South Carolina Gamecocks:

Spurs Up Daily Round-Up: 11/30 Carolina Calls Tonight

By The Editor on November 30, 2011 6:13 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Catch up on the day's buzz about the Gamecocks! In today's edition Coach Spurrier on "Carolina Calls" to recap the regular season, Women's Basketball faces Xavier on the road, a fun Q&A and feature on Softball's Dynamic Duo, Men's Basketball prepares to host Providence for the Big East/SEC Challenge, and more!

GAMECOCKS AROUND THE WEB

Football: Gamecocks, Ingram silence Tigers (The Daily Journal)

Football: Gamecocks' season, by the numbers (GoGamecocks.com)

Women's Basketball: Women's Basketball travels to face Xavier (The Daily Gamecock)

Women's Basketball: Gamecocks on the right track (GoGamecocks.com)

GAMECOCKSONLINE.COM NEWS

Football. Carolina Calls Set for Wednesday Night

Men's Basketball. Men's Hoops Hosts Providence In Big East/SEC Challenge Thursday

Women's Basketball. Women's Hoops Travels to Xavier

Softball. Dynamic Duo - Seniors Lackey & Westfall

Softball. Dynamic Duo - The Q&A

COCK-A-DOODLE-TWEET

We agree!

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SPURS UP BLOG HIGHLIGHTS

Gamecocks Return for All-Sports Reunion

This Week's Home Events: SEC/Big East Challenge

Spurs Up Play of the Game - Defense: Sack Attack

Spurs Up Play of the Game - Offense: Bruce Ellington Touchdown

Pre-Game & Fan Photos: South Carolina vs. Clemson

Carolina-Clemson: 50th Anniversary of "The Prank"

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Coach Staley discusses tonight's match-up with Xavier on the road:

http://gamecocksonline.cstv.com/allaccess/?media=286117

ROOSTER CROWS

Sophomore forward RJ Slawson had a career night against top-ranked North Carolina last Friday, posting career highs with 13 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks. It was the most rebounds in a game for South Carolina since Sam Muldrow collected 14 vs. Vanderbilt on Jan. 8, 2011.

Sophomore guard Brian Richardson produced his best game of the season vs. Southern Cal, hitting 4-of-7 attempts from 3-point range.

The Gamecocks take on Providence tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. in the Big East/SEC Challenge at Colonial Life Arena.

FAN PHOTO OF THE DAY

Today we have a father-daughter fan photo! Chris and Elena Bethmann!

We've got a lot of great submissions so keep them coming! Feel free to send in your photos (any sport/season, either of you or taken by you!) with your name to GamecockAthletics@gmail.com!A lot of the best photos include some Gamecock gear and 'showing your spurs'! We'd love to share with the rest of Gamecock Nation!

You can see the entire Fan Photo of the Day series on our Facebook page!

Gamecocks Return for All-Sports Reunion

By Brittany Lane on November 30, 2011 1:02 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

A new part of the Carolina Homecoming festivities this year was our All-Sports Reunion. Student-athletes who graduated in ten year intervals (1961, 1971, 1981, etc) were invited to return for a weekend of events, including a reception, a tour of Williams-Brice, a gameday party and being recognized on the field during halftime of the football game vs. Florida. Gamecock Club Director Patrick McFarland said the department was excited to organize the reunion.

"The reunions are a fantastic way to reach out to our former student athletes," said McFarland. "The University of South Carolina is a huge part of their lives as they spent a great deal of time here competing and earning an education. We want them to return and continue to feel a part of the successes we have here and know they are a part of the athletics department and will always be a Gamecock."

For some this is their first chance to return since their time here as student-athletes. Martin Small, who played baseball and graduated in 1981, said that he decided to participate in the reunion because he loves the university and has a lot of great memories here. He saw it as a "great opportunity to get back." Small is familiar with the experience of going to Omaha, he and his brothers all played on teams that made the College World Series. His brothers were members of the runner up teams in 1975 and 1977. He wanted to avoid sounding "corny," but when asked about the Gamecocks' current success, Smalls admitted that it brought tears to his eyes.

Small with his family and AD Eric Hyman at the reception

Beverly Hawkins-Anderson (Women's Basketball, class of 1981) is now a coach herself. She chose to attend the reunion to see people that she hasn't seen in over 20 years. Hawkins-Anderson praised current coach Dawn Staley on her ability to recruit in-state players and hopes that her daughter, who is eleven, will be able to play under Staley in the future.

Jennifer Wood and several other members of the 2001 Equestrian class were present. Wood said the team had originally picked the same weekend to have an Equestrian team reunion.

"Fortunately it coincided with the [All-Sports] reunion and it was awesome," said Wood.

The team was amazed to see how far the Equestrian program has come since they graduated. Wood pointed out the new facilities and that the Gamecocks "have some of the most talented riders in the country."

"I was so excited to get the postcard. I haven't been back in a number of years and I haven't seen a game in quite some time," said former football player Curtis Godwin. Godwin was joined by his wife whom he met while at USC. During the tour of the football stadium, Godwin was surprised by the extent of the changes that have been made since he graduated in 1991. "I got completely turned around and couldn't find my way out," joked Godwin. During his time here, Godwin played under current defensive line coach Brad Lawing, who was then in his first stint coaching at Carolina.

Alumni line up by class to be recognized at halftime.

"The reunion was an incredible event that all who attended enjoyed," said Toni Karl, Stewardship Coordinator for the Gamecock Club. "Many attendees were overwhelmed with all the improvements."

The next reunion for former Gamecock student-athletes will be for the "2's" (classes of 1952, 1962, 1972, 1982, etc.) If you were a student-athlete who graduated in one of these years, please contact Toni Karl at tonik@sc.edu if you would like to be included in next year's reunion.

Written by student assistant Rebecca Duensing
Photos courtesy of Allen Sharpe

Spurs Up Daily Round-Up: 11/29 Did We Mention Carolina Beat Clemson?

By The Editor on November 29, 2011 4:42 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Catch up on the day's buzz about the Gamecocks! In today's edition a great feature on linebacker Rodney Paulk, Coach Spurrier set to recap the season on a special edition "Carolina Calls", Gamecocks in the NFL update, Women's Basketball hits the road to take on Xavier, and more! By the way... did we mention that Carolina beat Clemson? 34-13 :)

GAMECOCKS AROUND THE WEB

Football: 'Life isn't all about football' USC's Paulk stays focused (The Post and Courier)

Football: A bunch of leftovers from last week's story on USC LB Rodney Paulk (The Post and Courier)

Football: 1984 finally equaled (GamecockCentral.com)

Football: Shaw enters Beast Mode (TheBigSpur.com)

Swimming & Diving: Being Thankful for the Sport (SwimmingWorld.com) by Senior Mallory Cage

GAMECOCKS IN THE PROS

Gamecocks in the NFL (GamecockCentral.com)

GAMECOCKSONLINE.COM NEWS

Women's Basketball. Women's Hoops Travels to Xavier

Volleyball. Brandi Byers Named to SEC Volleyball Community Service Team

Volleyball. Coach Swanson Press Conference

Football. Carolina Calls Set for Wednesday Night

Football. Carolina Injury Updates

Football. Connor Shaw Named AgSouth Athlete of the Week

COCK-A-DOODLE-TWEET

Follow @GamecocksOnline and @SpursUpBlog on Twitter!

SPURS UP BLOG HIGHLIGHTS

This Week's Home Events: SEC/Big East Challenge

Spurs Up Play of the Game - Defense: Sack Attack

Spurs Up Play of the Game - Offense: Bruce Ellington Touchdown

Pre-Game & Fan Photos: South Carolina vs. Clemson

Carolina-Clemson: 50th Anniversary of "The Prank"

VIDEO OF THE DAY

If you missed The Steve Spurrier Show on Sunday, you missed this great highlight of the 2011 regular season. Check it out!

ROOSTER CROWS

Women's Basketball hits the road to take on Xavier tomorrow at 7:00 p.m.

Junior forward Ashley Bruner has averaged 10.7 points and 12.7 rebounds over the last three games. That rebounding number includes 6.7 offensive per game.

A win would give the Gamecocks a 6-1 record to start the season, the best mark since opening the 2003-04 season 8-1.

FAN PHOTO OF THE DAY

Today's fan photo comes from Bethany Totherow who posted it on our Facebook page. Great shot!

We've got a lot of great submissions so keep them coming! Feel free to send in your photos (any sport/season, either of you or taken by you!) with your name to GamecockAthletics@gmail.com!A lot of the best photos include some Gamecock gear and 'showing your spurs'! We'd love to share with the rest of Gamecock Nation!

You can see the entire Fan Photo of the Day series on our Facebook page!

This Week's Home Events: SEC/Big East Challenge

By Brittany Lane on November 29, 2011 12:11 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

THIS WEEK IN GAMECOCK COUNTRY...

It's a light week here in Gamecock Country after the wrap-up of the football regular season on Saturday (with a big win over Clemson, 34-13, in case you don't remember, ha!). Coach Spurrier will recap the season on Wednesday during a special "Carolina Calls" radio show. On Thursday Men's Basketball will host Providence as part of the SEC/Big East Challenge. Game time is 7:00 p.m. at Colonial Life Arena. The Gamecocks then hit the road to take on Clemson on Sunday, Dec. 4.

Wednesday, November 30

"Carolina Calls" - Wild Wing Cafe in the Vista - 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Football season recap with Steve Spurrier and Todd Ellis
-Coach Spurrier will wrap up the regular season with a special Carolina Calls radio call-in show on Wednesday (not the usual Thursday).

Thursday, December 1

Men's Basketball vs. Providence - 7:00 p.m.
-Official team posters and schedule cards

Gamecocks on the road this week:
Women's Basketball at Xavier - Wednesday, 7:00 p.m.
Women's Basketball at NC State - Sunday, 2:00 p.m.
Men's Basketball at Clemson - Sunday, 3:30 p.m. (TV: ESPNU)

Spurs Up Daily Round-Up: 11/28 Carolina-Clemson Coverage, Connor Shaw Honored

By The Editor on November 28, 2011 3:27 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Catch up on the day's buzz about the Gamecocks! In today's edition the Gamecocks reach the 10 win mark, top Clemson three years in a row, quarterback Connor Shaw picks up his second SEC Player of the Week accolade, and more!

GAMECOCKS AROUND THE WEB

Football: No. 10 is the sweetest for Gamecocks (GoGamecocks.com)

Football: SEC Players of the Week (ESPN SEC Blog)* Co-Offensive Player of the Week Connor Shaw

Football: South Carolina, Spurrier winning big with methodical run game, crushing defense (The Washington Post)

Football: Gamecocks make a statement with Clemson win (The Herald)

Football: Carolina Game balls (GamecockCentral.com)

Football: Gamecocks await bowl destination (Anderson Independent Mail)

Football: Spurrier sets a new goal for Gamecocks: 11 wins (The Greenville News)

Football: USC-Clemson: Key Battles (GamecockCentral.com)

Football: Spurrier deserves game ball for USC's 10-win season
(GoUpstate.com)

Football: Five key plays (GamecockCentral.com)

Football: Hat Trick: Three straight over Clemson (GamecockCentral.com)

Football: Miles takes his place in the rivalry (GamecockCentral.com)

Women's Basketball: Reserves, tough defense power Gamecocks' rout (GoGamecocks.com)

GAMECOCKSONLINE.COM NEWS

Football. Shaw Honored by SEC

Football. Gamecocks Unchanged In Polls

Football. South Carolina vs. Clemson Post-Game Quotes

Football. South Carolina vs. Clemson Post-Game Notes

Football. Gamecocks Soar Past Tigers, 34-13

Women's Basketball. Gamecocks Defeat Presbyterian, 52-24

Men's Basketball. Gamecocks Suffer 63-60 Loss To Southern California

Men's Basketball. Gamecocks Suffer Loss To No. 1 North Carolina In Las Vegas Invitational

Men's Golf. Gamecock Signee NeSmith Wins AJGA Polo Golf Junior Classic

COCK-A-DOODLE-TWEET

Follow @GamecocksOnline and @SpursUpBlog on Twitter!

SPURS UP BLOG HIGHLIGHTS

"Inside the Roost" Tonight: The Garnet Way

Pre-Game & Fan Photos: South Carolina vs. Clemson

Carolina-Clemson: 50th Anniversary of "The Prank"

Gamecocks Help Out at Oliver Gospel Mission

Limited Amount of Spurrier Vineyards Gamecock Garnet Still Available

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Check out the Gamecock Productions feature on Saturday's big win:

"Inside the Roost" Tonight: The Garnet Way

By Brittany Lane on November 28, 2011 3:21 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Tommy Suggs and Jeff Crane will join host Derek Scott and AD Eric Hyman on tonight's "Inside the Roost" radio show to discuss The Garnet Way campaign.

Tune in tonight and every Monday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. on 107.5 The Game. You can also listen online here.

Spurs Up Play of the Game - Defense: Sack Attack

By Brittany Lane on November 27, 2011 4:22 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

As I wrote in our Spurs Up Play of the Game on offense, it's getting harder and harder to pick just one play each week, so while I was able to pick one of the four touchdowns yesterday, I couldn't choose between four sacks by the Gamecocks yesterday, each delivered by a different defensive lineman. Devin Taylor, Melvin Ingram, Jadeveon Clowney and Travian Robertson each took down Tajh Boyd for sacks in the win over Clemson. Ingram was credited with a second sack after Boyd was called for intentional grounding. The Carolina defense got pressure on Boyd all night, limiting the Tiger offense to just 153 total yards.

Check out the Spurs Up Play of the Game on Offense

Spurs Up Play of the Game - Offense: Bruce Ellington Touchdown

By Brittany Lane on November 27, 2011 2:04 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Every week it seems harder and harder to choose just one Spurs Up Play of the Game, especially after such a big win with so many clutch moments. Any of the touchdowns could have been play of the game, they were all fantastic, but Bruce Ellington's first quarter 49-yard touchdown reception from Connor Shaw seemed to set the tone for the rest of the evening. It gave the Gamecocks a 10-0 lead and while the two rivals were tied at 10-10 briefly, Carolina never trailed Clemson in the game.

But to only pick a touchdown felt like discounting such a great performance by the Gamecock defense to hold Clemson to only 153 total yards of offense. Check out our defensive plays of the game, the defensive line's "sack attack."

Pre-Game & Fan Photos: South Carolina vs. Clemson

By Brittany Lane on November 27, 2011 12:21 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Columbia was buzzing all day as Gamecock Nation prepared to host rival Clemson in Williams-Brice and the game atmosphere did not disappoint.

Fans waved their rally towels and kept it loud all night to create an electric feeling throughout the stadium. The Gamecocks now have a 6-1 home record for the third straight year and a 20-3 record in their last 23 home games, in part due to the great home crowd support. Thank you, fans!

Hope everyone had a great time tonight!

These photos are also on Facebook! Feel free to tag yourself!

Carolina-Clemson: 50th Anniversary of "The Prank"

By Brittany Lane on November 26, 2011 11:31 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Most Gamecock fans have heard the story at some point or another - a caper legendary enough to be known simply as "The Prank".

While some details have been blurred or exaggerated over time, we went back to someone who not only remembers it - he was one of the culprits. Ed Hancock, now retired and still living in Columbia, was one of about 50 Sigma Nu fraternity members who pulled off one of the greatest college sports pranks of all time. He reminisced on the day's events now at its 50th anniversary.

In case you haven't heard the story, here's the prank in a nutshell: in 1961 before the Carolina-Clemson game, members of the Carolina chapter of Sigma Nu borrowed uniforms from Orangeburg High School and made their way on to the field at Williams-Brice to imitate the Clemson team during warm-ups, complete with pretending to milk cows, punting backwards over their heads, bumbling through plays and more. It took a few minutes for the Clemson crowd to catch on, but once they did, they were not happy!

"When we ran out onto the field, the Clemson band immediately started with Tiger Rag and we had about five lines of ten guys, so it was enough that it looked credible," said Hancock. "A few people had on two left shoes but that's because we couldn't find shoes that all matched and we had some tiny guys on the team too."

Hancock said the biggest surprise about the entire prank was that they were all able to keep it a secret.

"We practiced four or five nights, the secrecy was what was surprising. It was such a well kept secret. I had a date, like everyone else did, to the football game and I just told her I was going to the restroom. I could see all my teammates coming out of the stands and we met under the left side which is where Coach [Marvin] Bass gave us permission to use a small room there to dress."

With the imitation Tigers dressing on the home side underneath the west stands, they realized to be more convincing they would need to make their way over to enter the field from the southeast corner where the real Clemson team would enter. They made their way through some confused fans under the south stands to get to the corner. With a few guys leading the pack who looked like they could realistically be football players, the "Tigers" took the field.

"The real teams had been out to warm up and they'd gone into their locker rooms, and that's when we came out onto the field. There was a huge, burly looking guard standing there at the gate and I said I don't know if we're going to get through here, but since Jack was leading the way and he really looked like a football player, cause he actually was, the guy swung the gate open and we ran out and as soon as we touched the field the Clemson band just started Tiger Rag and all the stands went crazy, they were all standing, all wearing orange all screaming and yelling and the South Carolina side is booing and booing and carrying on."

At first the team did realistic drills and calisthenics to see if they would be believed before going into their antics.

"We had about ten minutes on the field and then we had to leave regardless, no matter what happened, so we had to start letting them know the hoax was on. The first thing we did was the 'cow milk' where I would put my fingers together and point my thumbs down and my partner would 'milk' my thumbs. We had a guy named Ron Leitch playing [Clemson coach] Frank Howard and he was walking around telling people what to do...We would line up, snap the ball to the quarterback, and everyone would just fall on the ground, we did that three times. I was on the sideline nearest Clemson which I argued not to be, but I was punting facing the north end zone and it would go back over my head and Dick Melton would let it bounce off his helmet rather than catch it. During our practices, we would time ourselves and we thought if I kick it twice and they returned it, we would be pretty close to our time to get off the field and so I kicked twice, looked over my shoulder at the Clemson stands just to see what was happening and it looked like someone had taken orange paint and poured it down the stands. The crowd was coming after us, the band stopped playing, literally the entire stands were coming after us."

The level of description for what ensued varies depending on t he storyteller, everything from "melee" to "ruckus" to "brawl", but Hancock said it was more of a scuffle than a vicious fight between the two sides. He also said ticket allocation was very different then, and the entire east side of the stands was filled with Clemson fans so the Tiger fans weren't quite as outnumbered as they would be today.

