A legacy of consistency: 5 Phil Petty moments to remember at South Carolina
Former South Carolina quarterback Phil Petty died Thursday, leaving behind a strong legacy and plenty of memorable moments from his time with the Gamecocks.
Petty was a part of one of the greatest turnarounds in program history, helping lead the Gamecocks to a 17-7 record in the final two years of his career after the team managed one win the prior two seasons.
In 40 games in his career, Petty completed 52.7% of his passes for 5,656 yards and 28 touchdowns and played a key role in some major moments of the early 2000s for the Gamecocks.
Here are five moments that exemplified Petty’s legacy of consistency at South Carolina.
Starter for first win in turnaround
After going 0-11 in Lou Holtz’ first season at South Carolina, Phil Petty helped shift the momentum of the South Carolina program back in a positive direction.
Petty, in the first game of the 2000 season, helped the Gamecocks get their first win in 728 days by beating New Mexico State 31-0. Petty was 10-for-18 passing in the game and threw for 87 yards.
The win snapped a 21-game losing streak and was the first of eight victories South Carolina would finish with that year.
Two big wins over Georgia
Petty captained the Gamecocks to a shocking defeat of No. 9 Georgia in 2000 in just the second start of his career.
He went 18-for-28 through the air and totaled 154 passing yards in the 21-10 upset over the Bulldogs. He maintained that success against Georgia the following season.
After a strong 32-13 defeat of Boise State to open the 2001 campaign, Petty and the No. 21 ranked Gamecocks marched into Athens for their first road test of the season against the No. 25 Georgia Bulldogs.
Down 9-7 with less than a minute and a half remaining in the game, Petty dropped back on third and 10 and found wide receiver Brian Scott for the go-ahead touchdown in the 14-9 victory — a play that was coined “The Catch” in Gamecock lore.
Petty was 19 for 29 with 193 passing yards against UGA in 2001, with the game-winner was his lone touchdown pass of the game. The win would be the second in a five-game win streak for South Carolina.
South Carolina beats Alabama for first time ever
Petty played hero again in the Gamecocks’ first home game after the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001.
Ranked No. 15 nationally at the time, South Carolina was facing off against Alabama on Sept. 29 and won a nail-biter by a score of 37-36.
The Gamecocks were down 36-24 at one point late in the game, but a touchdown pass from Petty to tight end Rod Trafford tied the game at 36 a piece with two and half minutes left. The extra point kick was enough to seal the deal and South Carolina left an emotional game with its first-ever victory over Alabama.
Petty finished the game with 291 passing yards and three touchdowns.
Back-to-back Outback Bowl victories
South Carolina’s storied history with the Outback Bowl doesn’t happen without Phil Petty.
After going 1-21 in the 1998 and 1999 seasons, the Gamecocks turned things around with the new millennium when they won back-to-back Outback Bowls over Ohio State in the 2000 and 2001 seasons.
In the match-up in 2000, Petty and running back Ryan Brewer helped the Gamecocks secure their first bowl win since 1994 with a 24-7 victory over the No. 19 Buckeyes. Petty finished that game 9-for-19 passing with 175 passing yards and a touchdown.
The Gamecocks did it all over again the following year, waltzing into Tampa ranked No. 14 and beating No. 22 Ohio State on a last-second field goal. Petty was named the bowl’s MVP after throwing 227 yards and two touchdowns.
At the time, it was only the second time in program history that South Carolina had won consecutive bowl games.
Record-breaking offense in 2001 vs. Vanderbilt
Petty helped the Gamecocks set a school record when they beat Vanderbilt 46-14 back in 2001.
South Carolina put together 656 yards of total offense in the game, and Petty was personally responsible 232 of those yards.
Passing wise, he was 13-for-21 and finished with 208 yards in the air and two touchdowns. Petty also had 24 rushing yards in the game.
Honorable mention
Petty’s lone 300-yard career passing game came in a 23-19 win over Mississippi State in 2000.
Petty put together an impressive performance, even though the game was made famous by “The Fade,” the game-winning TD thrown by backup Erik Kimrey, who entered the game to relieve the injured starter.
Petty was 19-for-40 passing and finished with 305 yards.
This story was originally published July 21, 2022 at 12:53 PM with the headline "A legacy of consistency: 5 Phil Petty moments to remember at South Carolina."
