With South Carolina football rocking throwback uniforms, let's take a look at George Rogers and 1980

This Saturday, Shane Beamer's South Carolina football team will be rocking some throwback uniforms. Last year, Carolina wore throwback helmets (the "empty" Block C look from the 1960s and 1970s), but against Akron, the Gamecocks will wear a modernized version of the 1980 uniforms that Jim Carlen's team wore en route to an 8-4 record and a George Rogers Heisman Trophy win.

You can check out the throwbacks below.

Honoring the 1980 team, and perhaps more specifically, honoring George Rogers, is something that the University of South Carolina should do as often as possible.

That year, the Gamecocks posted their second of back-to-back 8-win campaigns (the second and third in South Carolina football history and just two of fifteen total), and they played in just their fifth-ever bowl game.

It was also a year of dominance for the greatest Gamecock of all-time.

Running back George Rogers followed up his 1979 All-American campaign (one in which he finished 7th in voting for the Heisman Trophy) with an even better showing in 1980. He led all of college football in rushing yards (1781) and yards from scrimmage (1804) and finished third in rushing touchdowns (14). Rogers was among the nation's leaders in yards per rush despite carrying a heavy workload.

Big George finished his career with 29 games with at least 100 yards rushing (plus one more with 100 yards receiving), and he cracked the 100-yard rushing threshold in every game of the 1980 season. He is the only player in Gamecock history to post 200-yard rushing performances in three different seasons, and his four 70-yard touchdowns (three rushing, one receiving) are also a record.

Adding to the lore around George Rogers, during his Heisman-winning 1980 campaign, he combined to outrush fellow Heisman Trophy-contending running backs Herschel Walker (Georgia Bulldogs) and Marcus Allen (Southern Cal Trojans) in head-to-head meetings. He also logged over 400 yards rushing in his career against the rival Clemson Tigers, including three 100-yard games. Those numbers were even better against the Georgia Bulldogs and went 2-2 against the 'Dawgs in an era in which the Gamecocks rarely beat their rivals to the west.

1980 was a good year for the Gamecocks, and #38 was the primary reason why.

The 2024 version of the South Carolina football team will take the field against the Akron Zips on Saturday at 7:30 PM ET (with throwback uniforms on) in front of a sold-out Williams-Brice Stadium. The broadcast will be on ESPNU, and the game also can be streamed on the ESPN app.