As far as whether or not a prank like this could be pulled off today, 50 years later?

"You couldn't do it today. It would really be impossible. The main reason it couldn't happen today of course there are so few tickets given to the visiting team. Out of 80,000 people in the stands only 10,000 is the most we give. In terms of attitude, I don't know, I think they would think it was funny. Sports Illustrated used to rank the top pranks and they named it as the number one prank in college history."

We agree... "The Prank" will be pretty tough to ever top.

Hancock had one more note to share about that day's activities:

"There is a little story that gets forgotten. We borrowed a cow from a guy out in Blythewood, we had it on a trailer. We had taken white shoe polish and had written 'Clemson homecoming queen' on both sides and it was of course spelled "Klempson" and the idea was to lead the cow - I don't know how the hell we thought we'd get the cow through the gate - the idea was to get the cow out on the field. I knew the cow was pretty old and I was hoping she'd make it out to the center of the field but she unfortunately passed away on the wagon in the parking lot. I'm not so sure how happy the farmer was about that."

Gamecocks Help Out at Oliver Gospel Mission

By Brittany Lane on November 24, 2011 3:36 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Team and staff members from South Carolina Men's Basketball and Baseball went out to Oliver Gospel Mission leading up to Thanksgiving to help pack holiday meals for donation to needy families in the Columbia area.

"We've grown from packing about 50 boxes in 2002 to about 1,000 boxes that were distributed last year and this year," explained Oliver Gospel Mission President/CEO Wayne Fields.

In years past, the Men's Basketball team has gone to the Mission to help serve dinner on Thanksgiving Day, but this year they will be out in Las Vegas for a tournament.

"To be able to pack some boxes to make sure families could have Thanksgiving dinner is something we wanted to make sure we did," said Coach Horn. "We always have a great time helping out with Oliver Gospel Mission which does such great work in the Columbia area."

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in Gamecock Nation!

Spurs Up Daily Round-Up: 11/23 Did We Mention It's Carolina-Clemson Week?

By The Editor on November 23, 2011 5:00 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Catch up on the day's buzz about the Gamecocks! In today's edition the Gamecocks continue prep for Clemson, a look at the Ellingtons, Men's Basketball tops Mississippi Valley State, Women's Basketball hosts CofC tonight, Track & Field announces its 2012 schedule, and more!

***TONIGHT***

Women's Basketball vs. College of Charleston - 7:00 p.m.
Tickets: $7 adult, $4 youth (17 & under)
TV: SportSouth, ESPN3.com
Game Notes

GAMECOCKS AROUND THE WEB

Football: Gamecocks have chance to make statement against its biggest rival (The Greenville News)

Football: The Ellington cousins: Divided but united (GoGamecocks.com)

Football: Gamecocks square off with Tiger team seeking redemption (Anderson Independent Mail)

Football: Keys to the Game: Clemson at South Carolina
(CBS Sports)

Football: Spurrier's best year; Dabo, too
(The Post and Courier)

Football: Spurrier sees plenty at stake vs. Tigers (The Greenville News)

Football: Is Big Thursday still big? (WACH Fox)

Football: Watkins, Jeffery are game changers (The Greenville News)

Men's Basketball: Late rally nets win for USC (GoGamecocks.com)

Men's Basketball: Gamecocks drop Delta Devils (TheBigSpur.com)

GAMECOCKSONLINE.COM NEWS

Women's Basketball. Gamecocks Host Cougars Wednesday Night

Equestrian. Equestrian Ranked Seventh in Latest Coaches Poll

Track. South Carolina Releases 2012 Track & Field Schedule

Women's Soccer. Maria Petroni Named to SEC Community Service Team

Men's Basketball. Gamecocks Rally to Defeat Mississippi Valley State 61-57

Football. Gamecocks Practice Tuesday Afternoon

COCK-A-DOODLE-TWEET

Travel safe and have a great holiday! Go Gamecocks!

Follow @GamecocksOnline and @SpursUpBlog on Twitter!

SPURS UP BLOG HIGHLIGHTS

This Week's Gameday Program: Rodney Paulk, Terrence Campbell

Limited Amount of Spurrier Vineyards Gamecock Garnet Still Available

Nancy Wilson to Be Recognized at Women's Basketball vs. CofC

Photos: Tiger Burn 2011

This Week's Home Events: Carolina vs. Clemson

Pre-Game & Fan Photos: South Carolina vs. The Citadel

Spurs Up Play of the Game: Alshon Jeffery's One-Handed Touchdown

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Check out this year's intro video for Women's Basketball and see it in person at tonight's game vs. CofC.

ROOSTER CROWS

South Carolina Football ranks fifth in the country in total defense, behind only LSU, Alabama, Michigan State and Georgia. The Gamecocks are second only to Alabama in pass defense. Clemson is 56th in total defense but 18th in total offense.

The last time Clemson came to town C.J. Spiller returned the opening kick 88 yards for a touchdown, but it was all Carolina after that in a 34-17 Gamecock win over the 15th-ranked Tigers at Williams-Brice Stadium on Nov. 28, 2009.

FAN PHOTO OF THE DAY

Today's photo is from Jerry Simmons with his son, Reece, from the Aiken area at the Auburn game this year sporting Wounded Warrior Project gear.

We've got a lot of great submissions so keep them coming! Feel free to send in your photos (any sport/season, either of you or taken by you!) with your name to GamecockAthletics@gmail.com!A lot of the best photos include some Gamecock gear and 'showing your spurs'! We'd love to share with the rest of Gamecock Nation!

You can see the entire Fan Photo of the Day series on our Facebook page!

This Week's Gameday Program: Rodney Paulk, Terrence Campbell

By Brittany Lane on November 23, 2011 3:44 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

In honor of Senior Day two sixth-year seniors are featured on this week's gameday program cover for the Clemson game. South Carolina vs. Clemson is presented by this week's game sponsor, Founders Federal Credit Union. 16 Gamecocks will participate in our Senior Day presentation before the game Saturday, so get to your seats early!

Ace Sanders represents the wide receivers on this week's cover as the position group as a whole is profiled in the program along with the Women's Basketball team. Men's Soccer Gamecock Blake Brettschneider, currently with MLS's D.C. United, is this week's "Carolina's Finest" profile.

Carolina and Clemson are set to kick off their 109th meeting at 7:45 p.m. on Saturday airing live nationally on ESPN and the Gamecock IMG Sports Network.

Limited Amount of Spurrier Vineyards Gamecock Garnet Still Available

By Brittany Lane on November 23, 2011 12:46 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

We're hearing that many stores have sold out of the Spurrier Vineyards wine, so we wanted to give you an updated list of stores who still have the wine available. Could go great with your upcoming holiday meals!

The table below lists the remaining stores that still have the Spurrier Vineyards Gamecock Garnet wine in stock:

Bi-Lo	120 Forum Drive	Columbia
Bi-Lo	300 Knox Abbott Dr	Cayce
Kroger	7467 Woodrow St	Irmo
Lowes	867 Stockbridge Dr	Fort Mill
Marketplace Spirits	1220 Alice Drive	Sumter
Piggly Wiggly	1123 Southlake Dr	Lexington
Piggly Wiggly	3040 Charleston Hwy	W. Columbia
Piggly Wiggly	4360 Augusta Rd	Lexington
Piggly Wiggly	4711-1 Forest Dr	Columbia
Piggly Wiggly	Florence Mall - Palmetto St	Florence
Piggly Wiggly	131 Pamplico Hwy	Florence
Piggly Wiggly	3818 Devine St	Columbia
Piggly Wiggly	2000 Clemson Rd	Columbia
Piggly Wiggly	7451 Garners Ferry Rd	Columbia
Piggly Wiggly	760 Hwy 378	Lexington
Quinby Beverage	9 Quinby Plaza	Quinby
Harris Teeter	1930 W. Palmetto St	Florence
Green's Assembly	400 Assembly St	Columbia
Green's Piney	4012 B Fernandina Rd	Columbia

Proceeds from the wine benefit the Steve Spurrier Foundation and the University of South Carolina Golf programs.

Nancy Wilson to Be Recognized at Women's Basketball vs. CofC

By Brittany Lane on November 23, 2011 11:30 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Many Gamecock fans will see a familiar face tonight as the Women's Basketball team takes on College of Charleston. We will be recognizing the Cougars' head coach, Nancy Wilson, before the game for her time at Carolina as she has announced that she will retire after this season.

Between Wilson's two head coaching stints at College of Charleston, she spent 13 seasons as the Gamecocks' head coach from 1984-1997. She is the program's winningest head coach, having led the team to a 231-149 record during her tenure. She guided the Gamecocks to five NCAA Tournament appearances as well as four Metro Conference regular-season titles and three Metro tournament championships. Wilson was named Metro Conference Coach of the Year in 1985 and 1991. The Gamecocks were nationally ranked for most of the 1988-89 and 1989-90 seasons, climbing as high as No. 14 in February 1989, and South Carolina advanced to its first NCAA Sweet 16 in 1990.

Wilson is a lifelong South Carolinian. She was born in Lake City, earned degrees from Coker College and The Citadel and has spent her coaching career almost entirely within the state coaching both basketball and volleyball and teaching physical education.

Join us in recognizing Nancy Wilson at tonight's game vs. College of Charleston at 7:00 p.m. at Colonial Life Arena.

Spurs Up Daily Round-Up: 11/22 Burn, Tiger, Burn

By The Editor on November 22, 2011 5:45 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Catch up on the day's buzz about the Gamecocks! In today's edition: the Carolina-Clemson rivalry heats up with Tiger Burn, Men's Basketball hosts Mississippi Valley State tonight, Coach Chad Holbrook named 2011 Assistant Coach of the Year, "Carolina Calls" tonight, and more!

***TONIGHT***

Men's Basketball vs. Mississippi Valley State - 7:00 p.m.
Colonial Life Arena, TV: SportSouth, ESPN3.com

"Carolina Calls" - 7:00 p.m.
Moves to tonight from it's regular Thursday due to Thanksgiving holiday.

GAMECOCKS AROUND THE WEB

Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright (The Daily Gamecock)

USC Performs "Tigerburn" in Advance of Saturday (WLTX)

Football: Going for three: USC prepares to host Clemson (The Daily Gamecock)

Football: Gamecocks "mascot" Sir Big Spur lives in Aiken (WRDW TV)

Football: Spurrier impressed with Tigers' offense (The Greenville News)

Football: Old rivals take to the links (GoGamecocks.com)

Baseball: 2011 Assistant Coach Of The Year: South Carolina's Chad Holdbrook (Baseball America)

Men's Basketball: USC hosts Delta Devils tonight (GamecockCentral.com)

Men's Basketball: Men's pregame: USC vs. Miss. Valley State (GoGamecocks.com)

GAMECOCKSONLINE.COM NEWS

Football. Steve Spurrier's Weekly Press Conference Quotes

Men's Basketball. Gamecocks Set To Host Mississippi Valley State On Tuesday

Men's Basketball. Williams Out 2-4 Weeks With Knee Injury

Women's Basketball. Gamecocks Host Cougars Wednesday Night

Swimming & Diving. Forcucci, Ridenour Named SEC Divers of the Week

Swimming & Diving. Coach Moody Press Conference

Volleyball. Gamecocks Close Season at No. 17 Florida

Volleyball. Coach Swanson Press Conference

Baseball. Chad Holbrook Named 2011 ABCA/Baseball America Assistant Coach Of The Year

Cross Country. Gamecock Spotlight: Beatrice Biwott

Men's Soccer. Coach Berson Press Conference

COCK-A-DOODLE-TWEET

Follow @GamecocksOnline and @SpursUpBlog on Twitter!

SPURS UP BLOG HIGHLIGHTS

"What Channel is the Game On?" South Carolina vs. Clemson Edition

2010 Highlights: South Carolina 29, Clemson 7

Photos: Tiger Burn 2011

"Carolina Calls" Moved to Tuesday for Holiday Week

This Week's Home Events: Carolina vs. Clemson

Spurs Up Play of the Game: Alshon Jeffery's One-Handed Touchdown

VIDEO OF THE DAY

A special feature on the Salute to the Military halftime during Saturday's game vs. The Citadel:

ROOSTER CROWS

A win over Clemson on Saturday would give the Gamecocks three straight victories over the Tigers for the first time since 1968-70.

This is the 109th meeting between these two Palmetto State schools in a series that dates back to 1896. The teams have met every year since 1909, making the Carolina-Clemson series the second-longest running consecutively played rivalry in college football at 103 straight meetings, behind only Minnesota vs. Wisconsin (105).

FAN PHOTO OF THE DAY

Today's photo is from Courtney Whitaker: "Here is my baby girl Elle & her daddy Evan Whitaker (a proud graduate of Carolina!!!) on game day right before kickoff."

We've got a lot of great submissions so keep them coming! Feel free to send in your photos (any sport/season, either of you or taken by you!) with your name to GamecockAthletics@gmail.com!A lot of the best photos include some Gamecock gear and 'showing your spurs'! We'd love to share with the rest of Gamecock Nation!

You can see the entire Fan Photo of the Day series on our Facebook page!

"What Channel is the Game On?" South Carolina vs. Clemson Edition

By Brittany Lane on November 22, 2011 4:27 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Our weekly "what channel is the game on?" post has brought us to the final game of the season against rival Clemson. Every week we'll bring you this post to try to help out those in Gamecock Nation who can't make it to the game in person, which is probably quite a few people as the game has been sold out since before the season began.

This week's game is pretty easy to find since the Gamecocks will face the Tigers on the flagship ESPN at 7:45 p.m. ET. The game will also be available nationwide online at ESPN3.com (depending on your internet service provider). ESPN's primetime crew, Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe will be on hand to call the action.

Game Information:
Who: #12 South Carolina vs. #17 Clemson (BCS standings)
When: Saturday, November 26, 2011, 7:45 p.m. ET
Where: Williams-Brice Stadium
TV: ESPN, ESPN3.com
Radio: Gamecock IMG Sports Network
Tickets: SOLD OUT

While we don't know the exact channel number for every local ESPN channel across the country, we've included a few below. Remember to check your local listings for the actual channel number in your area.

Local Channel Listings for ESPN (leave us a comment if you see a different channel so we can update our list):

Time Warner Cable

Columbia, SC           Channel 26
Florence, SC             Channel 29
Myrtle Beach, SC     Channel 25
Summerville (Charleston), SC     Channel 26

DirecTV               Channel 206
Dish                    Channel 140
AT&T Uverse     Channel 602
Charter Cable     Channel 32

If you miss the original airing of the game or just want to re-watch the game (Who wouldn't? Especially if it's a Carolina win!) catch the re-broadcast of the game on Sunday, November 27, at 8:00 p.m. on SportSouth following The Steve Spurrier Show at 7:30 p.m. The replay also airs on Mondays at 1:00 p.m. and Wednesdays at 11:00 p.m.

In addition to television, hear from your very own Gamecocks Todd Ellis, Tommy Suggs and Terry Cousin on the Gamecock IMG Sports Network radio broadcast. Gamecock football games are available on dozens of affiliates throughout South Carolina (click here for a list). The game is also available via satellite radio (Sirius 91/XM 91).

Fans anywhere in the country can listen to the Gamecock radio broadcast of the game with a premium account on GamecocksOnline.com All-Access.

2010 Highlights: South Carolina 29, Clemson 7

By Brittany Lane on November 22, 2011 4:13 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

With the Clemson game just a few days away, let's take a moment to re-live last year's big win on the road against the Tigers:

The Gamecocks will go for three straight victories over Clemson this Saturday at 7:45 p.m. The game is sold out and will air live nationally on ESPN and ESPN3.com.

Photos: Tiger Burn 2011

By Brittany Lane on November 21, 2011 7:33 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Carolina-Clemson week kicked off this evening with the annual Tiger Burn. Students, alumni and fans joined Cocky and the cheerleaders on Greene St across from Colonial Life Arena to see the giant tiger go up in flames and enjoy a special fireworks show.

Check out all our photos on the South Carolina Gamecocks Facebook page here.

The Gamecocks take on rival Clemson on Saturday at 7:45 p.m. ET airing live on ESPN. The game is sold out.

"Carolina Calls" Moved to Tuesday for Holiday Week

By Brittany Lane on November 21, 2011 5:35 PM | 2 Comments | No TrackBacks

Our regular Thursday "Carolina Calls" radio call-in show will move to Tuesday this week due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Head on over to Wild Wing Cafe in the Vista to join the fun and listen in on the Gamecock IMG Sports Network. The show will still air from 7:00-8:00 p.m.

Due to "Carolina Calls" changing days, Tuesday's Men's Basketball game vs. Mississippi Valley State (Colonial Life Arena, 7:00 p.m.) will begin its broadcast on 1320 AM here in Columbia before being joined in progress on 107.5 The Game.

Spurs Up Daily Round-Up: 11/21 All Focus on Clemson

By The Editor on November 21, 2011 5:22 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Catch up on the day's buzz about the Gamecocks! In today's edition the Gamecocks gear up for Rivalry Week after beating The Citadel, Volleyball finishes home slate with wins over Auburn and Georgia, and more!

Still a few more chances to catch the re-air of South Carolina vs. The Citadel on SportSouth this week:
Monday at 1pm, Monday at 1am, Wednesday at 11pm, Thursday at 1am

GAMECOCKS AROUND THE WEB

Football: Spurrier: This is 'our big championship' (Charleston Post & Courier)
*With the SEC Championship off the table, Spurrier sets his sights on Clemson as our championship of the year.

Football: Photos: Carolina-Clemson Legends Challenge (GoGamecocks.com)

Football: Heading in opposite directions, USC, Clemson turn attention to Palmetto State rivalry (Anderson Independent Mail)

Football: Kratch: The Good soldier is rewarded (The Daily Gamecock)
"Alshon Jeffery finally finds end zone after weeks of selfless play."

Football: Five key plays (GamecockCentral.com)

Football: 10th win on line for Clemson, Carolina (The Greenville News)

Football: USC-Citadel: 3 things we learned (GoGamecocks.com)

Football: Efficient offense sparks USC win (GamecockAnthem.com)

GAMECOCKSONLINE.COM NEWS

Volleyball. Cara Howley Named AgSouth Athlete of the Week

Volleyball. Paige Wheeler Takes Second SEC Defensive Player of the Week Award of 2011

Volleyball. South Carolina Closes Home Slate with Four-Set Win over Georgia

Volleyball. Gamecocks Get Win on Senior Night over Auburn in Four Sets

Men's Basketball. Williams Injury Update

Men's Basketball. Gamecocks Held Off by Tennessee State, 64-63

Women's Basketball. Gamecocks Fall to No. 11 Penn State

Football. Gamecocks Hold Steady in Polls

Football. Gamecocks Bounce Bulldogs, 41-20

Swimming & Diving. Gamecocks Conclude Strong Week at Nike Cup Invitational

Women's Soccer. No. 22 Gamecocks Fall To Top-Ranked Stanford In NCAA Second Round

COCK-A-DOODLE-TWEET

It's rivalry week Gamecocks!

