The South Carolina Gamecocks will be looking to pick up their fifth straight win this Saturday, welcoming FCS opponent Wofford to Williams-Brice. The Gamecocks will likely use the Terriers as a warmup game before their yearly showdown against hated instate rival Clemson next week.
After facing six consecutive SEC opponents, Shane Beamer’s squad desperately needs a tune-up against a lesser opponent, and that’s exactly what they’re getting. This doesn’t mean Carolina is looking past Wofford, however. With the penultimate game of South Carolina’s 2024 season on deck, let’s look at what to expect as they take on the Wofford Terriers.
Wofford at First Glance
The Gamecocks and Terriers are no strangers, with the two sides playing each other five times since the turn of the century. Carolina is 5-0 in those matchups, with the average margin of victory hovering right around two touchdowns. This will be the first time the two teams face off since 2017 when the Gamecocks won 31-10.
So far this season, the Terriers have compiled a less-than-stellar 5-6 record under third-year head coach Shawn Watson. Currently sitting at seventh in the Southern Conference and with any hopes of an FCS playoff bid long dashed, it’s hard to imagine Wofford causing much of a problem for a team of Carolina’s caliber.
That said, the Terriers do possess several playmakers who warrant respect. Let’s take a look at who these players are and what to expect from them on Saturday.
Terriers to Watch
The biggest name to watch on Wofford offensively will be senior running back Ryan Ingram. The leading rusher and scorer for the Terriers, Ingram possesses good speed and the prototypical frame you look for in a tailback. While he’s far from the best back Carolina has faced so far, he does represent a threat should they allow him to break loose.
Defensively, senior linebacker Jalen Marshall represents the heart of Wofford’s defense. Marshall is the Terriers’ leading tackler with 89 and leads the team in tackles for loss with 12. A seasoned veteran with a nose for the football, Marshall is sure to be all over the field come Saturday.
Last but not least, senior wideout Kyle Watkins represents the Terriers’ only true deep threat on the outside. Wofford’s leading receiver missed their previous game with an injury but should be good to go come Saturday. Along with Ingram and Marshall, Carolina will have to keep their eye on Watkins to avoid giving up any costly big plays.
Senior Day for Carolina
The final home game of the season for the Gamecocks as it will be the last time Carolina seniors take the field in Columbia. This team in particular features a number of upperclassmen who have laid the foundation for the Beamer era. Moreover, the seniors this year were freshmen when Beamer took over, meaning they decided to stay with a coach that didn’t recruit them. The Gamecocks head man talked about these players in particular, and what their contributions have meant to the program.
“Every year I say this, but this is the group that has been here the longest,” Beamer said. “I wasn’t the coach that they came to play for. This is Year 4 with me. In today’s time, it is so easy to just pack up and go somewhere else. Man, this guy doesn’t know what he is talking about. I didn’t come to play for this idiot and move elsewhere and go to another team. Easily could have done that last season when we were 5-7 and they all doubled down on, no, we believe in what we are doing. We believe in this program. We want to leave this place a better place than what it was record-wise in 2023. I am just so happy for them that they are having the success in 2024 that they came back for which is pretty cool.”
Taking over a program in the midst of a downturn is difficult for any coach, but convincing the players who came to play for the previous staff is an almost impossible task. For the players who decided to stick with Beamer, Saturday represents the culmination of all the work they’ve put in the past four seasons. Work that has made the program what it is today.
Final Thoughts
Concerning Wofford, the only question regarding this matchup is how much Carolina will win. The Gamecocks have been playing their best football for a long time currently, and it would be a difficult outing for any team. With the added emotion of senior day mixed in it’s difficult to see any other outcome than a dominant Carolina victory.
This game will also serve as much-needed extra preparation before the all-important season finale against Clemson next week. With several key players coming back from injury, Carolina will be looking to get back to full speed against the Terriers.
If all that wasn’t enough, the Gamecocks will be looking to match their best win total in the Beamer era at eight. All in all, this should be a dominant performance against a lesser opponent, setting up the most important Palmetto Bowl matchup in a decade.
