South Carolina Football: Ranking the top plays in Gamecock history
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina Football’s No. 2 Greatest Play of All-Time:
Erik Kimrey and Jermale Kelly’s “The Fade”
The Situation: With a 19-13 deficit against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, Gamecock starting quarterback Phil Petty was injured on 3rd and 10 from the 25-yard line with just over 4:30 remaining in the ball game. With no proven options at quarterback, Lou Holtz turned the game over to a redshirt sophomore who told him, “I can throw the fade, coach.”
Impressiveness: In a vacuum, the pass wasn’t outrageously impressive. However, for a quarterback with no legitimate experience, with no real warmup, with the blitz coming, and with the game on the line, it is hard to imagine a more impressive throw from #13.
Impact: Kimrey’s pass led the Gamecocks to a win over Mississippi State that day and kept hope alive in the 2000 season. The 4-0 start turned into a 7-1 run to begin the season, and South Carolina football went from 0 wins in 1999 to 8 in 2000, a college football record at the time for the biggest single-season turnaround ever.
Improbability: I mean…come on!