | Passing | Taylor Powell | 22/38, 163 yards, 2 INT |
| TROY | Rushing | B.J. Smith | 19 carries, 102 yards, TD |
| TROY | Receiving | Tez Johnson | 6 receptions, 49 yards |
| SC | Passing | Luke Doty | 20/34, 255 yards, TD |
| SC | Rushing | Josh Vann | 2 carries, 52 yards |
| SC | Receiving | Kevin Harris | 2 receptions, 49 yards |

### At Tennessee

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| South Carolina | 0 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 20 |
| Tennessee | 28 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 45 |
at Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, Tennessee
* Date: Saturday, October 9, 2021
* Game time: 12:00 p.m.. EST
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature - 70°F
* Game attendance: 89,437
* Referee: James Carter
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Mike Golic Jr. (color) and Taylor McGregor (sideline)
* Box Score
| Statistics | SC | TENN |
| First downs | 22 | 24 |
| Plays–yards | 75–370 | 72–472 |
| Rushes–yards | 153 | 247 |
| Passing yards | 217 | 225 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 21–34–1 | 17–23–0 |
| Time of possession | 33:55 | 26:05 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| SC | Passing | Luke Doty | 19/31, 167 yards |
| SC | Rushing | Kevin Harris | 16 carries, 61 yards, 2 TD |
| SC | Receiving | Payton Mangrum | 1 reception, 44 yards, TD |
| TENN | Passing | Hendon Hooker | 17/23, 225 yards, 3 TD |
| TENN | Rushing | Tiyon Evans | 16 carries, 119 yards, TD |
| TENN | Receiving | Velus Jones Jr. | 6 receptions, 103 yards, TD |

### Vs. Vanderbilt
## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: — = Not ranked :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Coaches | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |