Where the South Carolina football team sits statistically in the SEC

Shane Beamer’s South Carolina football team is 4-3 and 2-3 in the SEC so far in 2024. Following a bye this Saturday, the Gamecocks have five games remaining on the schedule. At this juncture, every team in the conference has played seven games, making statistical comparisons simple.

Listed below are South Carolina’s team stats as they relate to the rest of the SEC. (You also can check out the Gamecocks’ individual SEC statistical rankings here.)

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Offense

The Gamecock offense has struggled in 2024.

South Carolina ranks 14th in the SEC in total offense with 346.9 yards per game. The SEC leader is Ole Miss, and the Rebels put up 560.7 yards per contest.

The Rebels also lead the way with 360.1 yards passing per game. The Gamecocks are 14th in passing, throwing for 186 yards on average.

In the running game, however, the Tennessee Volunteers are far and away the best in the conference. UT averages 241.6 yards on the ground. In comparison, South Carolina puts up 160.9 yards rushing per game, good for 9th in the SEC.

Thanks to the defense’s efforts, the Gamecocks rank a little better in points per game. USC averages 28.6 points scored per game, which is 12th-best in the SEC. However, without the team’s three defensive touchdowns and a safety, Carolina’s scoring average drops to just over 25 points. Adjusting, therefore, to offense-only scoring (and PATs), South Carolina’s scoring ranks 14th in the league.

The Gamecock offense has surrendered the most sacks in the entire country (32). This is also true regarding tackles for loss (64). In contrast, LSU has only given up two sacks and 18 tackles for loss this fall to lead the Southeastern Conference.

USC quarterbacks are tied for the 5th-fewest interceptions thrown in the league with four. However, Carolina has the worst number of lost fumbles (8) in the SEC. Missouri and Vanderbilt lead the SEC with just one interception thrown. Georgia, LSU, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt all have lost just one fumble. Shane Beamer’s team has 12 total giveaways, which ties them for 12th in the conference.

On 3rd downs, South Carolina is 15th overall in the SEC (33.3%), far short of Vanerbilt’s conference-leading 52.1%.

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Defense

South Carolina’s defense has been very good this season, and even without much help from the offense at times, the Gamecocks rank favorably when compared to the other teams in the SEC.

In terms of yards allowed, South Carolina sits 6th in the SEC. The Gamecocks surrender 298.3 yards per game (a net positive of 48.6 yards). The Texas Longhorns are atop the SEC standings in average yards allowed with 237.3.

South Carolina is 5th in passing yards allowed, giving up 196.4 each game. The SEC leader is Texas as the Longhorns only surrender 133 yards per game through the air.

The Gamecocks allow 101.9 rushing yards per game, making USC 3rd in the league in rush defense. Ole Miss leads the way by giving up just 66.6 yards rushing on average.

Among SEC scoring defenses, defensive coordinator Clayton White’s unit is 7th in the conference. Carolina is allowing 18.7 points per contest so far in 2024 (a 9.9-point net positive). Texas again leads the SEC with an average scoring defense of just 9.7.

South Carolina leads the SEC in sacks (28) and is tied for third in tackles for loss (57). Oklahoma is second in sacks (25), while Ole Miss sits atop the tackles for loss leaderboard (66).

USC leads the SEC in total turnovers forced with 16, giving them a +4 turnover margin. Alabama is in second with 15 turnovers gained. The Gamecocks are tied for 4th in fumble recoveries (6), while Oklahoma leads with 8. Tied with Texas at the top of the SEC, South Carolina has 10 interceptions so far this season. No other team in the league has three defensive touchdowns.

The Gamecocks prevent 3rd-down conversions at a 65.3% rate, good for 9th among SEC teams. Tennessee, though, stops opponents on 76.3% of their 3rd downs.

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Special Teams

The majority of South Carolina’s special teams statistics are owned by the same players. Therefore, some of the team stats can read like individual stats.

Kai Kroeger is the only player to punt this year for South Carolina football. Removing his (successful) drop-kick onside kick against Alabama, the fifth-year senior is averaging 48.8 yards per punt, a number that leads the conference. With the onside attempt included, Kroeger still ranks 3rd in the SEC in punting average. Of his 32 true punts, only 8 have been caught all season. His 75-yard bomb against Akron also was the longest in the SEC this season, six yards longer than Vanderbilt’s Jesse Mirco’s longest kick. Kroeger is 6th in the SEC with a net average of 43.9 yards. Arkansas’ Devin Bale is 2nd in average at 48.3 yards and 1st in net average at 45.7.

Placekicker Alex Herrera is the only kicker with statistics for the Gamecocks in 2024. Herrera ranks 10th in the league in field goals (10), 11th in accuracy (71.4%), and 13th in season-long (46 yards). He also is 14th in the conference in PATs (20) and tied for 1st in PAT accuracy (100%). Leading the SEC, Missouri’s Blake Craig has made 15 field goals and Texas’ Bert Auburn has converted 35 PATs. Caden Davis (Ole Miss) and Brock Taylor (Vanderbilt) share the longest kick, each hitting from 57 yards.

In the return game, Juju McDowell has handled the majority of both kickoff return and punt return duties. McDowell ranks last in the SEC among kick returners with at least five attempts, earning just 17.4 yards per attempt. As a punt returner, he is second-to-last among SEC returners with at least five attempts, picking up just 4.2 yards per try. The SEC leader for kickoff return average is Kentucky’s Barion Brown at 25.6 yards per touch. Among punt returners, Vanderbilt’s Martell Hight leads the way with a 17.5 average.

***All statistics sourced from ESPN.com, NCAA.com, and gamecocksonline.com

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