1982 South Carolina Gamecocks football team

The 1982 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina as an independent during the 1982 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Gamecocks were led by Richard Bell in his first and only season as head coach, after serving as their defensive coordinator for seven seasons. They played their home games at Williams–Brice Stadium, and compiled a record of 4–7.^[1][2]

1982 South Carolina Gamecocks football
Conference	Independent
Record	4–7
Head coach	Richard Bell (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Dave Fagg (1st season)
Home stadium	Williams–Brice Stadium
Seasons ← 1981 1983 →

1982 NCAA Division I-A independents football records

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Penn State		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
No. 10 Pittsburgh		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
No. 13 Florida State		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
No. 19 West Virginia		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Boston College		–		–				8	–	3	–	1
Southwestern Louisiana		–		–				7	–	3	–	1
East Carolina		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Miami (FL)		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Virginia Tech		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Notre Dame		–		–				6	–	4	–	1
Cincinnati		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Georgia Tech		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Navy		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Louisville		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Rutgers		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Army		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
South Carolina		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Temple		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Tulane		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Syracuse		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Memphis State		–		–				1	–	10	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

Going into the challenging 1982 season, South Carolina had reasons for optimism. The team was considered talented, with a mix of veterans and competing underclassmen, and had eight home games on their schedule. However, new offensive coordinator Dave Fagg's pass-heavy offense was considered incompatible with the personnel. Among the quarterbacks, Gordon Beckham had led the upset over No. 3 North Carolina in the previous season but was not considered an elite passer, while Bill Bradshaw was a running quarterback. Throughout the season, the Gamecocks were "woeful" on offense, producing just 324 yards per game. South Carolina's loss to Furman, their first since 1949, started raising questions about Bell's job security.^[3]

Bell was fired in the offseason after refusing to fire four offensive coaches at the request of the athletic director.^[4][5]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 4	Pacific (CA)	Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC		W 41–6	61,254	[6]
September 11	Richmond	Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC		W 30–10	52,288	[7]
September 18	Duke	Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC		L 17–30	66,928	[8]
September 25	No. 7 Georgia	Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC (rivalry)	USA	L 18–34	74,200	[9]
October 2	Cincinnati	Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC		W 37–10	59,148	[10]
October 16	Furman	Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC		L 23–28	56,244	[11]
October 23	at No. 14 LSU	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	WOLO	L 6–14	78,944	[12]
October 30	at NC State	Carter–Finley Stadium Raleigh, NC		L 3–33	42,300	[13]
November 6	No. 12 Florida State	Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC		L 26–56	62,821	[14]
November 13	Navy	Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC		W 17–14	51,662	[15]
November 19	at No. 10 Clemson	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC (rivalry)	USA	L 6–24	64,700–66,510	[16][17]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[18]