With the Gamecocks not playing in the Gasparilla Bowl, the season is over and now it's time to take a deep breath and evaluate the good and the bad from the season.
GamecockCentral has handed out weekly report cards, and it's time now to hand out the end of the season report cards on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.
First up is the offensive side of things.
Quarterback: C-
This was a oft-scrutinized position with Collin Hill starting eight games this year only to have Luke Doty start the final two with both having their ups and downs. Hill put together a very middle-of-the-road stat line—59.1 completion percentage, 6.6 yards per attempt—but didn't do enough to win games and was benched for Doty against Missouri.
Also see: Few hoops recruiting notes
Doty looked fine in two starts and didn't have much around him, completing 60.6 percent of his attempts and throwing for 405 yards (5.7 yards per attempt) but gave the Gamecocks a running element they didn't have with either Hill or Ryan Hilinski.
It wasn't a great year for South Carolina quarterbacks, but it could have been much, much worse. The passers didn't have a lot to throw to this year.
Running backs: A
Before the season, if fans were told there would be a 1,000-yard rusher, most would probably think it's MarShawn Lloyd. The fact that Lloyd tore his ACL two practices in and the Gamecocks still had one of the better rushers in the SEC speaks to how good Kevin Harris was.
Harris finished with over 1,100 yards, becoming the first 1,000 yard rusher since Mike Davis in 2013 and turned into a star in the SEC this year. He ended second in rushing yards (first in regular season yardage), touchdowns and yards per carry.
The most impressive part? He did it against all SEC teams and in just 10 games, making his season arguably one of the best single season performances at South Carolina this century. He accounted for 55 percent of the team's touchdowns, 40.8 percent of total points and 33 percent of total yards.
Also, don't discredit the job Deshaun Fenwick did with 54 carries and 309 yards rushing (5.5 yards per carry). Both Fenwick and Harris were big pieces in the pass game, catching a combined 34 passes for 267 yards and a score.
Also see: More on defensive staff movement
Receivers/tight ends: D
This grade would be much lower if not for Shi Smith. Smith, after being challenged by Mike Bobo in the preseason, finished with a team-best 57 catches, 633 yards and four touchdowns. He accounted for a third of all receptions and receiving yards and half of the team's receiving touchdowns. In essence, he carried the passing attack.
Nick Muse also had one of the best years from a tight end ever at South Carolina, catching 30 passes for 425 yards and a score, but outside of those two there wen't much else.
No receiver or tight end besides Smith and Muse had more than 11 (Jalen Brooks) receptions and 113 yards (Xavier Legette) and struggled to do much of anything in vertical passing game.
Offensive line: D+
This grade is this high because of the Gamecocks' run game, and the offensive line's ability to pave the way for Kevin Harris to rush for 1,138 yards, which is something to hand their hat on this year.
The problem was the offensive line was largely in a state of flux, especially at the tackle position, and struggled to protect the passer. The Gamecocks allowed 27 sacks and 150 yards on sacks, both fourth-worst in the SEC.
Sadarius Hutcherson had a really good year at left guard and Eric Douglas held his own at center, but the Gamecocks struggled at tackle and it contributed to struggles all season.
Also see: Top 150 running back has connections to South Carolina
Coaching: C-
This grade only applies to the offensive staff, and admittedly it's grading on a curve. The staff was coaching with one hand tied behind their back in terms of personnel, but give Mike Bobo credit for doing enough to have a solid rushing attack in his first year at offensive coordinator.
There were some interesting decisions in terms of offensive decisions, but it remains to be seen how much of that decision-making was done by Bobo or Will Muschamp.
Credit to Mike Bobo too for keeping things together as interim head coach the final three weeks of the season and playing Luke Doty. Des Kitchings was also a bright spot on the coaching staff and deserves credit for the job he did with the running backs.
Outside of that, the Gamecocks did struggle offensively and that falls to the coaching staff.