Follow @GamecocksOnline and @SpursUpBlog on Twitter!

SPURS UP BLOG HIGHLIGHTS

"Inside the Roost" Talking Carolina-Clemson Tonight

This Week's Home Events: Carolina vs. Clemson

Pre-Game & Fan Photos: South Carolina vs. The Citadel

Spurs Up Play of the Game: Alshon Jeffery's One-Handed Touchdown

Gamecocks' Katie Rose Higgins Ready to Cheer for Dad and The Citadel

Gamecocks' Salute to the Military Halftime Honorees

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Check out the sights and sounds from Saturday's win over The Citadel!

ROOSTER CROWS

The South Carolina swimming and diving teams wrapped up competition at the Nike Cup Invitational on Saturday night by posting three more NCAA `B' cuts and recording 16 personal records at Koury Natatorium. For the week, the Gamecocks achieved eight NCAA provisional qualifying times and posted numerous personal best times, as the men finished fourth with 508.5 points and the women claimed third with 619 points.

FAN PHOTO OF THE DAY

Today's fan photo is from Vinnie Cerchione of his wife, Amber, with her favorite Gamecock. You can always count on Cocky to take a memorable photo!

We've got a lot of great submissions so keep them coming! Feel free to send in your photos (any sport/season, either of you or taken by you!) with your name to GamecockAthletics@gmail.com!A lot of the best photos include some Gamecock gear and 'showing your spurs'! We'd love to share with the rest of Gamecock Nation!

You can see the entire Fan Photo of the Day series on our Facebook page!

"Inside the Roost" Talking Carolina-Clemson Tonight

By Brittany Lane on November 21, 2011 4:00 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Tonight on our "Inside the Roost" radio show we'll be talking rivalry week. It's Carolina-Clemson time! Host Derek Scott and Athletics Director Eric Hyman will be joined by a couple longtime Gamecocks, Don Barton and Dr. C. Alden Sweatman, Jr.

Don Barton, class of 1949 Journalism major, is the Gamecocks' former Sports Information Director. One could argue that no one in South Carolina, or the world for that matter, knows more about the Carolina-Clemson gridiron rivalry than he. Dr. Sweatman earned his medical degree from the then Medical College of South Carolina before his residency was interrupted by military service in Vietnam. He has been practicing as a surgeon in South Carolina since 1976 and is a dedicated Gamecock fan.

The group will also discuss what is known to many as simply, "The Prank." In 1961, a group of Sigma Nu fraternity brothers made their way on to the field imitating the Clemson football team. Tune in tonight to hear more on the story from Barton and Sweatman.

"Inside the Roost" airs on 107.5 The Game every Monday night from 7:00-8:00 p.m. If you're not in the area you can listen online.

This Week's Home Events: Carolina vs. Clemson

By Brittany Lane on November 21, 2011 3:10 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

THIS WEEK IN GAMECOCK COUNTRY...

All eyes of Gamecock Nation will be on Williams-Brice this Saturday as the rival Tigers come to town. Carolina and Clemson boast identical 9-2 records with bragging rights on the line. The Gamecocks are looking to earn 10 wins in a season for just the second time ever and a third-straight victory over Clemson. The game is sold out. Men's Basketball will host Mississippi Valley State on Tuesday at 7:00 before heading out to Las Vegas for the conclusion of the Las Vegas Invitational where they will face No.1 UNC and either Southern Cal or UNLV. Women's Basketball will host two in-state foes this week, taking on College of Charleston on Wednesday and Presbyterian on Sunday.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Men's Basketball vs. Mississippi Valley State - 7:00 p.m.
-Official team posters and schedule cards

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Women's Basketball vs. College of Charleston - 7:00 p.m.
-Official team posters and schedule cards
-Play Basketball Bingo for a chance to win a Coach Staley bobble head

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Football vs. Clemson - 7:45 p.m.
*Both teams enter the game with 9-2 records.
*50,000 special Carolina-Clemson rally towels will be distributed to fans courtesy of University of South Carolina Trademark & Licensing.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Women's Basketball vs. Presbyterian - 1:00 p.m.
-Official team posters and schedule cards
-Play Basketball Bingo for a chance to win a Coach Staley bobble head

Gamecocks on the road:

Volleyball at Florida - Wednesday, 7:00 p.m.

Men's Basketball - Las Vegas Invitational
SC vs. UNC - Friday, 10:00 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
SC vs. Southern Cal or UNLV - Saturday, 7:30 p.m. or 10:30 p.m. ET

Pre-Game & Fan Photos: South Carolina vs. The Citadel

By Brittany Lane on November 19, 2011 4:51 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Check out photos from pre-game festivities, tailgating, military appreciation, in-game excitement and more from the Gamecocks' win over The Citadel. We've also posted these photos on our Facebook page.

Check back next week for more great fan photos from our final home game of the season vs. Clemson!

Spurs Up Play of the Game: Alshon Jeffery's One-Handed Touchdown

By Brittany Lane on November 19, 2011 3:41 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

We were fortunate to have several great plays to choose from today, but the one play that wowed everyone in Williams-Brice Stadium this afternoon is our Spurs Up Play of the Game. Just a few minutes into the fourth quarter, Alshon Jeffery hauled in a 32 yard pass from Connor Shaw with just one hand.

"It was pretty amazing. I was in awe after he caught that," said Shaw after the game. "It's pretty common in practice but him making that catch was unbelievable...I went to congratulate him after it, I was really proud for him. It was a great catch."

The score moved Alshon one closer to tying Sidney Rice's all-time touchdown receptions record at Carolina (23).

"In practice, as receivers, we just try to make catches all the time," said Jeffery. "They pick at me a lot because they say I make a lot of one-handed catches. It was a great throw and I just made a great play."

The Gamecocks play their final regular season game at home in Williams-Brice next Saturday against rival Clemson at 7:45 p.m. airing nationally on ESPN. Tickets for the game have been sold out since before the season.

Spurs Up Daily Round-Up: 11/18 Bring on the Bulldogs

By Brittany Lane on November 18, 2011 5:14 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Catch up on the day's buzz about the Gamecocks! In today's edition: Women's Basketball dominates Clemson, Women's Soccer ready for #1 Stanford, feature on Connor Shaw and his brother, Jaybo, QB at Georgia Southern, Katie Rose Higgins' connection to The Citadel, previews of tomorrow's match-up with the Bulldogs, a Gamecock Spotlight on D.J. Swearinger, and more!

***TONIGHT***

Volleyball vs. Auburn - 7:00 p.m.
-Senior Night - bid farewell to departing seniors!
-High School Night
-First 100 fans receive a Bojangles' gift card
-Facebook Friday- Show the coupon from the Volleyball fan page for a prize
*Due to events at the Colonial Life Arena and Koger Center Friday night, free parking for volleyball will be limited. Free parking can be found after 6:00 p.m. at the metered spots on the street or across Blossom Street at the Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center. Coliseum and Colonial Life Arena lots AD2, AD3, AD4, AD5, and FS5 will operate as $10 per vehicle and the Discovery Garage will operate as $5 per vehicle.

Women's Soccer @ #1 Stanford - 10:00 p.m. ET - NCAA Tournament
Follow along with the Women's Soccer pages on Facebook and Twitter.

GAMECOCKS AROUND THE WEB

Women's Basketball: Gamecocks handle Tigers in women's basketball (GoUpstate.com)

Women's Basketball: Gamecocks Trash Clemson (GamecockCentral.com)

Men's Soccer: Tough loss ends USC's season (GoGamecocks.com)

Women's Soccer: USC's trip to the top is here (GoGamecocks.com)

Football: Johnson to face Alma Mater (GamecockAnthem.com)

Football: Connor and Jaybo: Brothers in Arms (GoGamecocks.com)

Football: USC's Robertson plans on going out a winner (The Greenville News)

Football: USC's Matulis making most of second chance (Anderson Independent Mail)

Football: USC-The Citadel Preview (GamecockCentral.com)

Football: Five Keys to Victory: The Citadel (TheBigSpur.com)

Women's Golf: Change of colors: USC golfer Katie Rose Higgins...is in for an interesting Saturday (The Daily Gamecock)

Baseball: Gamecocks' Tanner raises money for Williamsburg seniors (SCnow.com)

GAMECOCKSONLINE.COM NEWS

Women's Soccer. #22 South Carolina Takes On #1 Stanford In NCAA Second Round Action

Volleyball. South Carolina Honors Seniors in Home Weekend vs. Auburn, Georgia

M. Soccer. Gamecocks Drop Thrilling NCAA Tournament Match to Wake Forest on Penalty Kicks

W. Basketball. Stephens Powers Gamecocks Past Tigers

Swimming & Diving. Rutqvist Posts First `B' Cut of Season to Lead Gamecocks on Day Two Prelims at Nike Cup

Men's Basketball. Gamecocks Host Tennessee State In Sunday Doubleheader

Football. Gamecocks and Bulldogs Set for High Noon Showdown

Football. Coach Johnson Speaks Following Thursday's Practice

COCK-A-DOODLE-TWEET

We are too, keep him in your thoughts for a speedy recovery!

Follow @GamecocksOnline and @SpursUpBlog on Twitter!

SPURS UP BLOG HIGHLIGHTS

Gamecocks' Katie Rose Higgins Ready to Cheer for Dad and The Citadel

Gamecocks' Salute to the Military Halftime Honorees

Tuskegee Airmen to be Honored During Military Appreciation Day at The Citadel Game

The Citadel Gameday Program: Stephon Gilmore

"What Channel is the Game On?" South Carolina vs. The Citadel Edition

Gamecock Women's Soccer Ready for Another No.1

Marcus Lattimore Appreciates Fan Support

This Week's Home Events: Basketball Beginning, Volleyball Ending, Football vs. The Citadel

VIDEO OF THE DAY

The latest Gamecock Spotlight, D.J. Swearinger:

ROOSTER CROWS

The Gamecocks' 65-48 win over Clemson in Women's Basketball last night was Carolina's second straight over Clemson and the fifth in the last seven meetings.

The lone Volleyball senior, Teresa Stenlund, ranks third on the team in kills (2.16 per set) and leads the team with 0.79 blocks per set. She is just the 50th person in South Carolina volleyball history to record 500 points.

FAN PHOTO OF THE DAY

Today's fan photo is from Tamatha Dean of Summerville. Her story:

"I am a season ticket holder and can't wait til my grandson is old enough to take to Wms-Brice ! This is my 2-1/2 y.o. grandson, Cole. He loves his SC Gamecocks! He won't be able to play football when he grows up because he suffers from the bleeding disorder hemophilia. As you can see, he is all about his Carolina Gamecocks! Look at him go...look out Lattimore! LOL"

Tamatha Dean.jpg

We've got a lot of great submissions so keep them coming! Feel free to send in your photos (any sport/season, either of you or taken by you!) with your name to GamecockAthletics@gmail.com!A lot of the best photos include some Gamecock gear and 'showing your spurs'! We'd love to share with the rest of Gamecock Nation!

You can see the entire Fan Photo of the Day series on our Facebook page!

Gamecocks' Katie Rose Higgins Ready to Cheer for Dad and The Citadel

By Brittany Lane on November 18, 2011 4:58 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

When the Gamecocks take the field at Williams-Brice on Saturday, there is at least one Carolina student who won't be quite as sure as the rest of the student body who she's cheering for.

Katie Rose Higgins, a sophomore on the South Carolina Women's Golf team, will be cheering for the opponent, but don't worry, Gamecocks, she'll have good reason. Her father, Kevin Higgins, is the head football coach at The Citadel.

"I'm excited because I've been thinking about it all year," said Katie Rose. "But I think I'll decide on Saturday when I'm out there how it will be."

The Higgins household is very sports-centric. Katie Rose's older brother, Tim, was also very involved in sports and played football at Florida. Their mother, Kay Higgins, was an athlete too and coached college basketball. Being the daughter of a football coach, Katie Rose has been immersed in the game her entire life, even wanting to do a little extra coaching herself at times.

"I got in trouble one time because he used to come home from games and I would just quiz him on everything about the game," said Katie Rose, laughing. "Finally he said, 'I just need some cool down time,' and my mom had to calm me down about it. It's just part of my life. I just want to know what's going on. I like watching practices, trying to figure out the scheme of things."

Having family members involved in college athletics has also helped Katie Rose get used to life as a student-athlete. Her father was able to help her through freshman year and assure her that she would adjust.

"It's been great because he always understands the competitive atmosphere and bouncing back after losses and how to handle wins. I've learned so much from him and he's always been there to be a good support and he just has so much knowledge. He just knows so much more than other parents [about athletics]; it's been good for me mentally."

The Gamecocks will take on Coach Higgins's Bulldogs at noon on Saturday. A limited number of tickets are still available via Ticketmaster.com.

Gamecocks' Salute to the Military Halftime Honorees

By Brittany Lane on November 18, 2011 1:27 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Every football season fans look forward to a very special halftime, our annual salute to the military. This year we selected our game vs. The Citadel as Military Appreciation Day. The entire presentation is a collaborative effort by the University of South Carolina, Fort Jackson, Shaw Air Force Base, the South Carolina National Guard, the Navy and the Coast Guard. We will have several recognitions throughout the game, including the Tuskegee Airmen between the first and second quarters, several military honorees during halftime (listed below), a recognition of veterans and active duty military in the crowd, an opportunity to honor all those who have fallen in military service, and a flyover.

Halftime honorees:

TEC Sergeant William F. Bendt:
Bendt was sworn in to serve in the Army on October 9, 1943. He trained in heavy weapons and on June 11 was taken to position off of Omaha Beach. He served during the five major European campaigns of World War II and his unit reinforced the American position during the Battle of the Bulge. He was awarded the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster and the Prisoner of War Medal.

Sergeant First Class Tracy Blakeney:
Blakeney served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. She was also serving at the Pentagon on September 11, 2011, in her office on the western side of the building when terrorists crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the building. After serving on active duty for seven years she is now a member of the South Carolina Army National Guard.

Major Mark Foster:
Foster is Operations Flight Commander for the 169th civil engineering squadron at McEntire Joint National Guard Base. He is a veteran of Desert Storm and earlier this year he earned the Bronze Star for exceptionally meritorious service while deployed as combined joint engineer for International Security Assistance Force headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Captain Matthew Delk:
Delk was serving in Iraq near the Tigris River when his humvee was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED). The explosion sent the vehicle 75 feet sideways, tearing it apart and setting it ablaze. As the convoy continued to sustain fire, Delk risked his own life to crawl in the burning humvee to pull two other soldiers from the wreckage. One of the soldiers was mortally injured and the other survived due to Delk's actions. He has served two tours of duty in Iraq, is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and a recipient of the Purple Heart.

Lt. Edward Matthew Gibson
Gibson is a "DOTA", Documented Original Tuskegee Airman who was a bombardier/navigator as he trained under difficult conditions during World War II. In 2007 he was a part of a group of Original Tuskegee Airmen who were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal at the Capitol. The Tuskegee Airmen will also be honored between the first and second quarters.

Brigadier General Jim Chow
Chow is a 27-year member of the South Carolina Air National Guard. He is the assistant to the air combat surgeon and a clinical associate professor of dermatology and dermatologic surgery at the University of South Carolina and is also an alumnus.

A limited number of tickets are available for the game after part of an allotment was returned. Click here to choose your seats on Ticketmaster.com.

Tuskegee Airmen to be Honored During Military Appreciation Day at The Citadel Game

By Brittany Lane on November 18, 2011 12:22 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Stay in your seats between the first and second quarters Saturday vs. The Citadel as we recognize the Tuskegee Airmen as part of our annual Military Appreciation Day. Several members of the Hiram E. Mann Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen (based in the SC Lowcountry) will be on the field for the recognition along with a special video. The most senior member, Lt. Edward Gibson of Charleston, will also represent the Airmen in our halftime salute to the military. Gibson is listed as a "DOTA," Documented Original Tuskegee Airman, and was part of a group of Original Tuskegee Airmen who were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal at the Capitol in 2007.

Lt. Gibson (above)

Lt. Gibson and crew (below)

During the World War II era, the Tuskegee Airmen were the first African Americans ever to fly for the United States Military. To distinguish themselves they painted the tails of their P-51 mustangs bright red.

A limited number of tickets are available for the game after part of an allotment was returned. Click here to choose your seats on Ticketmaster.com.

Spurs Up Daily Round-Up: 11/17 Men's Soccer Ready for Wake in NCAA's

By Brittany Lane on November 17, 2011 4:50 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Catch up on the day's buzz about the Gamecocks! In today's edition: Men's Soccer begins NCAA Tourney play, Women's Soccer readies to take on #1 Stanford, another in-state signee for Women's Basketball, young Gamecocks hope to continue to improve vs. The Citadel, and more.

***TONIGHT***

Men's Soccer vs. Wake Forest - 7:00 p.m.
NCAA Tournament First Round
Stone Stadium - first 200 students admitted free courtesy of tickets from local Gamecock Club chapters. Go to Whaley St entrance.
Tickets - adults: $8, youth (17 and under) and South Carolina students and faculty/staff: $5
Free parking in Heyward St garage.

Women's Basketball @ Clemson - 7:00 p.m.
Listen live

GAMECOCKS AROUND THE WEB

Men's Soccer: Gamecocks begin NCAA title hunt (TheBigSpur.com)

Men's Soccer: Homegrown talent shines for Gamecocks (GoGamecocks.com)

Football: SEC notebook: Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier can recall every stat and slight (Memphis Commercial Appeal)

Football: Clowney keeps on improving (The Post & Courier)

Football: Matulis rises on depth chart (The Greenville News)

GAMECOCKSONLINE.COM NEWS

Men's Soccer. Gamecock Men's Soccer Set To Host Wake Forest In NCAA Tournament First Round

Swimming & Diving. Gamecocks Open Strong at Nike Cup Invitational

Women's Soccer. #22 South Carolina Takes On #1 Stanford In NCAA Second Round Action

Volleyball. South Carolina Honors Seniors in Home Weekend vs. Auburn, Georgia

Women's Basketball. Khadijah Sessions Joins 2012 Gamecock Signing Class

Women's Basketball. Gamecocks and Tigers Square Off Thursday Night

COCK-A-DOODLE-TWEET

We'll see y'all there! Gates open at 6:00 p.m. for the game at 7:00.

