South Carolina loses at home to FCS The Citadel

A tough season for South Carolina got a whole lot worse on Saturday as the Gamecocks were upset by The Citadel at home.

The Citadel running back Tyler Renew scored the winning touchdown on a 56-yard scamper late in the fourth quarter to give the FCS Bulldogs a 23-22 win. The Gamecocks had two more chances to retake the lead, but turned it over on downs both times, including a fourth-and-one stop in Citadel territory.

The Gamecocks dropped to a miserable 3-8 on the season and lost to an FCS opponent for the first time in 25 years. For the Bulldogs, the win was the first over an FBS team since they beat Army 15-14 in 1992.

The Citadel held the lead until a Brandon Wilds touchdown put the Gamecocks up 16-14 midway through the third quarter. The Citadel went back in front with a field goal, and then the Gamecocks jumped back in front on a 41-yard touchdown pass from Perry Orth to Pharoh Cooper with 8:40 to go.

When South Carolina’s defense needed to hold down the Bulldogs’ triple option attack, Renew broke off a 56-yard run on third-and-one to put The Citadel up for good. Renew, a Columbia, S.C., native, finished with 174 yards and two touchdowns.

The win improves The Citadel’s record to 8-3 as it inches toward a berth in the FCS playoffs.

The loss is a disastrous one for Gamecocks interim head coach Shawn Elliott in his quest to drop the interim title and become the Steve Spurrier’s successor moving forward.

On top of that, South Carolina’s continuing struggles affect the College Football Playoff hopes of North Carolina. The Tar Heels improved to 10-1 and clinched the ACC Coastal with a win over Virginia Tech on Saturday, but their only loss – a Week 1 defeat to the Gamecocks – keeps looking worse.

For more South Carolina news, visit GamecockCentral.com.

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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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