South Carolina football: why do referees hate the Gamecocks?

Yes, every game has questionable calls that affect the outcome. Referees are human, and even booth reviews can’t always be definitive enough to accurately see a call on the field. All teams complain when it doesn’t go their way. And nobody likes blaming the officiating for the final score of a game.

Still, it seems like the Gamecocks are an annual target of officiating crews around college football. What other school has seen a former SEC player-turned-referee go out of his way to make a tackle on a quarterback as he races for the endzone?

How about the Outback Bowl call that gave Michigan a late first down on a failed fourth-down attempt? We know the next play ended up being a near decapitation of Vincent Smith by Jadeveon Clowney, but it was a play that shouldn’t have even taken place.

Steve Spurrier, who was right on the call, later asked the officiating crew why they called first down when the ball clearly didn’t cross the line to gain. Their response? “I don’t know.”

Referees hate South Carolina football.

That type officiating was never more evident than in last weekend’s game against East Carolina. South Carolina was wrongfully flagged multiple times for targeting, nearly having their best defensive player ejected on the very first play from scrimmage. All were eventually overturned by booth review, as none were even close to being penalties, but it’s odd that the Pirates weren’t flagged once for the offense.

Moving further, three huge plays nearly changed the outcome of the game. First was a fumble as wide receiver Josh Vann crossed the goal line in what looked like the Gamecocks’ first score of the game. The crew ruled fumble on the field, and it stood after review. That took six points off the board, but it’s the only play we don’t take issue with.

A few drives later, Dakereon Joyner was stripped, setting East Carolina up with a short field on what would become their second touchdown of the first half. But upon further review, it appeared that Joyner was down prior to losing control of the football. The booth review failed to overturn the call, and the Gamecocks soon found themselves in a 14-0 deficit.

The second half wasn’t much better. South Carolina finally got some momentum going on offense, and appeared to tie the game up at 14-14 with a fade route to Josh Vann in the endzone. The play was ruled a touchdown on the field, meaning definitive evidence needed to be found in order to overturn. Remember, both of the previously debated outcomes resulted in “play stands,” as officials couldn’t find enough to overturn their previous call.

On this play, though, which seemed to be the most obvious of the three, the officiating crew mysteriously overturned their original call and ruled an incomplete pass. A head scratcher, for sure.

Luckily, the Gamecocks found the endzone a few plays later to even the score, but even on their lone offensive touchdown drive, they were forced to score twice. They’d eventually earn the win and move to 2-0 on the year, but South Carolina isn’t good enough to overcome both its opponent and the officiating crew on a weekly basis. What’s worse is that this was an SEC crew that seemingly had a vendetta against one of its conference affiliates.

The Gamecocks have never been one of the SEC’s elite, with blue bloods often getting the benefit of the doubt when it comes to close calls. Many around the conference see it regularly when facing highly ranked teams, especially when those teams could possibly represent the league in the College Football Playoff. Of course, to those fanbases, this will just sound like an excuse for poor play. It’s always in the eye of the beholder.

One thing that is for sure, if this slanted officiating continues next week against Georgia, the Gamecocks won’t stand a chance.