The ties that link Notre Dame and South Carolina together on the football field extend beyond head coach Lou Holtz’s former employment with both programs.
The CFP No. 21 Irish (8-4) and No. 19 Gamecocks (8-4), who will meet in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on Dec. 30 in Jacksonville, Fla., gave Clemson its only losses this season.
Notre Dame’s 35-14 home victory over then-No. 4 Clemson on Nov. 5 gave ND the late-season boost it needed to elevate an unpredictable first year for head coach Marcus Freeman. Three weeks later, South Carolina capped its regular season with a 31-30 road victory over then-No. 9 Clemson to complete an unexpected two-week stretch.
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Both Notre Dame and South Carolina struggled out the gate with 1-2 starts to the season as well. Something about the matchup in TIAA Bank Field, home of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, just feels right.
“We’re extremely excited to be in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl,” said South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer, son of longtime Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer, in a Sunday evening Zoom press conference. “Our fans, I know, are ecstatic about this opportunity. Our athletic director was just telling me about the ticket sales already. Just before I got on, the head of our tickets texted me and said these ticket sales are insane.
“We’re really excited about a fantastic bowl, but obviously a lot of those ticket sales have to do with who we’re playing and playing a great team like Notre Dame. A ton of respect for what they’ve done this year. Both of us started off 1-2, if I’m not mistaken. We’ve both rebounded to get to where we are right now.
“Two good teams and a ton of respect for coach Freeman and his staff and they job they’ve done this year as well.”
The Gamecocks rewrote how their 2022 season would be defined in the final two weeks of the regular season. On Nov. 12, South Carolina suffered at Florida its fourth loss of the season, and it wasn’t even close. The Gators dominated South Carolina, 38-6, by limiting the Gamecocks to only 237 yards.
Quarterback Spencer Rattler accounted for just 132 yards with 18-of-26 passing for 145 yards and a loss of 13 yards rushing, which included three sacks. The poor production came against a Florida defense that finished the regular season ranked No. 103 in total defense (415.8 yards allowed per game) and No. 90 in scoring defense (28.8 points per game).
South Carolina looked like a different team in its next two games: a 63-38 home win over then-No. 5 Tennessee and the subsequent win over in-state rival Clemson. In those two games, Rattler threw for 798 yards and 8 touchdowns with two interceptions on 55-of-76 (72.4%) attempts. He was also sacked five times and rushed for 11 yards and one touchdown.
Rattler, a redshirt junior transfer from Oklahoma, hasn’t announced whether he will leave South Carolina for the NFL Draft either before or after the bowl game.
The Gamecocks have already lost offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Marcus Satterfield to Matt Rhule’s new Nebraska staff. Shane Beamer told reporters Sunday he doesn’t yet know who will call plays for South Carolina in the Gator Bowl.
Beamer didn’t have any news to share about which players might not play in the game either.
“I had individual meetings with a ton of our guys last week,” Beamer said. “We have exams starting (Monday) here at South Carolina, so our guys will be in exams this week, and coaches are out recruiting.
“Guys have decisions to make about the NFL, the bowl game. My meetings last week were positive with all my guys from that standpoint. I wanted them, like coach Freeman said, to be able to decompress a little bit from the season. We want to help them make a sound decision, so I haven’t given them a deadline or anything. Obviously, the sooner the better, so we can go ahead and start planning.”
South Carolina cornerback Cam Smith announced Friday he would be entering next year’s NFL Draft, but he didn’t specify whether he would play in the bowl game. The upcoming week, which includes the official opening of the transfer portal entry window Monday, should provide more clarity for both rosters.
By Sunday evening, Freeman, who spent his afternoon attending a Notre Dame women’s basketball victory over UConn in a top-10 matchup, was only somewhat familiar with the specific challenges South Carolina will present.
“I did take a couple minutes to peek at just the offense versus Clemson,” Freeman said. “Then I obviously watched a little bit of the Tennessee game. (Rattler)’s special. Their offense is explosive.
“I haven’t watched much of their defense yet, but they have an explosive offense. It all starts with their quarterback. Spencer is an extremely talented individual. I’ve seen him extend some plays with his legs, the ability to throw the ball into tight spaces, make good decisions. He’s a talented quarterback.
“We’ve faced some talented quarterbacks this season, and he’ll be just as good as any of those talented quarterbacks we faced. It will be a huge challenge, but there are playmakers all across the field.”
Those explosive plays usually came in the passing game. South Carolina finished the weekend ranked in a tie for No. 100 in the FBS in rushing offense with 123.3 rushing yards per game. The Gamecocks haven’t had much success stopping the run either with a 113th-ranked rushing defense ranking for allowing 192.4 yards per game.
South Carolina’s other statistical weaknesses belong in avoiding penalties, turnover margin, time of possession and limiting first downs. The Gamecocks averaged 6.83 penalties (T-96) and 63 penalty yards per game (112). The turnover margin of –0.42 turnovers per game was tied at No. 103. South Carolina is just inside the top 100 (of 131) in first downs allowed (T-99 with 265) and third-down conversion percentage allowed (T-96, 41.7).
All four of South Carolina's losses this season came against fellow SEC teams: Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri and Florida. Only No. 1 Georgia (13-0) is currently ranked in the College Football Playoff's top 25.
Notre Dame has already scored a victory over South Carolina recently. Karson Hobbs, a three-star cornerback in the 2024 class from Cincinnati Moeller, flipped his commitment from South Carolina to Notre Dame on Nov. 9.
For more South Carolina coverage, visit Gamecock Scoop on the Rivals network.
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