Lou Holtz remembered for Outback Bowl wins. These other 5 USC games were also special
Among the many qualities Lou Holtz was gifted with, the man was memorable.
That became clear in the wake of Holtz’s passing on Wednesday. In his 89 years on Earth, the College Football Hall of Fame coach created enough stories and soundbites and relationships for 10 lifetimes. Many focus on his time at Notre Dame or even his post-coaching life as an ESPN analyst and political pundit, but those in Columbia have been thinking about his final stop in an illustrious coaching career.
In his six seasons as South Carolina’s head coach (1999-2004), Holtz went 33-37 — which, on the surface, seems quite unremarkable. Heck, Holtz’s .471 winning percentage with the Gamecocks is below even that of Will Muschamp (.483).
Yet, those six years and 70 games at South Carolina packed in a plethora of indelible memories. There was an introductory press conference inside Williams-Brice Stadium that felt like a game, with fans in the stands cheering. There was the 1999 season, when the Gamecocks incredibly went 0-11 and, even more incredibly, still drew an average of over 78,000 fans.
There was the miraculous turnaround in 2000, when the Gamecocks won eight games. And, of course, the South Carolina-Clemson brawl in 2004 that became the final game of Holtz’s coaching career. Then, specific to actual football games, the Gamecocks’ 2000 and 2001 Outback Bowl wins over Ohio State were remarkable achievements for a football program that entered the 21st Century with just one bowl victory.
Outside that pair of bowl victories, The State decided to rank the Top-5 Holtz victories at South Carolina. Here are our selections (in chronological order).
1. South Carolina 21, No. 9 Georgia 10 // Sept. 9, 2000
Just a week after the Gamecocks snapped their 21-game losing streak against New Mexico State, South Carolina proved it was a legit football team capable of competing in the SEC.
While the Georgia game didn’t snap the overall losing streak, it was the Gamecocks’ first conference win in nearly three years (vs. Vanderbilt on Oct. 25, 1997)! It was also their first win of a Top-10 opponent since beating No. 6 Georgia .... in 1988. Even more: South Carolina didn’t win by a fluke. It didn’t some miracle drive or late touchdowns. The Gamecocks led at halftime and didn’t allow a single point in the second half.
Naturally, for the second week in a row, the fans inside Williams-Brice Stadium rushed the field, tore down the goal posts and carried them into Five Points. After the win, Holtz seemed almost perplexed by the level of jubilation South Carolina fans showed.
“I’ve been here two years,” Holtz said, days after the Georgia win. “We’ve won two games and we’re on our third set of goalposts. I’d like to think we have a little more confidence in our program than that.”
2. South Carolina 23, No. 25 Mississippi State 19 // Sept 23, 2000
This game has grown so legendary, it now goes by just two words: The Fade.
Late in the fourth quarter, with South Carolina down by six and just under five minutes to play, starting quarterback Phil Petty got hit by some Mississippi State pass rushers and rolled his ankle. With the Gamecocks facing fourth-and-10 from the Bulldogs’ 25, backup QB Erik Kimrey threw his helmet on.
Wide receivers coach Todd Fitch walked up to Kimrey and asked him what play he liked.
“Coach,” Kimrey told Fitch, “let’s just throw ‘18.’” Eighteen is the play call for a fade.
Not long after, Kimrey took the snap and released a high-arching rainbow in the direction of receiver Jermale Kelly. Touchdown.
The Gamecocks improved to 4-0 for the first time since 1988.
3. No. 18 South Carolina 16, No. 17 Mississippi State 14 // Sept. 20, 2001
Just nine days after 9/11, the Gamecocks and Bulldogs met on a Thursday night in Starkville for what was the first nationally televised football game following the terrorist attacks.
On an emotional night where South Carolina and MSU players held the American Flag together during the national anthem, the Gamecocks eventually came out on top, and moved to 3-0.
That night was also the coming out party for quarterback Corey Jenkins, a 6-foot-1, 220-pound transfer from Garden City Junior College. He rushed for 75 yards and orchestrated a 16-play, 74-yard drive in the third quarter that gave USC a nine-point lead.
4. No. 15 South Carolina 37, Alabama 36 // Sept. 29, 2001
We also considered the Gamecocks’ 2001 victory against Clemson — Holtz’s only win over the Tigers — for this spot, but that game didn’t have half the drama as South Carolina’s win over Alabama.
Trailing by 12 with under nine minutes to play against Alabama, the Gamecocks pulled off one of the most-improbable comebacks in program history and, in the process, secured USC’s first victory over Alabama.
A few minutes after Derek Watson scored to put the Gamecocks within a score, Petty fired a 7-yard touchdown to tight end Rod Trafford — who wouldn’t catch another pass for the entire season — for the game-winning score.
The Gamecocks would go on to rout Kentucky a week later to start 5-0 in what would become a 9-3 campaign, only the second time a South Carolina team won nine games or more.
5. South Carolina 35, Arkansas 32 // Nov. 6, 2004
After winning just five games during both the 2002 and 2003 seasons, the Gamecocks were trying to get bowl eligible for the first time in three years.
Stuck at five wins, South Carolina finished the 2004 season with a home contest against Arkansas and road games against Florida and Clemson. Obviously, beating the Razorbacks was the best shot to get back to a bowl game.
But the Gamecocks were down late, relying on backup quarterback Syvelle Newton — who replaced the injured starter Dondrail Pinkins in the second quarter.
Down by three, Newton threw a quick pass to WR Troy Williamson, who ran for the 14-yard score with 1:09 remaining to give USC bowl eligibility. Obviously, the Gamecocks would not play in a bowl game as punishment for the Clemson brawl.
With rumors that Holtz would soon retire from coaching, he was asked after the Arkansas win if that was his last game at Williams-Brice Stadium.
“Don’t bury me yet,” he said. “When they do come by my casket, I want them to say he’s still moving.”