Follow @GamecocksOnline and @SpursUpBlog on Twitter!

SPURS UP BLOG HIGHLIGHTS

The Citadel Gameday Program: Stephon Gilmore

Bill Byrne Talks Texas A&M's Move to SEC on "Inside the Roost"

"What Channel is the Game On?" South Carolina vs. The Citadel Edition

Gamecock Women's Soccer Ready for Another No.1

Marcus Lattimore Appreciates Fan Support

Gamecocks Surpass 200,000 Facebook Fans

This Week's Home Events: Basketball Beginning, Volleyball Ending, Football vs. The Citadel

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Check out this segment on head coach Mark Berson from our newest Gamecock Confidential on Men's Soccer and click here to see more segments or watch the full show.

ROOSTER CROWS

South Carolina (5-5), West Virginia (3-3), Penn State (3-3) and Utah (2-2) are the only teams in the nation who have a perfect TD percentage inside the red zone against AP Top 25 teams multiple times.

FAN PHOTO OF THE DAY

Today's fan photo submitted by Brittany Hoffman of her dog, Bella, who is CLEARLY ready to get to the game!! We have an all Gamecock Pets album coming soon to Facebook so stay tuned and send your Gamecock fan pets to gamecockathletics@gmail.com!

Brittany Hoffman2.JPG

We've got a lot of great submissions so keep them coming! Feel free to send in your photos (any sport/season, either of you or taken by you!) with your name to GamecockAthletics@gmail.com!A lot of the best photos include some Gamecock gear and 'showing your spurs'! We'd love to share with the rest of Gamecock Nation!

You can see the entire Fan Photo of the Day series on our Facebook page!

The Citadel Gameday Program: Stephon Gilmore

By Brittany Lane on November 17, 2011 12:58 PM | 1 Comment | No TrackBacks

Stephon Gilmore headlines this week's gameday program for The Citadel game. A feature on the All-SEC junior from Rock Hill is within the program.

Other stories in this week's program include a look at the running backs, Men's Basketball, and Softball's Lauren Lackey in the "Carolina's Finest" section.

Check out the program at the game. Kickoff is at noon. Go Gamecocks!

Bill Byrne Talks Texas A&M's Move to SEC on "Inside the Roost"

By Brittany Lane on November 17, 2011 12:50 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Written by student assistant Rebecca Duensing

Bill Byrne.jpg

On Monday night's "Inside the Roost" radio show host Derek Scott and Athletics Director Eric Hyman were joined by one of the SEC's new AD''s, Texas A&M's Bill Byrne. Byrne is now in his 9th year as the Aggies' Athletics Director.

Hyman said when the AD's began discussing Texas A&M as a possible 13th member, he joked that, "you guys just don't understand. I've got a sister who's an Aggie graduate and my son-in-law is an Aggie. They're a whole different kind of people."

Byrne provided some quick facts about the Aggies that prove they'll be bringing "a competitive program to the Southeastern Conference."

"We've had some good success athletically over the last few years. Our football team is struggling this year, but last year we won nine games and were in the Cotton Bowl - lost to LSU, but a lot of people do that. Both basketball teams have been in the NCAA tournament the last seven years in a row, our women won the National Championship last year. Our baseball team was in the College World Series. Our track and field teams have won the National Championship, both men and women, for the last 3 years."

Byrne said that their coaches are attending the SEC coaches meetings as well as the Big 12 meetings this year.

The main thing Aggie fans are asking about in terms of moving to the SEC is a schedule, which Hyman said will be discussed in upcoming SEC meetings now that Missouri is officially joining the conference. Byrne also said that their fans are looking forward to going to different cities and venues. He believes that fans from other schools will enjoy themselves when they come to visit College Station. Byrne assured listeners that the Aggies "treat people right" and pride themselves on their hospitality.

Texas A&M is "really excited to be a member of the SEC" and they're looking forward to competing in the new conference next season.

"It's going to be a big transition for us, but we're looking forward to the challenge."

Make sure to catch "Inside the Roost" every Monday night from 7:00-8:00 p.m. on 107.5 The Game for insight into Gamecock Athletics with Derek Scott and AD Eric Hyman along with weekly guests.

Limited Number of Tickets Now Available for The Citadel Game

By Brittany Lane on November 17, 2011 12:15 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

A limited number of tickets were made available today for this Saturday's game vs. The Citadel after part of an allotment was returned.

Tickets are available via Ticketmaster.com. Use their interactive seating map to choose your exact seats!

There is also still time to bid on a pre-game tour of Williams-Brice.

Kickoff is set for 12:00 p.m., noon ET on Saturday. Go Gamecocks!

"What Channel is the Game On?" South Carolina vs. The Citadel Edition

By Brittany Lane on November 17, 2011 10:25 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Our weekly "what channel is the game on?" post gets a little more complicated this week as the Gamecocks take on The Citadel. Every week we'll bring you this post to try to help out those in Gamecock Nation who can't make it to the games in person.

The Gamecocks will face the Bulldogs on a pay-per-view basis at noon, 12:00 p.m. ET, throughout the state of South Carolina. The game will be available online at ESPN3.com depending on your internet service provider, but only outside of South Carolina. Andy Demetra and Brad Muller will call the action.

Game Information:
Who: #12 South Carolina (8-2, 6-2) vs. The Citadel (4-6, 2-5 SoCon)
When: Saturday, November 19, 2011, 12:00 p.m. ET
Where: Williams-Brice Stadium
TV: Pay-per-view, ESPN3.com (outside of SC)
Radio: Gamecock IMG Sports Network
Tickets: Limited number available via Ticketmaster.com

The following cable and satellite companies will carry the game. Please contact your local company for pricing and to order the game.

Berkley Cable TV Moncks Corner

Charter Communications Greenville

Chester Telephone Chester

Comcast Cable Augusta, GA

Comcast Cable Charleston

Comporium Cable Rock Hill, York, Lancaster, Aiken

Horry Telephone Company Conway, Myrtle Beach

Knology North Charleston

PBT Cable Gilbert

Southern Coast Cable Georgetown

Time Warner Columbia

DirecTV: Channel 784

Dish Network: Channel 457

AT&T: Channel 101

If you miss the original airing of the game or just want to re-watch the game (Who wouldn't? Especially if it's a Carolina win!) catch the re-broadcast of the game on Sunday, November 20 at 8:00 p.m. on SportSouth following The Steve Spurrier Show at 7:30 p.m. The replay also airs on Mondays at 1:00 p.m. and Wednesday at 11:00 p.m.

In addition to television, hear from your very own Gamecocks Todd Ellis, Tommy Suggs and Terry Cousin on the Gamecock IMG Sports Network radio broadcast. Gamecock football games are available on dozens of affiliates throughout South Carolina (click here for a list). The game is also available via satellite radio (Sirius 220/XM 199).

Fans anywhere in the country can listen to the Gamecock radio broadcast of the game with a premium account on GamecocksOnline.com All-Access.

Spurs Up Daily Round-Up: 11/16 Chance at History

By The Editor on November 16, 2011 6:05 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Catch up on the day's buzz about the Gamecocks! In today's edition: the Gamecocks still hope to make some history as football season is close to an end, Men's Soccer debuts their Gamecock Confidential show on the eve of their NCAA Tournament first round match-up with Wake Forest, Women's Soccer travels to take on No.1-ranked Stanford, Baseball releases their 2012 schedule, and more!

GAMECOCKS AROUND THE WEB

Football: Despite setbacks, overachieving Gamecocks may reach 10-win mark (CBS Sports)

Football: Spurrier doesn't need East title to be proud (ESPN SEC blog)

Football: Spurrier reminds team of upset (Charleston Post & Courier)

Football: No. 14 South Carolina still has goals beyond SEC (Associated Press)

GAMECOCKS IN THE PROS

Gamecocks in the NFL (GamecockCentral.com)

GAMECOCKSONLINE.COM NEWS

Women's Soccer. Women's Soccer Weekly Report

Men's Soccer. Gamecock Men's Soccer Set To Host Wake Forest In NCAA Tournament First Round

Women's Golf. Gamecock Women's Golf Signs Schmelzel for 2012-13
*Welcome to the family, Sarah!

Baseball. South Carolina Baseball Announces 2012 Schedule

Men's Basketball. Men's Basketball Suffers 58-53 Loss At Elon

Football. Gamecocks Return to Practice Fields Tuesday

COCK-A-DOODLE-TWEET

Kelllllseeeeey..... KEELLLLSEEEEY.... Okay, now it's creepy.

Follow @GamecocksOnline and @SpursUpBlog on Twitter!

SPURS UP BLOG HIGHLIGHTS

Gamecock Women's Soccer Ready for Another No.1

Marcus Lattimore Appreciates Fan Support

Gamecocks Surpass 200,000 Facebook Fans

PGA TOUR's Mark Anderson and Kyle Thompson Return to Carolina for Alumni Weekend

This Week's Home Events: Basketball Beginning, Volleyball Ending, Football vs. The Citadel

Pre-Game and Fan Photos: Gamecocks Beat Florida, 17-12

VIDEO OF THE DAY

A special Gamecock Confidential show on South Carolina Men's Soccer. Click here to see the YouTube playlist including short segments from the show.

ROOSTER CROWS

The Burlsworth Trophy is given to the most outstanding football player in America who began his career as a walk-on. A walk-on is defined as a player who began his first season of participation with a D1 (FBS) football program without financial aid of any kind from his university's athletic department. Gamecock junior fullback Dalton Wilson is one of the 50 players who will be considered for this award.

FAN PHOTO OF THE DAY

In honor of this season's baseball schedule being released today, we're going back to Carolina Stadium for today's Fan Photo of the Day, sent in by Crystal Bradley of Jon Riley and Avery before a game last season.

We've got a lot of great submissions so keep them coming! Feel free to send in your photos (any sport/season, either of you or taken by you!) with your name to GamecockAthletics@gmail.com!A lot of the best photos include some Gamecock gear and 'showing your spurs'! We'd love to share with the rest of Gamecock Nation!

You can see the entire Fan Photo of the Day series on our Facebook page!

Gamecock Women's Soccer Ready for Another No.1

By Brittany Lane on November 16, 2011 11:14 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

WSOC-11 Shelley Smith after Texas win.jpeg

The Gamecocks are ready for another No.1... but is another No.1-ranked team ready for the Gamecocks?

After a win over Texas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at home at Stone Stadium, South Carolina Women's Soccer heads west to California to take on No.1-ranked Stanford. The Gamecocks will look to end The Cardinal's 47-game home winning streak, the second-longest in NCAA Division I history.

"We're ready to go to the west coast and show those teams what we're all about," said head coach Shelley Smith. "I think we're obviously the underdog in the game but this program has been in this position before and we believe we can win a game on that day. So that's what we will be bringing out to Stanford."

Carolina has had several big road wins this season that helped deliver their first-ever regular season SEC Championship. They knocked LSU out of the tie for first place in the SEC with a 4-1 upset on Senior Night, the Tigers' first home loss of the season. They then ended the regular season with a huge 2-1 victory in Gainesville to claim the SEC title, a crown Florida had worn for five straight seasons.

"We know we're capable of beating any team on any given day and that's what you take into a team like Stanford," said Smith. "We've already talked to the team about where we were as a program [in 2007] when we had to take on North Carolina who's been the powerhouse for years. We had to go in and play them at home and they had never lost a home opener in their 29 year history before. If you go into a game believing that you can win, it's possible."

"Going into Stanford is going to be a tall task but on that day, we can be the best team. Anything is possible. And to see that other teams here at South Carolina have knocked off number one teams in recent history, we hope to be another one to add to that list."

Women's Soccer got their first win over a top-ranked team with a 1-0 season-opening defeat of No.1 North Carolina in 2007, ending a 27 game winning streak for the Tar Heels.

Senior forward Kayla Grimsley, who broke Carolina's career points record this season, says the team is not discouraged by having to face the No.1 team so early in the tournament, but excited.

"I think it's a huge opportunity for us to prove the talent that we have as a team. And I think that if you're not going to beat them in round two then you're not going to beat them in the final round," said Grimsley. "You have to beat good teams in order to win championships and we're ready to go because for us it's just another game and another opportunity to play a great team in the country

South Carolina and Stanford will face off Friday night at 10:00 p.m. ET at Stanford. Any Gamecock fans in the area who would like to go cheer on the team, tickets are available through GoStanford.com, via phone at 1-800-STANFORD or in person at the Stanford ticket office at Gate 2 at Stanford Stadium. Live stats will be available via Gametracker and you can also follow the action with South Carolina Women's Soccer on Facebook and Twitter.

Click here to hear more from Coach Smith and Kayla about the match-up.

Marcus Lattimore Appreciates Fan Support

By Brittany Lane on November 15, 2011 6:02 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Marcus Lattimore addressed the media today after suffering a season-ending knee injury against Mississippi State. In his opening statement he thanked everyone for their support.

"It's been a real challenge going through all this but my coaches, my teammates and my family and all the fans have been so supportive. Every day, everywhere I go it's, 'get better', 'we're praying for you', and I really appreciate that. I've probably gotten honestly over 1,000 letters from fans to the school, to my house, to my high school, they're coming from everywhere...There have been a lot [of letters] from kids and from elementary schools. The whole class will send a bunch of letters and that's really cool to me."

Watch Marcus's full interview here.

Marcus will continue to be in all of our thoughts and hopes for a speedy and healthy recovery.

Spurs Up Daily Round-Up: 11/15

By The Editor on November 15, 2011 5:15 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Catch up on the day's buzz about the Gamecocks! In today's edition Women's Basketball wins their home opener, Men's Basketball travels to Elon, excitement for national primetime exposure for Carolina-Clemson, the newest Softball signees, Men's Soccer will take on Wake Forest in the NCAA Tournament, the Gamecocks go over 200k on Facebook, and more!

***TONIGHT***

Men's Basketball @ Elon - 7:00 p.m.
TV: SportSouth
Radio: Gamecock IMG Sports Network

GAMECOCKS AROUND THE WEB

Football: Gamecocks, Tigers to be primetime affair (WACH FOX)

Football: It's time for the Clemson-South Carolina rivalry to shine nationally (Anderson Independent Mail)

Men's Soccer: South Carolina men's soccer will play Wake Forest after all (The Daily Gamecock)

Men's Soccer: NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship digital program

Women's Basketball: Ashley Bruner helps lift Lady Gamecocks to win (The Daily Gamecock)

Softball: Ard signs with USC softball (The Item)

GAMECOCKSONLINE.COM NEWS

Inside the Chart with Andy Demetra - Ellis Johnson's playing days at The Citadel

Football. Steve Spurrier's Weekly Press Conference Quotes & Videos

Football. Dalton Wilson Nominated for Burlsworth Trophy

Football. Carolina - Citadel on Pay-Per-View

Women's Soccer. Coach Smith, Kayla Grimsley Press Conference

Men's Soccer. NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament Parking And Ticket Information

Swimming & Diving. Coach Moody Press Conference

Volleyball. South Carolina vs. Auburn Promo

Women's Basketball. Gamecocks defeat Alabama A&M 60-53 in Home Opener

COCK-A-DOODLE-TWEET

The game is set to begin at 7:00 p.m. ET, and will be televised on SportSouth, tune in!

Follow @GamecocksOnline and @SpursUpBlog on Twitter!

SPURS UP BLOG HIGHLIGHTS

Gamecocks Surpass 200,000 Facebook Fans

PGA TOUR's Mark Anderson and Kyle Thompson Return to Carolina for Alumni Weekend

This Week's Home Events: Basketball Beginning, Volleyball Ending, Football vs. The Citadel

Pre-Game and Fan Photos: Gamecocks Beat Florida, 17-12

Spurs Up Play of the Game: Alshon Jeffery Breaks Receiving Yards Record

Baseball National Champs Receive Recognition at Football Game

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Check out this feature from last night's NCAA Selection Show watch party for Men's Soccer at Buffalo Wild Wings. The Gamecocks learned they would host Wake Forest on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. right here at home in Stone Stadium.

ROOSTER CROWS

A win over The Citadel would give the Gamecocks nine or more wins in a season for just the fourth time in school history.

Another win would also give the Gamecocks 18 wins over the past two season, the most in back-to-back years in school history.

FAN PHOTO OF THE DAY

Today's fan photo is from Nikki Rice of herself with Sheri Green at the Auburn game showing off their spirit fingers!

We've got a lot of great submissions so keep them coming! Feel free tosend in your photos (any sport/season, either of you or taken by you!) with your name to GamecockAthletics@gmail.com!A lot of the best photos include some Gamecock gear and 'showing your spurs'! We'd love to share with the rest of Gamecock Nation!

You can see the entire Fan Photo of the Day series on our Facebook page!

Gamecocks Surpass 200,000 Facebook Fans

By Brittany Lane on November 14, 2011 8:10 PM | 1 Comment | No TrackBacks

Going undefeated in the SEC East wasn't the only significant landmark the Gamecocks reached over the weekend... Gamecock Nation pushed the number of fans on the official South Carolina Gamecocks Facebook page over 200,000 fans and counting. Our Facebook following ranks 13th among NCAA schools.

We added "200,000!" to our Facebook profile image (left) to express our excitement and asked fans to share with us their favorite things to see/watch/read on the page.

Connor Shaw and Alshon Jeffery both recorded brief "thank you" messages to the fans, watch it here.

Thank you for your continued support and love for South Carolina!

Spurs Up Daily Round-Up: 11/14 SEC East Football Sweep, Basketball Underway

By The Editor on November 14, 2011 7:55 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Catch up on the day's buzz about the Gamecocks! In today's edition the Gamecocks earn another SEC weekly honor, Alshon Jeffery's new record, Women's Soccer will be the next Gamecock team to take on a No.1-ranked team, Men's Soccer will host Wake Forest at home in the NCAA Tournament First Round, Women's Basketball hosts their home opener, and more!

