1984 South Carolina Gamecocks football team

The 1984 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina as an independent during the 1984 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by second-year head coach Joe Morrison, the team played its home games at Williams–Brice Stadium. After only three eight-win seasons in program history and three consecutive non-winning seasons,^[1][2] the 1984 Gamecocks made a run at a national championship.^[3][4] South Carolina started the season 9–0, including wins over No. 12 Georgia, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and No. 11 Florida State, and were ranked No. 2 in the country.^[5] However, in the tenth game of the season, they lost to an unranked Navy team, which had a losing record.^[6][7] In the final two games of the season, South Carolina defeated archrival Clemson, becoming the first team in school history to win ten games, and then lost to No. 9 Oklahoma State in the Gator Bowl, finishing the season with a 10–2 record.^[8][9]

1984 South Carolina Gamecocks football
Gator Bowl, L 14–21 vs. Oklahoma State
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Coaches	No. 13
AP	No. 11
Record	10–2
Head coach	Joe Morrison (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Frank Sadler (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Tom Gadd (2nd season)
Home stadium	Williams–Brice Stadium
Seasons ← 1983 1985 →

1984 NCAA Division I-A independents football records

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 5 Boston College		–		–				10	–	2	–	0
No. 11 South Carolina		–		–				10	–	2	–	0
Army		–		–				8	–	3	–	1
Rutgers		–		–				7	–	3	–	0
No. 17 Florida State		–		–				7	–	3	–	2
Virginia Tech		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
West Virginia		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
No. 18 Miami (FL)		–		–				8	–	5	–	0
Notre Dame		–		–				7	–	5	–	0
Temple		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Southwestern Louisiana		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Penn State		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Syracuse		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Memphis State		–		–				5	–	5	–	1
Navy		–		–				4	–	6	–	1
Southern Miss		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Pittsburgh		–		–				3	–	7	–	1
Tulane		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Cincinnati		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
East Carolina		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Louisville		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1984 Gamecocks had several nicknames. The defense was known as the "Fire Ants", while the team as a whole was known as "Black Magic" due to their success, remarkable comebacks, distinctive black jerseys, and Morrison's all-black attire.^{[10][11][12][13]}

The Gamecocks finished No. 11 in the final AP Poll. At the time, the No. 11 final ranking was the highest ever achieved by South Carolina. It was only the second final ranking in school history, and the first since 1958. Joe Morrison won the Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award. The peak ranking of No. 2 remains the highest in school history.^[14][15]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 8	The Citadel		Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC		W 31–24	71,200	[16]
September 22	Duke		Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC		W 21–0	68,300	[17]
September 29	No. 12 Georgia		Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC (rivalry)		W 17–10	74,325	[18]
October 6	Kansas State		Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC		W 49–17	67,200	[19]
October 13	Pittsburgh	No. 17	Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC	KATZ Sports	W 45–21	73,100	[20]
October 20	at Notre Dame	No. 11	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN	ESPN	W 36–32	59,075	[21]
October 27	East Carolina	No. 9	Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC		W 42–20	73,800	[22]
November 3	at NC State	No. 5	Carter–Finley Stadium Raleigh, NC		W 35–28	46,200	[23]
November 10	No. 11 Florida State	No. 5	Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC	ABC	W 38–26	75,000	[24]
November 17	at Navy	No. 2	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD	HTS	L 21–38	27,234	[25]
November 24	at Clemson	No. 9	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC (rivalry)	Raycom Sports	W 22–21	80,500	[26]
December 28	vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State	No. 7	Gator Bowl Stadium Jacksonville, FL (Gator Bowl)	ABC	L 14–21	82,138	[27]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[28]