[1] However, in the fifth game of the season, they lost at home to unranked defending national champion Auburn,[1] resulting in long-time starting quarterback Stephen Garcia being replaced by Connor Shaw.

[2][3][4] Shaw would subsequently start almost every game until the end of the 2013 season, becoming the winningest quarterback in school history along the way, and never losing at home.

[9][10] They are the only team in South Carolina's history with two future retired jerseys (Alshon Jeffery and Jadeveon Clowney).

[13] Clowney, the highest-rated high school football recruit of all time,[14] was named the SEC Freshman of the Year.

at Williams-Brice Stadium • Columbia, South Carolina Projected starters and primary backups versus Clemson on November 26, 2011.

Sources: The University of South Carolina was investigated in 2011 by the NCAA after it came to light that student-athletes (including some football players) had received an estimated $59,000 in impermissible benefits, mainly the result of discounted living expenses at a local hotel.