GAMECOCKS AROUND THE WEB

Football: SEC Players of the Week (SEC Digital Network) *Travian Robertson-SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week

Football: Line leads strong defensive effort (TheBigSpur.com)

Football: Connor Shaw keys South Carolina as Gamecocks earn 6th SEC win (ESPN.com)

Football: Gamecocks reach more milestones with victory (GoGamecocks.com)

Football: Alshon Jeffery passes Kenny McKinley becomes South Carolina's career receiving yards leader (The Daily Gamecock)

Football: Five key plays (GamecockCentral.com)

Football: Scouting the Citadel Bulldogs (GoGamecocks.com)

Men's Basketball: Freshman Anthony Gill, Brenton Williams lead South Carolina past Western Carolina 72-50 (The Washington Post)

Men's Basketball: Bench sparks Gamecocks (The Post and Courier)

Women's Basketball: WBB: Gamecocks open home season tonight (GamecockCentral.com)

Women's Basketball: Carolina defense overpowers Illini (GoGamecocks.com)

GAMECOCKSONLINE.COM NEWS

Women's Basketball. Women's Hoops Home Opener Monday Night

Men's Basketball. Gamecocks Travel To Elon For Tuesday Matchup

Softball. South Carolina Softball Brings Aboard Four in Fall Signing Period

Men's Soccer. Gamecock Men's Soccer To Host Wake Forest In NCAA First Round

Volleyball. Coach Swanson Press Conference

Volleyball. South Carolina Inks Three for Swanson's Initial Class

Men's Golf. Gamecock Men's Golf Announces 2012 Signing Class

Football. Carolina - Clemson to Kick at 7:45 pm

Football. Robertson Honored By SEC

Football. Gamecocks Climb One Spot in Both Polls

Women's Soccer. Sabrina D'Angelo Named AgSouth Athlete of the Week

Equestrian. Equestrian Update With Coach Major

Cross Country. Gamecocks Finish 24th at NCAA Southeast Region Cross Country Championships

COCK-A-DOODLE-TWEET

Follow @GamecocksOnline and @SpursUpBlog on Twitter!

SPURS UP BLOG HIGHLIGHTS

PGA TOUR's Mark Anderson and Kyle Thompson Return to Carolina for Alumni Weekend

"Inside the Roost" Tonight: Texas A&M AD Bill Byrne

This Week's Home Events: Basketball Beginning, Volleyball Ending, Football vs. The Citadel

Pre-Game and Fan Photos: Gamecocks Beat Florida, 17-12

Spurs Up Play of the Game: Alshon Jeffery Breaks Receiving Yards Record

Baseball National Champs Receive Recognition at Football Game

PHOTOS of 2011 South Carolina Baseball Championship Rings

VIDEO OF THE DAY

The Gamecocks completed the SEC Eastern Division sweep with a win over Florida Saturday. Check out the highlights:

ROOSTER CROWS

AgSouth Athlete of the Week, Sabrina D'Angelo started her first career NCAA Tournament match and responded with a shutout against Texas last Friday to send South Carolina to the second round. D'Angelo recorded four saves in the contest, including two on breakaway opportunities by Second Team All-Big 12 member Hannah Higgins, to preserve the shutout. D¹Angelo is the first Gamecock to start a postseason match in goal as a freshman and pitched just the third shutout in program history in NCAA Tournament play.

FAN PHOTO OF THE DAY

Annalee Workman submitted this great family photo from the Navy game!

We've got a lot of great submissions so keep them coming! Feel free to send in your photos (any sport/season, either of you or taken by you!) with your name to GamecockAthletics@gmail.com!A lot of the best photos include some Gamecock gear and 'showing your spurs'! We'd love to share with the rest of Gamecock Nation!

You can see the entire Fan Photo of the Day series on our Facebook page!

PGA TOUR's Mark Anderson and Kyle Thompson Return to Carolina for Alumni Weekend

By Brittany Lane on November 14, 2011 4:18 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Thousands of South Carolina alumni made their way back to Columbia this weekend for Homecoming and two Gamecock alums who are now PGA TOUR cardholders were among them. Mark Anderson and Kyle Thompson both recently earned their PGA TOUR cards after strong performances finishing in the Top 25 on the Nationwide Tour money list. They returned to Carolina this weekend to participate in a special alumni golf tournament with the current team.

"Time flies, seems like only yesterday I was here having a blast," said Thompson. "I'll get to see some people I haven't seen in years...I had a great experience here at Carolina so anything I can do to help my former team to improve and hopefully win a national championship."

As a member of the class of 2001, Thompson also participated in the All-Sports Alumni Reunion over the weekend, including recognition on the field during Saturday's football game. Former student-athletes who completed their eligibility in the years of 2001, 1991, 1981, etc. formed this year's reunion classes.

Kyle Thompson, class of 2001, (left) and Mark Anderson, class of 2008 (right).

"It's just a fun opportunity to see a bunch of guys that I haven't seen in a while, see some old teammates, see some of the older players," said Anderson (class of 2008). "What a fun day, there's no pressure. It's just having a lot of fun with some old friends."

Both are excited to get their chance on the PGA TOUR for the 2012 season, which kicks off in early January.

"This will be my first time on the PGA TOUR; it means a lot," said Anderson. "It's the culmination of a lot of hard work, practice, dedication, and sacrifice. It's just the beginning, so it's not the end. It's going to be fun and I plan on having a really good time."

Thompson agreed, saying, "it's really exciting, I can't wait to play next year on the PGA TOUR and take my family out there with me...I've got some pretty lofty goals for next year and I'm really looking forward to seeing what I can do."

Thank you to both Kyle and Mark and all the Golf alumni who came back to Columbia this weekend and we'll be cheering for you on the tour!

Special thanks to Media Relations Assistant Justin Holt for his assistance with this blog post.

"Inside the Roost" Tonight: Texas A&M AD Bill Byrne

By Brittany Lane on November 14, 2011 3:20 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Joining AD Eric Hyman and host Derek Scott on tonight's "Inside the Roost" radio show will be Texas A&M Director of Athletics Bill Byrne to discuss the Aggies' move to the SEC. South Carolina Athletics' Director of Marketing Eric Nichols will also join the show to talk about the football gameday atmosphere and the start of basketball season.

Tune in to 107.5 The Game from 7:00-8:00 p.m. ET tonight to listen in! If you don't get 107.5 on the radio you can also listen online!

This Week's Home Events: Basketball Beginning, Volleyball Ending, Football vs. The Citadel

By Brittany Lane on November 14, 2011 11:13 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

THIS WEEK IN GAMECOCK COUNTRY...

One home season begins while one comes to an end this week. Women's Basketball plays their home opener vs. Alabama A&M Monday night at 7:00 p.m. while Volleyball will play their final home matches this weekend against Auburn and Georgia. You can also join Women's Basketball on the road this week for a fan bus trip to Clemson on Thursday. Men's Soccer will host the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, taking on Wake Forest here at Stone Stadium. Football will play their second to last home game vs. The Citadel on Saturday. Sunday will be a busy day at Carolina as we host a basketball double header with the women taking on Penn State at 3:00 p.m. and the men facing Tennessee State at 6:00 p.m.

Women's Basketball opens home play this week behind pre-season All-SEC guards La'Keisha Sutton and Ieasia Walker

Monday, November 14, 2011

Men's Soccer NCAA Selection Show Watch Party - 4:30 p.m.
-Join the team at Buffalo Wild Wings at 4500 Devine St to watch the NCAA Tournament selection show. Team will arrive around 4:15 p.m.
*Update - Monday, 4:45 p.m.: South Carolina will host Wake Forest on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. See below.

Women's Basketball vs. Alabama A&M - 7:00 p.m.
-Official team posters and schedule cards
-Play Basketball Bingo for a chance to win a Coach Staley bobble head
*Home Opener! The Gamecocks opened the season on the road last Friday with a 71-52 win over Illinois
*Game Notes

Thursday, November 17, 2011

NCAA Tournament First Round: Men's Soccer vs. Wake Forest - 7:00 p.m.
-Bracket announced Monday at 4:30 p.m. More information to come!

Fan Bus Trip: Women's Basketball vs. Clemson - 7:00 p.m.
-Travel with the Gamecocks as they take on Clemson University
-$35 fee includes roundtrip luxury motor coach transportation, boxed lunch, and a game ticket
-Bus will depart from Carolina Coliseum (Park Street side) at 3:30 p.m.
-For more information, please contact Dianne Palmer at (803) 777-0371

Friday, November 18, 2011

Volleyball vs. Auburn - 7:00 p.m.
-Senior Night - bid farewell to departing seniors!
-High School Night
-First 100 fans receive a Bojangles' gift card
-Facebook Friday- Show the coupon from the Volleyball fan page for a prize
*Due to events at the Colonial Life Arena and Koger Center Friday night, free parking for volleyball will be limited. Free parking can be found after 6:00 p.m. at the metered spots on the street or across Blossom Street at the Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center. Coliseum and Colonial Life Arena lots AD2, AD3, AD4, AD5, and FS5 will operate as $10 per vehicle and the Discovery Garage will operate as $5 per vehicle.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Football vs. The Citadel - 12:00 p.m.
-Military Appreciation Day including special halftime presentation
-This game is sold out and will be televised throughout South Carolina on a pay-per-view basis
-Click here to bid on pre-game field passes, halftime field passes, and/or a pre-game tour at the game!

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Volleyball vs. Georgia - 1:30 p.m.
-Fan Appreciation Day- First 100 fans receive rally towels
-Faculty Appreciation Day- Show faculty/staff ID for a prize
-Twitterific Sunday- Mention @GamecockVolley on gameday for a prize
-Post-match autographs

Women's Basketball vs. Penn State - 3:00 p.m.
-Official team posters and schedule cards
-Play Basketball Bingo for a chance to win a Coach Staley bobble head

Men's Basketball vs. Tennessee State - 6:00 p.m.
-Official team posters and schedule cards

Gamecocks on the Road:
Men's Basketball at Elon - Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. TV: SportSouth

Swimming & Diving - Nike Cup Invitational, Chapel Hill, NC. Thurs.-Sat.

Women's Soccer at Stanford - NCAA Tournament Second Round - Friday, 10:00 p.m. ET

Pre-Game and Fan Photos: Gamecocks Beat Florida, 17-12

By Brittany Lane on November 12, 2011 5:50 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Check out photos from our pre-game tour, the Gamecock Walk, tailgating and Gamecock Village, Homecoming, the All-Sports Reunion, Baseball recognition, fan excitement and more:

The Gamecocks return to gridiron action to take on The Citadel next Saturday at noon. The game is available on television on a pay-per-view basis.

Spurs Up Play of the Game: Alshon Jeffery Breaks Receiving Yards Record

By Brittany Lane on November 12, 2011 4:39 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

There were several big plays to choose from today, such as Stephon Gilmore's first quarter sack and forced fumble, Ace Sanders' 46-yard catch that set up a field goal, Melvin Ingram and Travian Robertson's fourth quarter sacks, Connor Shaw's 10-yard touchdown score... but the Spurs Up Play of the Game goes to a record-setting performance by Alshon Jeffery. The Gamecocks won t his game on the ground and Jeffery only had two catches in the game, but that was all he needed to move his name to the top of the record book.

With his 14-yard reception on the Gamecocks' first drive of the game, Jeffery tied Kenny McKinley's career receiving yards record of 2,781 yards. Bruce Ellington at QB would find Jeffery for three yards in the second quarter to give the 2010 All-American the record. Jeffery didn't even know he had broken the record until he heard the announcement over the PA in the stadium.

"I just want to thank God for the opportunity, and my teammates for helping me get there, my O-line, the defense, working hard helping me get better ever since I came here my freshman year," said Jeffery after the game.

The junior from St. Matthews broke into smile.

"It's a great accomplishment but I didn't even know I broke the record until they announced it. Kenny always told me that one day I was going to break his records. That's the last thing he told me."

Congratulations, Alshon and GO GAMECOCKS!

Baseball National Champs Receive Recognition at Football Game

By Brittany Lane on November 12, 2011 2:20 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

The South Carolina Baseball team was recognized at this afternoon's football game vs. Florida. The 2011 National Champions took the field between the first and second quarters after a special intro video while the Williams-Brice crowd showered them with a worthy ovation.

The schedule worked out well for many former players from last year's championship team to attend the game and the team's annual banquet earlier this week. The Gamecocks received their championship rings (SEC and National Champs) at the banquet.

Back-to-back National Champions! GO GAMECOCKS!

Spurs Up Daily Round-Up: 11/11 Bring on the Gators

By The Editor on November 11, 2011 4:26 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Catch up on the day's buzz about the Gamecocks! In today's edition the Gamecocks welcome the Gators to Columbia, Women's Soccer host the first round of the NCAA tournament against Texas, Women's Basketball opens their season at Illinois, Men's Basketball faces Western Carolina at home, the Baseball National Champions receive their rings, and more!

***THIS WEEKEND AT HOME***

Friday

Men's Basketball vs. Western Carolina - 7:00 p.m.

Women's Soccer vs. Texas - NCAA First Round - 7:00 p.m.
-Tickets: $8 for adults, $5 for youth (17 and under), students and faculty/staff.
-First 200 students admitted free (Whaley St entrance)
-All students receive double Student Rewards Points

Saturday

Football: South Carolina vs. Florida presented by Verizon Wireless - 12:00 p.m.

GAMECOCKS AROUND THE WEB

Football: Through a Player's Eyes (SEC Digital Network) *Alshon Jeffery*

Football: Five Keys to Victory: Florida (TheBigSpur.com)

Football: Weathering the storm: Gamecocks look to stay in SEC East race despite numerous injuries (The Daily Gamecock)

Women's Soccer: Freshman keeper has USC in good hands (GoGamecocks.com) *Sabrina D'Angelo*

Shelley Smith: "When she gets tested and can make a save on a legit shot on goal and pulls it out, that's when you know you have a good goalkeeper. The best ones save you and keep you in games when you need it. Mollie Patton did that for us over and over, and Sabrina has been asked to do that for us even more. She's going to be one of the top keepers in the women's game. That's the kind of potential she has."

Men's Basketball: 5 Questions as Horn's Gamecocks eye fast start (GoGamecocks.com)

Men's Basketball: Gamecocks ready for season- opener (TheBigSpur.com)

Men's Basketball: Men's hoops to play Western Carolina in season opener (The Daily Gamecock)

Men's Basketball: USC faces challenging schedule in 2011-2012 (Anderson Independent Mail)

Women's Basketball: Staley ready for rise (GoGamecocks.com)

Women's Basketball: WBB Gameday: USC at Illinois (GamecockCentral.com)

GAMECOCKSONLINE.COM NEWS

Baseball. South Carolina Baseball Holds 2011 Banquet

Baseball. First Look: Baseball Championship Rings

Football. Gamecocks Continue Florida Preparations

Women's Soccer. No. 22 South Carolina Hosts Texas In NCAA First Round

Men's Basketball. Men's Hoops Set To Host Western Carolina In Season Opener Friday

Inside the Chart with Andy Demetra

COCK-A-DOODLE-TWEET

Follow @GamecocksOnline and @SpursUpBlog on Twitter!

SPURS UP BLOG HIGHLIGHTS

PHOTOS of 2011 South Carolina Baseball Championship Rings

All-Sports Reunion Recognition During Football Game

"Inside the Roost" Recap: Shelley Smith, Chad Holbrook, Jerry Meyers

Gamecock Soccer: Two Conference Titles, Two Coach of the Year Awards

"What Channel is the Game On?" South Carolina vs. Florida Edition

All Remaining Gamecock Football Games Sold Out

Florida Gameday Program Cover: Alshon Jeffery

Baseball National Champs to be Recognized During Florida Football Game

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Husband and wife coaching duo Jamie and Shelley Smith on their unique relationship and love for soccer and how it plays into their differing coaching styles and the team. Watch the full Gamecock Confidential show here.

ROOSTER CROWS

A win over Florida would give the Gamecocks a perfect 5-0 record against SEC Eastern Division opponents for the first time in school history.

A win would also give the Gamecocks six SEC wins for the first time ever.

FAN PHOTO OF THE DAY

In honor of Veterans Day, check out our new Military Gamecocks & Veterans album on Facebook.

We've got a lot of great submissions so keep them coming! Feel free to send in your photos (any sport/season, either of you or taken by you!) with your name to GamecockAthletics@gmail.com!A lot of the best photos include some Gamecock gear and 'showing your spurs'! We'd love to share with the rest of Gamecock Nation!

You can see the entire Fan Photo of the Day series on our Facebook page!

PHOTOS of 2011 South Carolina Baseball Championship Rings

By Brittany Lane on November 10, 2011 8:49 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

The South Carolina Baseball team received their 2011 SEC Champions and National Champions rings tonight at their annual banquet. Check out exclusive GamecocksOnline.com photos of the rings below:

Click here to watch a video on the meaning behind the design of the rings and more angles and views of the rings!

Remember to stay in your seats during the break between the 1st and 2nd quarters at Saturday's football game - the 2011 National Championship Baseball team will be recognized on the field!!

Spurs Up Daily Round-Up: 11/10 Basketball Squads Ready for Season Openers

By The Editor on November 10, 2011 8:10 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Catch up on the day's buzz about the Gamecocks! In today's edition the match-up with the Gators draws near and Ellis Johnson gives an update after practice, buzz for the start of Women's Basketball including a great feature on La'Keisha Sutton, and more!

GAMECOCKS AROUND THE WEB

Football: Gators face another tough test in USC defense (GoGamecocks.com)

Football: Courage of a Nation (TheBigSpur.com)

Football: South Carolina expects Shaw to play against UF (CBSSports.com)

Football: State of Disunion: Taneyhill (TheBigSpur.com)

Men's Soccer: Baladez's arrival coincides with USC's run of success (GoGamecocks.com)

Women's Soccer: Women's soccer to host Texas in NCAA first round (The Daily Gamecock)

Women's Basketball: WBB: The Leader (GamecockCentral.com)
*Great feature on senior guard and team leader La'Keisha Sutton*

Women's Basketball: Lady Gamecocks open season at Illinois (The Daily Gamecock)

Women's Basketball: Staley signs three (GamecockCentral.com)

Men's Basketball: Transcript: Gamecocks basketball Q&A (GoGamecocks.com)

Baseball: Ray Tanner, USC Coaches Donate to Fight Children's Cancer (WLTX.com)

GAMECOCKSONLINE.COM NEWS

Women's Soccer. No. 22 South Carolina Hosts Texas In NCAA First Round

Women's Soccer. Free Student Tickets Available For Friday's NCAA Soccer Match

Women's Soccer. Gamecock Confidential: Women's Soccer

Football. Gamecocks Continue Florida Preparations

Football. Dalton Wilson Garners Capital One Academic All-District Four Honors

Men's Soccer. Gamecock Spotlight: Bradlee Baladez

Men's Soccer. No. 23 Men's Soccer Set To Play SMU In Conference USA Tournament Semifinals

Women's Basketball. Ballin' With Brett - Episode 1

Men's Basketball. Men's Hoops Set To Host Western Carolina In Season Opener Friday

Cross Country. Gamecocks Set to Compete at NCAA Southeast Regional

Volleyball. Gamecocks Travel to SEC West Leading Duo Arkansas, LSU

COCK-A-DOODLE-TWEET

Come out and support the Men's Basketball team as they open the season tomorrow (11-11-11) at 7:00 p.m.! And watch a special welcome message for students from Coach Horn here.

