2011 South Carolina Gamecocks football team

The 2011 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Gamecocks were led by seventh-year head coach Steve Spurrier and played their home games at Williams-Brice Stadium. They were a member of the East Division of the Southeastern Conference and finished 11–2 for the season and 6–2 in SEC play.

While they finished undefeated against the East Division, a 13–16 loss to Auburn and a 28–44 loss to Arkansas left them second in the division standings behind Georgia. In the Capital One Bowl, they defeated Nebraska 30–13. The 11 wins were a school record; it was only the second time in the school's 119-year football history that it won as many as 10 games. They also finished eighth in the final Coaches' Poll and ninth in the final AP Poll—their first-ever top-10 finishes in any major poll.

Preseason
On April 10, 2011, the Garnet squad defeated the Black squad, 21–17, in the annual Garnet & Black Spring Game, in front of a crowd of 30,100.

Mississippi State
Marcus Lattimore was injured during this game and he remained out for the remainder of the season.

Depth chart
Projected starters and primary backups versus Clemson on November 26, 2011.

Awards

 * Antonio Allen – AP Second-Team All-SEC; AP Second-Team All-American
 * A.J. Cann – Coaches SEC All-Freshman Team
 * Jadeveon Clowney – Coaches Second-Team All-SEC; Coaches SEC All-Freshman Team; SEC Freshman of the Year; Sporting News All-Freshman Team
 * Bruce Ellington – SEC Co-Freshman of the Week, 10/17/11; Coaches SEC All-Freshman Team
 * Melvin Ingram – Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week, 9/11/11; SEC Special Teams Player of the Week, 9/12/11; SEC Defensive Player of the Week, 9/26/11; SEC Defensive Player of the Week, 10/3/11; AP & Coaches First-Team All-SEC; AFCA All-American Team; Walter Camp First-Team All-American; AP First-Team All-American; Sporting News All-American Team
 * Alshon Jeffery – AP Second-Team All-SEC; Capital One Bowl MVP
 * Marcus Lattimore – SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week, 9/19/11; AP & Coaches Second-Team All-SEC
 * Mike Matulis – Sporting News All-Freshman Team
 * Travian Robertson – SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week, 10/14/11
 * Connor Shaw – SEC Offensive Player of the Week, 10/10/11; SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week, 11/28/11
 * D.J. Swearinger – SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week, 10/17/11
 * Rokevious Watkins – SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week, 9/5/11; AP First-Team All-SEC; Coaches Second-Team All-SEC
 * Brandon Wilds – SEC Freshman of the Week, 10/31/11
 * Dalton Wilson – Capital One Academic All-America Second Team

Coaching staff

 * Steve Spurrier – Head coach
 * Ellis Johnson – Assistant head coach, defensive coordinator
 * Lorenzo Ward – Defensive coordinator, cornerbacks coach
 * John Butler – Special teams coordinator
 * Shawn Elliott – Offensive line coach, running game coordinator
 * Craig Fitzgerald – Strength & conditioning coach
 * Jay Graham – Running backs and tight ends coach
 * Jeep Hunter – Safeties coach
 * Brad Lawing – Defensive line coach
 * G. A. Mangus – Quarterbacks coach
 * Steve Spurrier, Jr. – Wide receivers coach