1975 South Carolina Gamecocks football team

The 1975 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina as an independent in the 1975 NCAA Division I football season. The Gamecocks were led by first-year head coach Jim Carlen and played home games at Williams–Brice Stadium. They finished the season 7–5 overall, but lost the Tangerine Bowl to the Miami Redskins, 20–7.

1975 South Carolina Gamecocks football
Tangerine Bowl, L 7–20 vs. Miami (OH)
Conference	Independent
Record	7–5
Head coach	Jim Carlen (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Richard Bell (1st season)
Home stadium	Williams–Brice Stadium
Seasons ← 1974 1976 →

1975 NCAA Division I independents football records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Rutgers			–					9	–	2	–	0
No. 10 Penn State			–					9	–	3	–	0
No. 20 West Virginia			–					9	–	3	–	0
Notre Dame			–					8	–	3	–	0
Virginia Tech			–					8	–	3	–	0
No. 15 Pittsburgh			–					8	–	4	–	0
Boston College			–					7	–	4	–	0
Georgia Tech			–					7	–	4	–	0
Memphis State			–					7	–	4	–	0
Navy			–					7	–	4	–	0
North Texas State			–					7	–	4	–	0
Southern Miss			–					7	–	4	–	0
South Carolina			–					7	–	5	–	0
Colgate			–					6	–	4	–	0
Cincinnati			–					6	–	5	–	0
Hawaii			–					6	–	5	–	0
Syracuse			–					6	–	5	–	0
Temple			–					6	–	5	–	0
Utah State			–					6	–	5	–	0
Indiana State			–					5	–	5	–	0
Dayton			–					5	–	6	–	0
Northeast Louisiana			–					4	–	6	–	1
Tulane			–					4	–	7	–	0
Villanova			–					4	–	7	–	0
Florida State			–					3	–	8	–	0
Air Force			–					2	–	8	–	1
Houston			–					2	–	8	–	0
Miami (FL)			–					2	–	8	–	0
Army			–					2	–	9	–	0
Marshall			–					2	–	9	–	0
Southern Illinois			–					1	–	9	–	1
Holy Cross			–					1	–	10	–	0
Louisville			–					1	–	10	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

South Carolina had its first two 1,000-yard rushers in school history: Kevin Long and Clarence Williams. Long eclipsed 1,000 yards in the tenth game of the season against Wake Forest; Williams followed him a week later in the game against Clemson. By 2023, Long's and Williams' final rushing totals in 1975 would remain two of the eight highest single-season rushing totals in program history.^[1]

South Carolina's appearance in the Tangerine Bowl was only the third bowl game in school history, and the first since 1969.^[2] It would be the first of three bowl games in Carlen's tenure as head coach.^[3]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 13	Georgia Tech		Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC		W 23–17	51,428	[4]
September 20	at Duke		Wallace Wade Stadium Durham, NC		W 24–16	21,500	[5]
September 27	Georgia		Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC (rivalry)		L 20–28	66,944	[6]
October 4	No. 18 Baylor		Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC		W 24–13	44,192	[7]
October 11	Virginia		Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC		W 41–14	51,574	[8]
October 18	at Ole Miss		Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS		W 35–29	30,107	[9]
October 25	at LSU	No. 20	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA		L 6–24	61,445	[10]
November 1	at NC State		Carter Stadium Raleigh, NC	ABC	L 21–28	48,500	[11]
November 8	Appalachian State		Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC		L 34–39	47,489	[12]
November 15	Wake Forest		Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC		W 37–26	37,656	[13]
November 22	Clemson		Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC (rivalry)		W 56–20	57,197	[14]
December 20	vs. No. 16 Miami (OH)		Tangerine Bowl Orlando, FL (Tangerine Bowl)		L 7–20	20,247	[15]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[16]

References

1. "Kevin Long, the Gamecocks' first 1,000-yard rusher, has died". The Charlotte Observer. September 11, 2024. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
2. "South Carolina Gamecocks Bowls". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
3. "South Carolina Gamecocks College Football History, Stats, Records". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
4. "Grantz passing gives Gamecocks 23–17 win". Durham Sunday Herald. September 14, 1975. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "South Carolina ends Duke streak, 24–16". Durham Sunday Herald. September 21, 1975. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Georgia clips South Carolina behind Goff". The Tennessean. September 28, 1975. Retrieved October 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Bears bow, 24–13". The Victoria Advocate. October 5, 1975. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Grantz, Gamecocks roll on". The Chapel Hill News. October 12, 1975. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Grantz pulls out USC". The Times and Democrat. October 19, 1975. Retrieved October 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "LSU whips error-prone Gamecocks". The Charlotte Observer. October 26, 1975. Retrieved October 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "N.C. State nips USC in TV thriller, 28–21". The Greenville News. November 2, 1975. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Plucky Appalachian startles Gamecocks". The Charlotte Observer. November 9, 1975. Retrieved December 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Gamecock record-setters aid triumph over Deacs". The News and Observer. November 16, 1975. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
14. Dan Foster (November 23, 1975). "USC Wins 56-20 Rout". The Greenville News. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "Mistake-proof Redskins shut down South Carolina". The Orlando Sentinel Star. December 21, 1975. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
16. "1975 Football Schedule". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 7, 2017.