Follow @GamecocksOnline and @SpursUpBlog on Twitter!

SPURS UP BLOG HIGHLIGHTS

All-Sports Reunion Recognition During Football Game

"Inside the Roost" Recap: Shelley Smith, Chad Holbrook, Jerry Meyers

Gamecock Soccer: Two Conference Titles, Two Coach of the Year Awards

"What Channel is the Game On?" South Carolina vs. Florida Edition

All Remaining Gamecock Football Games Sold Out

Florida Gameday Program Cover: Alshon Jeffery

Baseball National Champs to be Recognized During Florida Football Game

This Week's Home Events: Football Returns Home, Men's Basketball Home Opener

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Yesterday we released a special Gamecock Confidential show on the Women's Soccer team. You can watch the full show as well as several segments from the show here. Check out one segment below on freshman standout Sabrina D'Angelo:

ROOSTER CROWS

Men's Basketball opens the season tomorrow vs. Western Carolina. Carolina owns a 74-29 (.718) all-time record in season openers, including a perfect 10-0 record in the last 10 seasons. Darrin Horn is 7-1 all-time in season openers. Horn's only loss in a season opener came coincidentally against an SEC school, as Auburn got the best of Western Kentucky in 2003.

FAN PHOTO OF THE DAY

Check out today's adorable photo submitted by Jessi Gibert of her daughter, Natalie, at Williams-Brice. Can't wait to see even more happy faces like hers this Saturday!!! Go Gamecocks!

We've got a lot of great submissions so keep them coming! Feel free to send in your photos (any sport/season, either of you or taken by you!) with your name to GamecockAthletics@gmail.com!A lot of the best photos include some Gamecock gear and 'showing your spurs'! We'd love to share with the rest of Gamecock Nation!

You can see the entire Fan Photo of the Day series on our Facebook page!

All-Sports Reunion Recognition During Football Game

By Brittany Lane on November 10, 2011 5:48 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Over 80 former South Carolina student-athletes will be in town this Homecoming weekend for our All-Sports Reunion. Student-athletes from the classes of the "ones" - 2001, 1991, 1981, 1971, 1961, 1951, etc. were invited to attend.

They'll participate in a reception and get-together on Friday night, then attend the football game Saturday and be recognized on the field by sport at halftime. Be sure to give them a loud round of applause on Saturday!

Once a Gamecock, always a Gamecock!

"Inside the Roost" Recap: Shelley Smith, Chad Holbrook, Jerry Meyers

By Brittany Lane on November 10, 2011 5:13 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Written by South Carolina Athletics student assistant Rebecca Duensing

On Monday night's "Inside the Roost" radio show host Derek Scott caught up with Women's Soccer Head Coach Shelley Smith, Baseball Associate Head Coach Chad Holbrook, and Assistant Head Coach Jerry Meyers.

Coach Smith was up first to discuss her SEC Championship team and embarking on the NCAA Tournament. The team opens the NCAA Tournament hosting Texas on Friday at 7:00 p.m. at home in Stone Stadium.

Accepting the SEC Championship trophy

"We couldn't be more excited, especially when there are so many seniors in the program. They really wanted to play again for a home crowd," said Smith. "They definitely got their wish and they earned it."

This year marks the fifth consecutive year that the Gamecocks have made the NCAA Tournament; two years ago they were at home for the first rounds and drew a great crowd compared to other venues across the country. Smith said that the crowd makes a big difference in their play and gave credit to the fans for coming out and cheering them on. She added that fans need to "catch someone like Kayla Grimsley before she graduates. She's been phenomenal, broken records here at Carolina and left her mark."

If the Gamecocks beat Texas in the first round, they would be scheduled to meet the number one overall seed in the tournament, undefeated Stanford (19-0-1). When asked about facing a team like Stanford, Coach Smith said, "We try not to talk about Stanford, but it's going to be a tough road no matter what; you're trying to win a National Championship. That's an opportunity for us to have an upset in the tournament and make history again."

According to Smith, Texas has had a great season and is a tough team. She expects this "to be a tremendous opening round."

Next up on the show, baseball coaches Chad Holbrook and Jerry Meyers stopped by to talk about fall practice and looking forward to next season.

Last year, Carolina's pitching staff had an amazing season and several players were drafted including ace pitcher Michael Roth and the Gamecocks' dominating closer Matt Price, both of whom chose to stay and play at Carolina this year. Derek Scott pointed out that it's rare to have players with that kind of success come back. Jerry Meyers agreed.

Michael Roth

"It has to be the right situation and we have such a great situation here as a program with our fan base, our stadium, and the commitment from administration," said Meyers. "The guys feel good about coming back, even though they had the option to sign."

The MLB draft and seniors completing their eligibility took much of the infield, leaving first baseman Christian Walker as the only returning starter. Coach Holbrook said that the infield is shaping up with Joey Pankake at short stop, Chase Vergason at second, and LB Dantzler at third.

There are also new faces at the catcher position, freshman Grayson Greiner and junior college redshirt Dante Rosenberg. Holbrook said that they "feel very good about the catching situation." Rosenberg was the Most Improved Defensive Player this fall.

In terms of hardest workers during the fall, Meyers pointed out Colby Holmes, a returning junior, and freshmen pitchers Evan Beal and Joel Seddon, who were both drafted out of high school but chose to come to Carolina. For Holbrook it was outfielders Adam Matthews and Evan Marzilli.

"They had a great fall; they led by example," said Holbrook. "They're the hardest workers in the weight room and they're great leaders for our team."

On Monday ESPNU released their schedule for the Thursday Night SEC Game of the Week. The Gamecocks will be featured twice, first on March 22 for the re-match with CWS foe Florida and again on April 26 when Alabama comes to Columbia. Derek Scott asked if they were surprised that ESPNU "wanted to put Michael Roth on TV a few more times."

"He looks good on TV," agreed Meyers. "He brings a lot to the table and hopefully he can set the tone for those series."

The 2011 National Championship team will be recognized on the field this week at the football game vs. Florida between the first and second quarters.

Make sure to catch "Inside the Roost" every Monday night from 7:00-8:00 p.m. on 107.5 The Game for insight into Gamecock Athletics with Derek Scott and AD Eric Hyman along with weekly guests.

Gamecock Soccer: Two Conference Titles, Two Coach of the Year Awards

By Brittany Lane on November 10, 2011 2:39 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

The South Carolina Men's and Women's Soccer teams accomplished quite a feat this season. Both earned regular season conference championships and both coaches earned Coach of the Year honors from the conferences after coming out on top of schedules riddled with Top-25 ranked teams. It is the first-ever double sweep for the Gamecocks.

Women's Soccer after claiming the SEC regular season championship

Both teams epitomized the saying, "it's not how you start, it's how you finish." Women's Soccer suffered a few tough losses out of conference to begin the season, then started off SEC play 1-2 before going on a tear. The Gamecocks won a program-record eight straight games, including upsets of other SEC leaders LSU and Florida on the road, to finish the season as SEC Champions with a 9-2 conference record. It is the first regular season conference championship in program history.

Men's Soccer also had a slow start after working nine newcomers into the fold, including a few who quickly earned playing time and starting roles. The Gamecocks would finish with a 6-1-1 record in conference play, including Coach Berson's 450th career win in a double overtime 1-0 upset victory over UCF on the road in Orlando.

2011 South Carolina Soccer Honors:

Men's Soccer:
- Conference USA Regular Season Co-Champions
- No.1 Seed in C-USA over co-champion UAB by virtue of 1-0 regular season victory
- Mark Berson: Conference USA Coach of the Year
- Bradlee Baladez: first team All-Conference USA
- Stephen Morrissey: second team All-Conference USA, Capital One Academic All-American District IV First Team, Conference USA All-Academic Team
- Braeden Troyer: third team All-Conference USA, Conference USA All-Freshman team
- Danny Cates: third team All-Conference USA
- Eric Martinez: Conference USA All-Academic Team

Women's Soccer:
- SEC Regular Season Champions
- Shelley Smith: SEC Coach of the Year
- Kayla Grimsley: SEC Offensive Player of the Year, first team All-SEC
- Sabrina D'Angelo: SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, SEC Freshman of the Year, first team All-SEC, SEC All-Freshman team
- Ellen Fahey: first team All-SEC

Men's Soccer faces SMU in the semifinals of the C-USA Tournament Friday at 6:00 p.m. ET in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Women's Soccer will host Texas on Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET here in Columbia at Stone Stadium for the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for youth (17 and under), students and faculty/staff. The first 200 Carolina students will be admitted free of charge at the Whaley St. entrance.

Spurs Up Daily Round-Up: 11/9 New Basketball Signees, Football Preps for Gators

By The Editor on November 9, 2011 5:57 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Catch up on the day's buzz about the Gamecocks! In today's edition: new signees for Men's and Women's Basketball, looking at the football match-up with the Gators, a preview of Women's Basketball going on the road to take on Illinois Friday, more conference honors for Men's Soccer, an Alshon Jeffery Gamecock Spotlight, and more!

GAMECOCKS AROUND THE WEB

Football: Florida at South Carolina (CBS Sports)

Football: Gators and Gamecocks get together in Columbia (The Miami Herald)

Football: Gamecocks' Shaw should be ready (The Aiken Standard)

Football: Injuries give true freshman a chance (The Post and Courier)

Football: Gamecocks have battled injuries all year (The Augusta Chronice)

Men's Soccer: Berson, players honoured by C-USA (GoGamecocks.com)

Volleyball: Volleyball prepares to face Arkansas, LSU (The Daily Gamecock)

GAMECOCKSONLINE.COM NEWS

Women's Basketball. Staley Adds Dozier and Mitchell to 2012-13 Roster

Women's Basketball. Staley Adds Lone Star State Guard Tiffany Davis for 2012-13

Women's Basketball. Gamecocks Open Season at Illinois Friday Afternoon

Men's Basketball. Haughton Signs With Gamecocks

Men's Soccer. Martinez, Morrissey Named To C-USA All-Academic Team

Men's Soccer. Coach Berson Press Conference

Equestrian. Gamecocks Ranked Sixth in Latest Coaches Poll

Equestrian. Fortune Earns Top-10 Finish at AQHA World Show Finals

Football. Gamecocks Return to Practice Fields Tuesday

Women's Golf. Coach Harris Fall Recap

Men's Golf. Coach McDonald Fall Recap

Women's Soccer. Women's Soccer Weekly Report

"Inside the Chart" with Andy Demetra - Demetra talks with John Brantley III, the father of current Gators starting quarterback John Brantley IV. Brantley III was Steve Spurrier's first-ever starting quarterback when he was a first-year QB coach at Florida in 1978 and the two remain friendly today.

COCK-A-DOODLE-TWEET

Follow @GamecocksOnline and @SpursUpBlog on Twitter!

SPURS UP BLOG HIGHLIGHTS

"What Channel is the Game On?" South Carolina vs. Florida Edition

All Remaining Gamecock Football Games Sold Out

Florida Gameday Program Cover: Alshon Jeffery

Baseball National Champs to be Recognized During Florida Football Game

This Week's Home Events: Football Returns Home, Men's Basketball Home Opener

Official: Missouri to Join the SEC in 2012

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Check out the latest Gamecock Spotlight on Alshon Jeffery:

ROOSTER CROWS

The 2011-12 season is the fourth at the helm for South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley. Her teams have improved by four wins each of the last two campaigns, capped by last season's 18-15 mark. This is the third time the Gamecocks have played their season opener on the road in head coach Dawn Staley's tenure in Columbia. Women's Basketball opens the season Friday at 4:30 at Illinois.

FAN PHOTO OF THE DAY

Today's photo is from Michele Jones... now THAT is quite a celebration face!

We've got a lot of great submissions so keep them coming! Feel free to send in your photos (any sport/season, either of you or taken by you!) with your name to GamecockAthletics@gmail.com!A lot of the best photos include some Gamecock gear and 'showing your spurs'! We'd love to share with the rest of Gamecock Nation!

You can see the entire Fan Photo of the Day series on our Facebook page!

"What Channel is the Game On?" South Carolina vs. Florida Edition

By Brittany Lane on November 9, 2011 4:21 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Our weekly "what channel is the game on?" post continues with your #13 Gamecocks finally returning home to host Florida. Every week we'll bring you this post to try to help out those in Gamecock Nation who can't make it to the game in person.

The Gamecocks will face the Gators on CBS at noon, 12:00 p.m. ET. The game will also be available online on CBSSports.com. Tim Brandon, Spencer Tillman and Lewis Johnson from CBS will be on hand to call the action.

Game Information:
Who: #13 South Carolina (7-2, 5-2) vs. Florida (5-4, 3-4)
When: Saturday, November 12, 2011, 12:00 p.m. ET
Where: Williams-Brice Stadium
TV: CBS
Radio: Gamecock IMG Sports Network

While we don't know the exact channel number for every local CBS station across the country, we've included a few below. Remember to check your local listings for the actual channel number in your area. If you have questions about whether the game will be shown in your area, call your local CBS station for more information (we've heard from fans in some areas that CBS is an affiliate for the SEC Network or ACC Network and may have games airing on alternate channels.)

Local Channel Listings for CBS (leave us a comment if you see a different channel so we can update our list):

Time Warner Cable

Columbia        Channel 9
Myrtle Beach Channel 13
Florence         Channel 8
Charleston     Channel 5

DirecTV/Dish Channel 19
AT&T Uverse Channel 19
Charter Cable (Greenville, SC; Spartanburg, SC; Asheville, SC; Anderson, SC) Channel 7

If you miss the original airing of the game or just want to re-watch the game (Who wouldn't? Especially if it's a Carolina win!) catch the re-broadcast of the game on Sunday, November 13 at 8:00 p.m. on SportSouth following The Steve Spurrier Show at 7:30 p.m. The replay also airs on Mondays at 1:00 p.m. and Wednesday at 11:00 p.m.

In addition to television, hear from your very own Gamecocks Todd Ellis, Tommy Suggs and Terry Cousin on the Gamecock IMG Sports Network radio broadcast. Gamecock football games are available on dozens of affiliates throughout South Carolina (click here for a list). The game is also available via satellite radio (Sirius 220/XM 199).

Fans anywhere in the country can listen to the Gamecock radio broadcast of the game with a premium account on GamecocksOnline.com All-Access.

All Remaining Gamecock Football Games Sold Out

By Brittany Lane on November 9, 2011 3:37 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Is it just me or has the season gone by so fast already? It feels like just a few days ago we were in Charlotte to take on ECU! But here we are and it's November!

Only three weeks of the regular season remain and the Gamecock Football team will enjoy a three-game homestand to wrap up the season - all in front of sell-out crowds.

The Clemson game sold out well before the season started, not even making it to a public sale for tickets. The Florida game soon followed and this week, The Citadel game joined the group as sold out.

While there may be tickets available on the secondary market, please be aware of the risk of counterfeit tickets, especially for the most in-demand tickets such as for the Clemson game. The only authorized sales outlets are the South Carolina Athletics Ticket Office and Ticketmaster.

Also, reminder that all football post-season ticket applications are due by Monday, November 14. The application includes the SEC Championship game and all potential bowl games in which the Gamecocks may play.
Please request tickets for all games you wish to attend if the Gamecocks are selected. You will only be charged and receive tickets for the game(s) in which the Gamecocks participate.

Can't wait to hear the sounds of "2001" and a rocking Williams-Brice this Saturday!

Go Gamecocks!

Florida Gameday Program Cover: Alshon Jeffery

By Brittany Lane on November 9, 2011 2:23 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Gracing the cover of the gameday program for South Carolina vs. Florida presented by Verizon Wireless is none other than Alshon Jeffery, who will also be the focus of a feature profile in the program. The defensive line will also be featured in this week's program, with Travian Robertson and Melvin Ingram making an appearance on the cover along with Alshon.

Pick up a copy of the gameday program at Williams-Brice this Saturday. The game is sold out and will air on CBS at noon. Go Gamecocks!

Enjoy a great Alshon moment of the season, one of his touchdowns vs. Kentucky:

Spurs Up Daily Round-Up: 11/8 Football Injury Updates, Men's Soccer Conference Honors

By The Editor on November 8, 2011 5:28 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Catch up on the day's buzz about the Gamecocks! In today's edition: Men's Soccer Coach Mark Berson earns Coach of the Year honors while four players were named to C-USA All-Conference teams, two Women's Basketball players earn pre-season All-SEC nods, Women's Soccer will host their NCAA Tournament opener, notes and quotes from today's football press conference including updates on injured players and more!

GAMECOCKS AROUND THE WEB

Football: Spurrier hopeful on Shaw's return (TheBigSpur.com)

Women's Soccer: USC women's soccer to host Texas in NCAA Tournament first round on Saturday (The Daily Gamecock)

Women's Soccer: Happy at home: USC to host NCAA opener (GoGamecocks.com)

Men's Soccer: C-USA Men's Soccer All-Conference Teams Announced (ConferenceUSA.com)

Men's Basketball: Gamecocks open vs. West. Carolina (Fox Sports South)

Baseball: ESPNU SEC Baseball Game of the Week (SEC Digital Network)

Volleyball: Video: espnW's Top 10 of the Week (ESPN)
*The Gamecocks found an impressive way to score a point and made it to espnW's #1 top play of the week.

GAMECOCKS IN THE PROS

Gamecocks in the NFL (GamecockCentral.com)

GAMECOCKSONLINE.COM NEWS

Football. Steve Spurrier's Weekly Press Conference Quotes & Videos

*Injury update from Coach Spurrier: "We think Connor (Shaw) will be alright by the middle of the week. Clint Haggard, our athletic trainer, gave him the test to see how he's doing, and he's doing pretty well. DeVonte Holloman is still hurt. Antonio Allen should be back. He was running around last night for the first time in a week. Hopefully he'll be able to play the entire game for us."

