2014 South Carolina Gamecocks football team  The 2014 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina in the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Gamecocks competed as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) as part of its Eastern Division. The team was led by head coach Steve Spurrier, in his tenth year, and played its home games at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina. They finished the season 7–6, 3–5 in SEC play to finish in a tie for fourth place in the Eastern Division. They were invited to the Independence Bowl where they defeated Miami (FL). For: 8/28/14 (Texas A&M)  The Gamecocks open the 2014 season with a Thursday night matchup against conference foe Texas A&M. It will be the first meeting between the two schools. With kickoff set for 6:00 PM EDT, this game was scheduled to be the first live football game broadcast on the SEC Network. As the first game of the Gamecocks-Aggies cross-division rivalry, the winner of this game will be awarded the new Bonham Trophy, named after Alamo war hero and South Carolina alumnus James Butler Bonham. South Carolina hosts East Carolina for Week 2 of the college football season. The Gamecocks hold a 12-5 all-time series record against the Pirates. South Carolina won the most recent matchup in 2012 by a score of 48-10. It was the first career start for then-backup QB Dylan Thompson, who threw for 330 yards with 3 touchdowns and no interceptions in the victory. The SEC East rival Georgia Bulldogs visit South Carolina on September 13, 2014 to conclude the Gamecocks three-game homestand. Georgia leads the all-time series 48-17-2; however, the Gamecocks have won three of the last four matchups, including a dominating 35-7 victory in the last meeting at Williams-Brice Stadium. The Bulldogs won last year’s matchup 41-30 in Athens, Georgia behind a 4 touchdown performance by Aaron Murray. South Carolina travels to Vanderbilt for the first road game of the 2014 season. South Carolina holds a 19-4 all-time series record against the Commodores, and has won the last five meetings. The Gamecocks host the defending SEC East division champion Missouri Tigers for the 2014 Battle of Columbia. The all-time series record is tied at two wins apiece. South Carolina, however, has won both meetings since Missouri joined the SEC in 2012.