It’s hard to be positive when handing out grades for a team that finished with a 3-9 record.

The offense was 11th in the league, while the defense finished at or near the bottom of the SEC in several key categories.

But it’s not fair to judge the entire roster so harshly, since there were a few players that had productive seasons for the Gamecocks.

Let’s go down the roster, position by position, and have a look:

QUARTERBACKS

The Gamecocks had their share of turmoil at this position in 2015, as three different players made starts. Connor Mitch, Lorenzo Nunez and Perry Orth combined to place the Gamecocks in the middle of the pack in the SEC in terms of efficiency (8th), but the overall production wasn’t as good, leading to an 11th-place finish in passing yardage. Not awful, but not great, either.

Grade: C-

RUNNING BACKS

Brandon Wilds led the team with 567 yards in an injury-plagued campaign. The team finished near the bottom of the league in rushing yards, mainly because they were behind so often. Wilds and Nunez were effective when healthy (or in the lineup) but that wasn’t often enough. Shon Carson showed some flashes during his senior season, while David Williams did little to impress in a part-time role.

Grade: C-

RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS

Pharoh Cooper’s presence helps this grade tremendously, and tight end Jerell Adams also had a productive season. The pair combined for almost half of the team’s catches (94), more than half of the yardage (1,394) and 11 of the team’s 17 touchdown catches. The rest of the roster wasn’t consistent enough to provide balance to the attack. The third-leading receiver, Deebo Samuel, had 12 catches.

Grade: C

OFFENSIVE LINE

The offensive line allowed 26 sacks, only slight worse than the national average of 25.5. The  running game statistics weren’t very good. None of the Gamecock starters made either the first or second team for either the coaches’ or the Associated Press All-SEC team, either.

Grade: C-

DEFENSIVE LINE

The Gamecock defense was dead last in the league — and 111th nationally — against the run, and that starts up front. Darius English and Marquavius Lewis had 7.5 of the unit’s 17 sacks, but this area requires immediate attention from the new coaching staff.

Grade: F

LINEBACKERS

Skai Moore was tied for third in the SEC with 111 tackles, and after moving into the starting lineup, T.J. Holloman was third on the team with 63 stops. But, the blame for the poor numbers against the run has to be shared by this unit as well. Way too much inconsistency here.

Grade: D+

SECONDARY

Graduate transfer Isaiah Johnson was a pleasant surprise, finishing second on the team with 74 tackles. But opposing quarterbacks had the second-highest passer rating against the Gamecocks in the league at 133.77. The team managed only 12 interceptions, and defensive backs accounted for only four of them. There just weren’t enough big plays to help the defense get off the field.

Grade: D

SPECIAL TEAMS

Sean Kelly was fourth in the league with a 44.3-yard punting average and Elliott Fry made all 25 of his extra points and 20 of his 28 field-goal attempts. The Gamecocks were also fifth in the SEC in covering both punts and kickoffs. South Carolina was third in the conference in kick return average, but 13th on punt returns. Overall, this was probably the strength of the team.

Grade: B+