Men's Soccer. Four Gamecocks Garner All-Conference USA Honors, Berson Coach Of The Year

Men's Soccer. Morrissey Named To Capital One Academic All-American District IV First Team

Women's Basketball. Sutton, Walker Capture Preseason All-SEC Nods

Equestrian. Fortune Qualifies for Finals at 2011 AQHA World Show

Women's Soccer. Video: Women's Soccer Weekly Report

Women's Soccer. Gamecock Women's Soccer To Host Texas In NCAA First Round

*Tickets are $8 each for adults and $5 each for youth (17 and under), students and faculty/staff. The first 200 students will be admitted for free (Whaley St entrance) and all students can earn double Student Rewards Points. Tickets may be purchased in advance through the SC Athletics Ticket Office: 800-4SC-FANS.

Baseball. South Carolina Baseball to be Featured Twice on 2012 SEC Game of the Week

Volleyball. Coach Swanson Press Conference

COCK-A-DOODLE-TWEET

The wait is almost over!

Follow @GamecocksOnline and @SpursUpBlog on Twitter!

SPURS UP BLOG HIGHLIGHTS

Baseball National Champs to be Recognized During Florida Football Game

This Week's Home Events: Football Returns Home, Men's Basketball Home Opener

Official: Missouri to Join the SEC in 2012

Football Video Board, Softball Stadium Earn Final Approval

Anthony Gill Leads Gamecocks in Freshman Debut

D.C. United's Blake Brettschneider Makes Return Visit to Gamecocks

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Coming soon!! A new Gamecock Confidential special on the Women's Soccer team's season. Enjoy the trailer and stay tuned this week for the full show!

ROOSTER CROWS

Four South Carolina men's soccer players garnered All-Conference USA honors on Tuesday, while Gamecock head coach Mark Berson was named the league's Coach of the Year. South Carolina sophomore forward Bradlee Baladez was selected to the Conference USA First Team, senior midfielder Stephen Morrissey was named to the second team; and freshman midfielder Braeden Troyer and senior defender Danny Cates were selected to the third team. Troyer was also named to the league's all-freshman squad.

FAN PHOTO OF THE DAY

Today's fan photo is from Jennifer Hall of Livingston Weisinger and Anderson Hall with one of their favorite Gamecocks, Devin Taylor.

We've got a lot of great submissions so keep them coming! Feel free to send in your photos (any sport/season, either of you or taken by you!) with your name to GamecockAthletics@gmail.com!A lot of the best photos include some Gamecock gear and 'showing your spurs'! We'd love to share with the rest of Gamecock Nation!

You can see the entire Fan Photo of the Day series on our Facebook page!

Baseball National Champs to be Recognized During Florida Football Game

By Brittany Lane on November 8, 2011 4:09 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Be sure to stay in your seats during the timeout between the first and second quarters of this Saturday's football game vs. Florida. We'll be celebrating your 2011 National Championship Baseball team with a special video and a team recognition on the field!

Want to re-live a few of the greatest moments of last season? Check out one of the highlight videos from this summer again and more on our Baseball YouTube playlist:

Spurs Up Daily Round-Up: 11/7 More Player of the Week Honors

By The Editor on November 7, 2011 5:39 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Catch up on the day's buzz about the Gamecocks! In today's edition: Volleyball's Paige Wheeler named SEC Defensive Player of the Week, two Men's Soccer players, Mike Mangotic and Eric Martinez, were named C-USA Players of the Week as the Gamecocks claimed a share of the conference title, Devin Taylor's pick six, and more!

GAMECOCKS AROUND THE WEB

Football: Five key plays (GamecockCentral.com)

Football: Missouri to SEC is done deal (GoGamecocks.com)

Volleyball: SEC Volleyball Players of the Week (SEC Digital Network) *Paige Wheeler Defensive Player of the Week

Volleyball: Volleyball Falls in Three at South Carolina (Rolltide.com)

Men's Basketball: Heavy dose of SEC hoops on FS South and SportSouth (Fox Sports)

Women's Basketball: USC takes charge in exhibition win (GoGamecocks.com)

GAMECOCKSONLINE.COM NEWS

Volleyball. Paige Wheeler Named SEC Defensive Player of the Week

Volleyball. Behind Bruns & Wheeler, Gamecock Volleyball Sweeps Alabama

Volleyball. Gamecocks Drop Three-Set Decision to Ole Miss Rebels

Men's Soccer. Mangotic, Martinez Named Conference USA Players Of The Week

Men's Soccer. Mike Mangotic Named AgSouth Athlete of the Week

Men's Soccer. Conference USA Tournament Bracket Released

Men's Soccer. No. 25 Gamecocks Tie Kentucky 2-2 In Double Overtime, C-USA Champs!

Football. Gamecocks Slip to 15th in Both Major Polls

Football. Gamecocks and Gators to Kick at Noon

Football. Gamecocks Fall at Arkansas, 44-28

Women's Basketball. Gamecocks Pull Away from Limestone in Exhibition Game

Swimming & Diving. Gamecocks Drop Decisions to Tennessee

Equestrian. McCormack, McMillion Claim MVP's Friday Against Georgia

COCK-A-DOODLE-TWEET

The Gamecocks return home to face Florida on Saturday. Kickoff is at noon!

Follow @GamecocksOnline and @SpursUpBlog on Twitter!

SPURS UP BLOG HIGHLIGHTS

This Week's Home Events: Football Returns Home, Men's Basketball Home Opener

"Inside the Roost" Tonight: Shelley Smith, Chad Holbrook, Jerry Meyers

Official: Missouri to Join the SEC in 2012

Football Video Board, Softball Stadium Earn Final Approval

Anthony Gill Leads Gamecocks in Freshman Debut

D.C. United's Blake Brettschneider Makes Return Visit to Gamecocks

VIDEO OF THE DAY

While Saturday's loss was disappointing, there were some great plays that stood out, including Devin Taylor's 48-yard interception return for a touchdown:

ROOSTER CROWS

Sophomore libero Paige Wheeler earned her first weekly honor, as the Southeastern Conference named her the league's volleyball Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. Wheeler is the third Gamecock to garner the weekly defensive award since its inception in 2004.

FAN PHOTO OF THE DAY

Don't worry we'll be jumping for joy too to be back in Williams-Brice this Saturday!

Gamecock fans pictured: Erin, Sarah, Teresa, Mary Anne

We've got a lot of great submissions so keep them coming! Feel free to send in your photos (any sport/season, either of you or taken by you!) with your name to GamecockAthletics@gmail.com!A lot of the best photos include some Gamecock gear and 'showing your spurs'! We'd love to share with the rest of Gamecock Nation!

You can see the entire Fan Photo of the Day series on our Facebook page!

This Week's Home Events: Football Returns Home, Men's Basketball Home Opener

By Brittany Lane on November 7, 2011 1:01 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

THIS WEEK IN GAMECOCK COUNTRY...

Football returns home this weekend to face Florida at noon after a four-week stretch of no home games. The game is Homecoming with several university Homecoming activities throughout the week and on gameday. The National Championship Baseball team will also be recognized at the game between the first and second quarters. Men's Basketball hosts their home opener on 11-11-11, this Friday, vs. Western Carolina at 7:00 p.m. SEC Champion Women's Soccer will learn the NCAA Tournament spot during a selection show watch party this afternoon at Buffalo Wild Wings. There is a possibility that the Gamecocks could host a first-round game this weekend.

The Gamecocks look forward to returning home this weekend.

Monday, November 7th, 2011

Women's Soccer NCAA Watch Party - 4:15 to 5:00 p.m.
The brackets will be announced in a live webcast between 4:30-5:00 p.m.
Buffalo Wild Wings - 4500 Devine St

Friday, November 11, 2011

Men's Basketball vs. Western Carolina - 7:00 p.m.
-Official team posters
-Home Opener
-Season tickets available via GamecocksOnline.com
*The Gamecocks won their exhibition game against Kentucky Wesleyan including a team-high 14 points from freshman Anthony Gill in his debut.

Women's Soccer vs. Texas - NCAA First Round - 7:00 p.m.
-Tickets: $8 for adults, $5 for youth (17 and under), students and faculty/staff.
-First 200 students admitted free (Whaley St entrance)
-All students receive double Student Rewards Points

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Football: South Carolina vs. Florida presented by Verizon Wireless - 12:00 p.m.
-Homecoming festivities
-All-Sports Reunion
-Baseball National Championship recognition between 1st and 2nd quarters
-Bid on a pre-game tour of Williams-Brice Stadium here.

Gamecocks on the road this week:

Men's Soccer - Conference USA Tournament - Friday, 6:00 p.m. ET in Tulsa, Okla.
No. 1 seed South Carolina will play the winner of No. 4 seed Marshall and No. 5 seed SMU.

Women's Basketball @ Illinois - Friday, 4:30 p.m.
Volleyball @ Arkansas - Friday, 7:00 p.m.
Cross Country - NCAA Southeast Regional - Saturday, 10:00 a.m. in Louisville, Kent.
Volleyball @ LSU - Sunday, 1:30 p.m.

"Inside the Roost" Tonight: Shelley Smith, Chad Holbrook, Jerry Meyers

By Brittany Lane on November 7, 2011 9:21 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Two head coaches will join host Derek Scott on tonight's "Inside the Roost" radio show (7:00-8:00 p.m., 107.5 The Game).

Women's Soccer Head Coach Shelley Smith will by then know the team's NCAA Tournament status, as the team is holding a selection show watch party at Buffalo Wild Wings on Devine St at 4:30 p.m. The Gamecocks are coming off their first-ever regular season SEC Championship.

Baseball Associate Head Coach Chad Holbrook and Assistant Head Coach Jerry Meyers will be on to discuss fall practice and how things are going for the Gamecocks on the diamond.

Tune in from 7:00-8:00 tonight and every Monday night to 107.5 FM The Game for "Inside the Roost"!

Official: Missouri to Join the SEC in 2012

By Brittany Lane on November 6, 2011 1:46 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Official release from the Southeastern Conference:

University of Missouri to Join Southeastern Conference

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (November 6, 2011) - The Southeastern Conference Presidents and Chancellors, acting unanimously, announced today that the University of Missouri will join the Southeastern Conference effective July 1, 2012, with competition to begin in all sports for the 2012-13 academic year.

The addition of Missouri will increase SEC membership to 14 institutions. The additions of Texas A&M, announced on September 25, 2011, and Missouri, are the first expansions for the SEC since September of 1991 when the University of South Carolina joined the league. The University of Arkansas joined the SEC in August of 1991. With the addition of Arkansas and South Carolina, the SEC was the first conference to split into divisions and add a conference championship game in 1992.

"The Presidents and Chancellors of the Southeastern Conference are pleased to welcome the University of Missouri to the SEC," said Dr. Bernie Machen, President of the SEC Presidents and Chancellors and president of the University of Florida. "The University of Missouri is a prestigious academic institution with a strong athletic tradition and a culture similar to our current institutions."

"The Southeastern Conference is a highly successful, stable, premier athletic conference that offers exciting opportunities for the University of Missouri," said Chancellor Brady J. Deaton. "In joining the SEC, MU partners with universities distinguished for their academic programs and their emphasis on student success. The SEC will provide our student-athletes with top flight competition and unparalleled visibility. We came to this decision after careful consideration of the long term best interests of our university. We believe the Southeastern Conference is an outstanding home for the Mizzou Tigers, and we take great pride in our association with this distinguished league."

Missouri, located in Columbia, will also be the fourth institution in the Southeastern Conference to hold membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities, joining University of Florida, Texas A&M University and Vanderbilt University. Missouri has an enrollment of 33,800 students, which would be the fourth largest institution in the SEC, with Florida, Georgia and Texas A&M having a larger student body. There are more than 260,000 "Mizzou" alumni around the world. The State of Missouri borders three SEC states: Tennessee, Kentucky and Arkansas, and they bring an existing rivalry with former conference foe Texas A&M.

Missouri athletic teams have excelled recently. Its men's basketball team has made it to the NCAA Tournament three straight seasons and 24 times overall. The Tiger football team has been to post-season bowl games for six straight years and 28 times overall. The softball team has participated in the College World Series each of the last three seasons. The Tigers have won Big 12 Championships in men's basketball, soccer and softball.

"I am pleased to officially welcome the University of Missouri to the SEC family on behalf of our presidents, chancellors, athletics directors, students and fans," said SEC Commissioner Mike Slive. "Missouri is an outstanding academic institution with a strong athletic program. We look forward to having the Tigers compete in our league starting in 2012."

The Tigers sponsor 20 varsity sports. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, football, golf, swimming and diving, wrestling, indoor and outdoor track and field and cross country. Women's sports include basketball, golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and field and cross country and volleyball. Missouri participates in every sport sponsored by the SEC except men's tennis and the SEC sponsors every sport the Tigers participate in except wrestling.

Spurs Up Daily Round-Up: 11/4 Bring on the Hogs

By The Editor on November 4, 2011 4:38 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Catch up on the day's buzz about the Gamecocks! In today's edition the Gamecocks head to take on Arkansas, lots of home events this weekend, and more!

***THIS WEEKEND AT HOME***

Tonight:

Equestrian vs. Georgia - 1:00 p.m.

Swimming & Diving vs. Tennessee - 2:00 p.m.

Men's Soccer vs. Kentucky - 6:00 p.m.

Volleyball vs. Ole Miss - 7:00 p.m.

Women's Basketball vs. Limestone - 7:00 p.m.

Saturday:

Buffalo Wild Wings Official Watch Party: Football at Arkansas - 7:15 p.m.
-4500 Devine Street location
-Party starts with pre-game radio show at 4:00 p.m.
-TV information for the game

Sunday:

Volleyball vs. Alabama - 1:00 p.m.

GAMECOCKS AROUND THE WEB

Football: A Big Game In Fayetteville (SECDigitalNetwork.com)

Football: USC's Swearinger leading secondary's charge (Anderson Independent Mail)

Football: Kicking it with Ellis Johnson (ESPN SEC Blog)

Football: USC's offensive line could be key against Arkansas (The Greenville News)

Men's Soccer: Top of C-USA is in sight (GoGamecocks.com)

Men's Basketball: Gamecocks roll in hoops exhibition (GoGamecocks.com)

Women's Basketball: Gamecocks confident entering new year (GamecockCentral.com)

Women's Basketball: Women's Hoops: Experience keeps expectations upward (GoGamecocks.com)

GAMECOCKSONLINE.COM NEWS

Football. Gamecocks and Razorbacks Meet Saturday Night

Football. Gamecocks Practice Thursday Afternoon

Men's Basketball. Post Game Quotes vs. Kentucky Wesleyan

Men's Basketball. Gamecocks Claim 69-59 Exhibition Win Over Kentucky Wesleyan

COCK-A-DOODLE-TWEET

Men's Basketball took the win last night against Kentucky Wesleyan, come out tonight to support the Women's Basketball team in an exhibition against Limestone at 7:00 p.m.!

Follow @GamecocksOnline and @SpursUpBlog on Twitter!

SPURS UP BLOG HIGHLIGHTS

Football Video Board, Softball Stadium Earn Final Approval

Anthony Gill Leads Gamecocks in Freshman Debut

"What Channel is the Game On?" South Carolina at Arkansas Edition

D.C. United's Blake Brettschneider Makes Return Visit to Gamecocks

Coach Berson Earns 450th Win: A Look Back at His Milestone Victories

This Week's Home Events: Five Events on Friday

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Highlights from last night's exhibition win for Men's Basketball, including Malik Cooke's first half buzzer-beating three pointer which made ESPN's Top Plays.

ROOSTER CROWS

A win over Arkansas would extend the Gamecocks' school record to seven straight "true" road wins. The only other times they posted as many as four consecutive road wins came from 2005-06 (5) and from 1914-15 (4).

A win would also give Carolina a 4-0 record in SEC road games this season, a feat they have never accomplished.

FAN PHOTO OF THE DAY

Today's photo is from Aiysha Anderson (class of 2000) of her watching last year's Clemson game with Gamecock friends. If you're not headed to Arkansas, where will you be watching the game tomorrow?

Pictured: Aiysha Anderson '00, Cicely Cowan Nancy '01, Millicent Irvin, Michelle Alston and Tracy Blackwell.

We've got a lot of great submissions so keep them coming! Feel free to send in your photos (any sport/season, either of you or taken by you!) with your name to GamecockAthletics@gmail.com!A lot of the best photos include some Gamecock gear and 'showing your spurs'! We'd love to share with the rest of Gamecock Nation!

You can see the entire Fan Photo of the Day series on our Facebook page!

Football Video Board, Softball Stadium Earn Final Approval

By Brittany Lane on November 3, 2011 9:42 PM | 6 Comments | No TrackBacks

The latest South Carolina Athletics facilities improvements took a big step forward today! Both the new softball stadium and the football videoboard projects are cleared for construction to begin after they earned final Phase 2 approval from the state Budget & Control Board Thursday.

While a completion date cannot be certain at this point, the department hopes to be able to complete the video board project in time for the 2012 football season.

"We are extremely appreciative of the support we've gotten for some of our facility initiatives, especially the video board because it means so much to many of our fans," said Athletics Director Eric Hyman. "A lot of people assisted with this process and we're very grateful for their help. It's a great day to be a Gamecock."

The new softball stadium will be built in its current location. It's another piece of the overall Athletics Village at the Roost, currently anchored by the Dodie Anderson Academic Center, the Coaches Support Building currently under construction, and the soon to be complete tennis complex.

The indoor football practice facility also advanced in the approval process earning Phase 1 approval. Phase I is initial approval for the project to be researched further (e.g. hiring an architect to develop plans). Now that the project has Phase I approval, the university will move forward with selecting an architect, who will develop a plan and verify the initial estimate before the project is ready to go back through for Phase 2 of the approval process.

All images are conceptual renderings and subject to change.

Anthony Gill Leads Gamecocks in Freshman Debut

By Brittany Lane on November 3, 2011 9:07 PM | 2 Comments | No TrackBacks

Men's Basketball head coach Darrin Horn said repeatedly throughout the offseason and during preseason practice that freshman Anthony Gill would be a difference-maker. Tonight, in the Gamecocks' opening exhibition game vs. Kentucky Wesleyan, he was just that.

Gill shot 5-for-7, scored a team-high 14 points and collected six rebounds in the 69-59 win.

"He did what I've seen him do since the first time I ever saw him play," said Horn after the game. "He's a producer. That's what he does...He's going to be a really good player for us; he did some really good things tonight."

Gill said after getting through the initial opening game jitters, he had fun.

"My first college basket is very exciting," said Gill. "When I first got out there, the first two minutes were a little rough with all the adrenaline. It's not the same as practice. But my teammates pushed me through it and I had a good time out there."

