South Carolina Football’s No. 8 Greatest Season of All-Time:
1987 (8-4)
1987 Gamecock football had one of the most talented rosters to ever play in Columbia. Five All-Americans started for the ’87 squad (Todd Ellis, Sterling Sharpe, Roy Hart, Brad Edwards, and Greg Philpot), including three members of the “Black Death” defense. If not for a never-ending string of turnovers from the offense (particularly the 24 interceptions from quarterback Todd Ellis), the Gamecocks would have finished with one of the best records in South Carolina football history.
As it stands, the 8-3 regular season record was still a rousing success compared to most Gamecock seasons. An ugly loss against LSU in the Gator Bowl (and a big brawl in a loss at Miami in the regular season finale) tarnished an otherwise great season that included blowout victories over Virginia Tech, Virginia, Wake Forest, NC State, and Clemson. The games against NC State and Wake Forest are the only back-to-back shutouts in the modern history of Gamecock football.