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South Carolina football: 3 unluckiest moments of the last decade

By Jacob Elsey

BATON ROUGE, LA - OCTOBER 10: Head coach Steve Spurrier of the South Carolina Gamecocks reacts to an officials call during the game against the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium on October 10, 2015 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU defeated South Carolina 45-24. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE, LA - OCTOBER 10: Head coach Steve Spurrier of the South Carolina Gamecocks reacts to an officials call during the game against the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium on October 10, 2015 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU defeated South Carolina 45-24. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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South Carolina football has seen many ups and downs over the last ten years, experiencing the program’s best run of success from 2010 to 2013, while also seeing the team fail to reach five wins three times in the last six seasons. Being a Gamecock fan can often be a roller coaster with highs and lows, and that’s never been more evident than over the last decade of play.

It’s Friday the 13th today, so we thought it would be “fun” to relive some of the unluckiest moments in South Carolina football since the 2010 season.

South Carolina football’s unluckiest moments

Cam Newton reinstated for SEC Championship Game

Let’s start with the 2010 SEC East winning squad that found itself in Atlanta for its first ever SEC Championship Game appearance. That team had already knocked off the likes of Alabama, Clemson, and Florida en route to its first division title since joining the league in 1992.

The Gamecocks were set to match up with an Auburn team that had barely escaped with a 35-27 victory on the Plains in late September. South Carolina held a late lead in that contest but four fourth-quarter turnovers allowed the Tigers to get back in the game and leave Jordan-Hare Stadium with a win.

Auburn would go on to win every game on its schedule despite the lingering issues surrounding star quarterback Cam Newton’s eligibility. When the regular season wrapped up, though, Newton was ruled ineligible for the SEC Championship Game as it was discovered his father had shopped him around to the highest bidder throughout the recruiting process. The Tigers’ perfect campaign was suddenly in danger.

Things were lining up for South Carolina to win its first ever SEC title until the NCAA overturned its decision to remove Newton’s eligibility just one day after its original ruling. What ensued was an onslaught from the Tigers in the form of a 56-17 shellacking. Newton threw for four touchdowns, including a 50-yard Hail Mary as the first half expired. He ran for two more, and totaled over 400 yards of offense.

The Gamecocks have yet to get back to the SEC Championship Game. Oh, what could’ve been.

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