The Gamecocks open the season on 11-11-11 (easy to remember, right?) hosting Western Carolina at Colonial Life Arena at 7:00 p.m. Season tickets are still available via GamecocksOnline.com.

Spurs Up Daily Round-Up: 11/3 Meet the New Legends

By The Editor on November 3, 2011 5:23 PM | 2 Comments | No TrackBacks

Catch up on the day's buzz about the Gamecocks! In today's edition we look at previews for a busy Friday of home events, Brandon Bennett is your 2011 SEC Football Legend, a few more staggering defensive stats from football, Men's Basketball debuts this year's team, and more.

***TONIGHT AT HOME***

Men's Basketball vs. Kentucky Wesleyan (exhibition) - 7:00 p.m.
Colonial Life Arena, Free admission
TV: SportSouth

GAMECOCKS AROUND THE WEB

Football: SEC Announces 2011 Football Legends Class (SEC Digital Network) *Brandon Bennett will represent the Gamecocks!)

Football: Arkansas- South Carolina "Q and A": Todd Blackledge (SEC Digital Network)

Football: Thinking outside the box (GamecockCentral.com)

Football: Elliott breaks down his line (TheBigSpur.com)

Men's Basketball: Gamecocks continue to prepare for season opener (The Daily Gamecock)

Men's Basketball: Exhibition debut all about energy (GoGamecocks.com)

Men's Basketball: Carolina ready to take on Panthers (TheBigSpur.com)

Equestrian: Equestrian prepares to host No. 3 Georgia (The Daily Gamecock)

GAMECOCKSONLINE.COM NEWS

Previews for all five of tomorrow's home events!

Men's Soccer. No. 25 Men's Soccer Hosts Kentucky On Senior Night Friday

Volleyball. South Carolina Hosts Ole Miss, Alabama on TV This Weekend

Women's Basketball. Women's Hoops Hosts Limestone in Friday Exhibition

Swimming & Diving. Gamecock Swimming & Diving Set to Host Tennessee Friday

Equestrian. Gamecocks Host Georgia in Top-5 Showdown Friday

COCK-A-DOODLE-TWEET

Follow @GamecocksOnline and @SpursUpBlog on Twitter!

SPURS UP BLOG HIGHLIGHTS

"What Channel is the Game On?" South Carolina at Arkansas Edition

D.C. United's Blake Brettschneider Makes Return Visit to Gamecocks

Coach Berson Earns 450th Win: A Look Back at His Milestone Victories

South Carolina Athletics Hall of Famer Larry Smith Passes Away

Kyle Thompson to Represent Gamecocks on PGA Tour

Gamecock Alum Mark Anderson Earns PGA Tour Card

This Week's Home Events: Five Events on Friday

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Men's Basketball starts off the season with an exhibition game vs. Kentucky Wesleyan tonight at 7:00 p.m.! Needless to say the women who participated in the Darrin Horn Ladies Clinic recently will be well up to speed.

ROOSTER CROWS

South Carolina and Arkansas are 1-2 in the SEC in non-offensive touchdowns scored this season. Carolina has 5 (4 defense/1 punt return) while Arkansas has 4 (1 defense/1 kickoff return/2 punt return) and tied with LSU and Vanderbilt.

Both of our Volleyball matches this weekend will be televised on SportSouth (Friday vs. Ole Miss at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday vs. Alabama at 1:00 p.m.) Click here for promo information.

FAN PHOTO OF THE DAY

Today's awesome fan photo was submitted by Stephanie Treadway with her story:

"My name is Stephanie Treadway. My husband (Mickey) and I took our 5 year old daughter (Trista) to her first Carolina football game. It was the Navy vs. Carolina game on Sept 17, 2011. She cheered like she had been to thousands of games. She totally enjoyed the game and the atmosphere. And now she walks around the house singing U.S.C. Goooo Cocks!! She is a true Gamecock fan forever. Spurs UP!!"

We've got a lot of great submissions so keep them coming! Feel free to send in your photos (any sport/season, either of you or taken by you!) with your name and any backstory to GamecockAthletics@gmail.com! A lot of the best photos include some Gamecock gear and 'showing your spurs'! We'd love to share with the rest of Gamecock Nation!

You can see the entire Fan Photo of the Day series on our Facebook page!

"What Channel is the Game On?" South Carolina at Arkansas Edition

By Brittany Lane on November 3, 2011 2:37 PM | 1 Comment | No TrackBacks

Our weekly "what channel is the game on?" post continues with your #9 Gamecocks on the road at #7 Arkansas. Every week we'll bring you this post to try to help out those in Gamecock Nation who can't make it to the game in person.

Hopefully y'all won't have too much trouble finding the game this week as the Gamecocks will face the Hogs on ESPN at 7:15 p.m. ET. The game will also be available nationwide online at ESPN3.com (depending on your internet service provider). ESPN's primetime crew, Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe will be on hand to call the action.

Game Information:
Who: #9 South Carolina at #7 Arkansas
When: Saturday, November 5, 2011, 7:15 p.m. ET
Where: Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, AR
TV: ESPN, ESPN3.com
Radio: Gamecock IMG Sports Network

While we don't know the exact channel number for every local ESPN channel across the country, we've included a few below. Remember to check your local listings for the actual channel number in your area.

Local Channel Listings for ESPN (leave us a comment if you see a different channel so we can update our list):

Time Warner Cable

Columbia, SC           Channel 26
Florence, SC             Channel 29
Myrtle Beach, SC     Channel 25
Summerville (Charleston), SC     Channel 26

DirecTV               Channel 206
Dish                    Channel 140
AT&T Uverse     Channel 602
Charter Cable     Channel 32

If you miss the original airing of the game or just want to re-watch the game (Who wouldn't? Especially if it's a Carolina win!) catch the re-broadcast of the game on Sunday, November 6 at 8:00 p.m. on SportSouth following The Steve Spurrier Show at 7:30 p.m. The replay also airs on Mondays at 1:00 p.m. and Wednesday at 11:00 p.m.

In addition to television, hear from your very own Gamecocks Todd Ellis, Tommy Suggs and Terry Cousin on the Gamecock IMG Sports Network radio broadcast. Gamecock football games are available on dozens of affiliates throughout South Carolina (click here for a list). The game is also available via satellite radio (Sirius 220/XM 199). For those headed to Fayetteville the in-stadium radio frequencies for our broadcast are: 92.7 FM (primary)    97.7 FM (secondary).

Fans anywhere in the country can listen to the Gamecock radio broadcast of the game with a premium account on GamecocksOnline.com All-Access.

Spurs Up Daily Round-Up: 11/2 Strong Pass Defense vs. Pass-Happy Offense

By The Editor on November 2, 2011 7:31 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Catch up on the day's buzz about the Gamecocks! In today's edition: can the Gamecocks stingy pass defense hold up against the pass-happy Hogs?, Men's Soccer Head Coach Mark Berson earns his 450th career victory, an update from JBJ, and more!

GAMECOCKS AROUND THE WEB

Football: 10th- ranked South Carolina seeks 7th straight regular-season road win at No. 8 Arkansas (The Washington Post)

Football: Gamecocks and Razorbacks meet in Top-10 matchup (Fox News)

Football: 'We've got to get pressure': South Carolina looking to generate blitz against No. 8 Arkansas (The Post and Courier)

Men's Soccer: Berson gets No. 450 as USC tops UCF (GoGamecocks.com)

Baseball: Baseball closes out fall practice (The Daily Gamecock)

Baseball: Baseball leaders, lineup take shape (GoGamecocks.com)

GAMECOCKS IN THE PROS

Q&A: Jackie Bradley Jr., BoSox Blueprint (FanGraphs)

GAMECOCKSONLINE.COM NEWS

Football. Gamecocks Practice Report

Women's Soccer. First Half Goal Upsets No. 19 South Carolina In SEC Quarterfinal

Men's Basketball. Men's Hoops Set To Host Kentucky Wesleyan In Exhibition Contest Thursday

Men's Soccer. No. 25 Men's Soccer Earns Thrilling 1-0 Double OT Win At No. 22 UCF, Berson Collects 450th Career Victory

Baseball. Head Baseball Coach Ray Tanner Wraps Up Fall Practice

Swimming & Diving. Forcucci, Kranz Garner SEC Athlete of the Week Honors

"Inside the Chart" with Andy Demetra: Notes and tidbits, including watching out for the big play from Arkansas and an explanation of a little-known metric, Pass Defense S&P.

COCK-A-DOODLE-TWEET

Follow @GamecocksOnline and @SpursUpBlog on Twitter!

SPURS UP BLOG HIGHLIGHTS

D.C. United's Blake Brettschneider Makes Return Visit to Gamecocks

Coach Berson Earns 450th Win: A Look Back at His Milestone Victories

South Carolina Athletics Hall of Famer Larry Smith Passes Away

Kyle Thompson to Represent Gamecocks on PGA Tour

Gamecock Alum Mark Anderson Earns PGA Tour Card

Gamecock Volleyball Shows Off Pumpkin Carving & Decorating Skills

Gamecocks' Favorite Halloween Costumes, Candy & More!

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Check out video of the Men's Soccer team celebrating with Coach Berson after his 450th career victory, a 1-0 double overtime win over UCF on Tuesday.

ROOSTER CROWS

With Tuesday's victory, Coach Berson became the 18th coach all-time in any division to win 450 games and just the eighth Division I head coach all-time to reach the milestone.

FAN PHOTO OF THE DAY

Today's photo is from Lesli Ann Howell, of herself and husband, Mark, with their four children: Curtis, Joanna, Andrew and Philip. She said:

"Our 4 children LOVE the opportunity to watch the Gamecocks play and to tailgate with their grandparents, aunts, and uncles. They have viewed the Gamecocks' "Sandstorm" and "2001" millions of times on YouTube, especially clips from last year's win over Alabama at home, but there is nothing like celebrating the Gamecock Nation in person. The kids love to watch the Gamecocks play and routinely quote the football announcer: "It's another Carolina...first down!" or "U-S-C! Goooooooo Cocks!" or "Game! Cocks! Game! Cocks!" We wake up in the mornings to "Sandstorm" and "2001" and of the six of us, Mom, is by far the Gamecocks biggest fan! Tailgating in the fairgrounds is fantastic and always a family event! Go Cocks!"

We've got a lot of great submissions so keep them coming! Feel free to send in your photos (any sport/season, either of you or taken by you!) with your name to GamecockAthletics@gmail.com!A lot of the best photos include some Gamecock gear and 'showing your spurs'! We'd love to share with the rest of Gamecock Nation!

You can see the entire Fan Photo of the Day series on our Facebook page!

D.C. United's Blake Brettschneider Makes Return Visit to Gamecocks

By Brittany Lane on November 2, 2011 3:17 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

After a successful rookie season with Major League Soccer's D.C. United, Gamecock forward Blake Brettschneider made a quick trip back to Columbia on his week off to train and visit with his former teammates and coaches.

"I've been wanting to get back to Columbia for a while now," said Brettschneider. "I've got a lot of people to fit into a really short amount of time. This place is just really special to me, not having been back basically since I was drafted, I still have some very good friends here and the coaching staff means a lot to me too."

Brettschneider celebrating a DC United goal - Ned Dishman/Getty Images North America

Brettschneider was selected in the MLS Supplemental Draft in January and just two short days later he was in D.C. to begin training with the United. After an impressive preseason, Brettschneider became one of few supplemental picks to not only make the team's roster, but actually have a significant impact on the team in his rookie season, playing in 15 games and making nine starts at forward.

"At the time I was happy just to be drafted and be given the opportunity. I think a lot of people would kill for that opportunity," said Brettschneider. "But I think it definitely adds a little motivation because you want to go out and prove everybody wrong, and I think I did a pretty good job of that... You don't want that tag associated with you all the time 'oh, he's a supplemental draft pick' I just wanted to be a contributing part of the team."

Brettschneider says the fast several months have flown by and he's enjoying the time off and chance to catch up with people he didn't get a chance to say goodbye to before he left. He misses Carolina and college soccer, but says playing professionally is an amazing experience.

"Just the chance to play soccer at the level I have and see the cities and stadiums and play against some of the players I grew up idolizing, just the whole experience," mused Brettschneider. "It's something that is really hard to put into words, but I wish I could because I think it would be a cool story. It's been a pretty wild first year, but hopefully it's just the first of many."

Coach Berson Earns 450th Win: A Look Back at His Milestone Victories

By Brittany Lane on November 2, 2011 10:43 AM | 3 Comments | No TrackBacks

Timeline written by Assistant Media Relations Director Emily Feeney

Congratulations to Men's Soccer Head Coach Mark Berson on earning his 450th career win with Tuesday's 1-0 double overtime victory over No. 22 UCF!

Take a look back over Coach Berson's remarkable career and landmark wins below:

The Gamecocks take on Kentucky on Friday at 6:00 p.m. in their final regular season game with a chance to claim the regular season Conference USA title outright. Get their early for Senior Night festivities!

South Carolina Athletics Hall of Famer Larry Smith Passes Away

By Brittany Lane on November 1, 2011 5:01 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

South Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame member Larry Smith, 82, passed away on October 25.

Larry, a football scholarship recipient, was a 1952 graduate of the University of South Carolina. He was inducted into the University of South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 1979. Regarded as one of the finest lineman in the school's history, he was a two-time All-South and All-State selection as center and linebacker. Larry later played for the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers in the NFL and for Montreal and Hamilton in the CFL.

Click here for Smith's full obituary in The State.

South Carolina Athletics sends condolences to the Smith family and his Gamecock friends and family.

Smith's Hall of Fame bio:

LARRY SMITH (1979)
FOOTBALL, 1949-51
Was tabbed All-Southern Conference in 1951 as a center ... played for Coach Rex Enright ... played in the 1951 Blue-Gray Classic ... lettered in 1949-50-51 ... played pro ball with the NFL Chicago Bears (1952), and the NFL Green Bay Packers (1953), and the Canadian Football League Montreal Alouettes (1954) and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1955).

Spurs Up Daily Round-Up: 11/1 A Women's Soccer Sweep & Halloween Fun

By The Editor on November 1, 2011 4:54 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Catch up on the day's buzz about the Gamecocks! In today's edition: some good pub for the Gamecock defense, our newest SEC Champion, Women's Soccer, sweeps the season's SEC awards and gets ready for the SEC Tournament as the No.1 seed, and more!

GAMECOCKS AROUND THE WEB

Football: USC defense draws praise (The Post and Courier)

Football: Front keeps up pressure minus blitz (TheBigSpur.com)

Women's Soccer: Fahey's physical style helps power USC's rise (GoGamecocks.com)

Women's Soccer: Gamecocks sweep SEC soccer awards (GoGamecocks.com)

GAMECOCKSONLINE.COM NEWS

Men's Golf. Former Gamecocks Thompson, Anderson Earn PGA Tour Cards for 2012

Women's Soccer. South Carolina Meets Alabama In SEC Quarterfinals

Women's Soccer. South Carolina Sweeps Women's Soccer All-SEC Awards

Swimming & Diving. Coach Moody Press Conference

Football. Steve Spurrier's Weekly Press Conference Quotes & Videos

Football. Allen Named Thorpe Semifinalist

Football. Gamecocks Return to Work Monday

Volleyball. South Carolina vs. Ole Miss Promo

COCK-A-DOODLE-TWEET

Check out our album of Carolina Halloween Pictures. and submit your own to gamecockathletics@gmail.com!

Follow @GamecocksOnline and @SpursUpBlog on Twitter!

SPURS UP BLOG HIGHLIGHTS

Kyle Thompson to Represent Gamecocks on PGA Tour

Gamecock Alum Mark Anderson Earns PGA Tour Card

Gamecock Volleyball Shows Off Pumpkin Carving & Decorating Skills

Gamecocks' Favorite Halloween Costumes, Candy & More!

This Week's Home Events: Five Events on Friday

Spurs Up Play of the Game: Connor Shaw's Game-Winning TD

Brandon Wilds Impressive in Debut as Gamecocks' Starter

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Check out comments from Coach Spurrier, T.J. Johnson, Terrence Campbell, DeVonte Holloman and D.J. Swearinger from today's football press conference, available for free on GamecocksOnline.com All-Access:

http://www.gamecocksonline.com/allaccess/

ROOSTER CROWS

South Carolina swept the SEC women's soccer postseason awards with Shelley Smith being named SEC Coach of the Year, senior Kayla Grimsley being named SEC Offensive Player of the Year, and Sabrina D'Angelo earning the titles of SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year and SEC Freshman of the Year. In total, three Gamecocks were named to the All-SEC teams with Grimsley, D'Angelo and senior Ellen Fahey all earning first team honors. D'Angelo was also named to the SEC All-Freshman Team. In being named SEC Freshman of the Year and SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, she is the first player in SEC history to earn two Player of the Year honors in the same season.

FAN PHOTO OF THE DAY

"Notice the Tiger has a black eye, LOL," wrote Stephanie Quillen, who submitted this photo for our Halloween fan photos album. Check out the entire album here.

We've got a lot of great submissions so keep them coming! Feel free to send in your photos (any sport/season, either of you or taken by you!) with your name to GamecockAthletics@gmail.com!A lot of the best photos include some Gamecock gear and 'showing your spurs'! We'd love to share with the rest of Gamecock Nation!

You can see the entire Fan Photo of the Day series on our Facebook page!

Kyle Thompson to Represent Gamecocks on PGA Tour

By Brittany Lane on November 1, 2011 2:42 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Former South Carolina Men's Golfer Kyle Thompson earned his PGA Tour card after finishing 15th on the money list in the Nationwide Tour.

Check out the video below from pgatour.com and congratulations, Kyle!

Gamecock Alum Mark Anderson Earns PGA Tour Card

By Brittany Lane on November 1, 2011 12:34 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

After finishing at No.22 on the money list on the Nationwide Tour, South Carolina alumnus Mark Anderson has earned his PGA Tour card.

From the Beaufort Gazette:

This is what patience rewarded looks like -- a sunny Sunday at Daniel Island Club, Anderson surrounded by family and friends behind the scorer's tent after making eagle on the 72nd hole of the Nationwide Tour Championship to earn his PGA Tour card.

The Beaufort resident finished tied for 29th for the tournament and finished No. 22 on the Nationwide Tour money list, having earned $188,550 this year. He received the card from PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem as music shook the walls of the club's ballroom.

"For the next couple days, I'll try to figure out what just happened," Anderson said. "It feels good."

Read the full article here.

Check out the video below from pgatour.com:

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