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1. Muschamp talks Sunday after reviewing the tape
South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp spoke to the media again Sunday, one day after the Gamecocks' 38-24 loss at Florida and again went over a number of topics.
• That final drive
Muschamp was again asked about the Gamecocks' painstakingly slow final drive in which drove deep into Florida territory but took over seven minutes with the Gamecocks down 14 points.
“We didn’t want to run seven minutes off the clock. At the end of the day we wanted to score a touchdown. We needed a touchdown to make it a one-score game. In that situation, after we got the fourth down conversion, I want to say there was a little above five minutes left in the game.
We talked on the sideline in terms of wanting to speed it up. Collin dropped back the next snap and had a scramble and ran out of bounds on our sideline. We had the sprint out to Rico (Powers), which got another first down. Then we had a series that created some issues for us. ...
Shi Smith has emerged as one of the top wide receiver threats in the SEC, but the Gamecocks - quite obviously - need someone else to step up and consistently make some plays.
“We’ll determine that moving forward. Shi’s been the most productive player we have,” Will Muschamp said. “Xavier (Legette’s) been productive at times and we have to get better past that. We’ll determine that this week in practice.”
The Gamecocks had seven drops Saturday afternoon.
Freshman Rico Powers saw the most extensive action of his young career and had two catches, but the Gamecocks leading receivers other than Smith were both running backs.
• No more injury updates
Muschamp said that the Gamecocks didn't have any injuries in Saturday's game and then went on to say that he was no longer going to offer injury updates with this as his reasoning:
"For the rest of the year, I'm not going to address injuries and the Covid situation," Muschamp said. "We're getting tested three times a week. Guys are up. Guys are down. Contact tracing, we've got all types of stuff. And I apologize. I've got parents asking me not to disclose about Covid and different - we're not going to address injuries anymore the rest of the year. Okay?"
Football: Gamecocks open as double-digit favorites at Vanderbilt - Despite a disappointing 0-2 start to the season, South Carolina has opened as a double-digit favorite at Vanderbilt this Saturday. (link)
Football: Muschamp delves deeper into explanation of final offensive drive - After explaining the rationale for taking over seven minutes on a drive Saturday in a two-score game, Will Muschamp was asked about it again Sunday night on his weekly teleconference and offered a little more insight on what happened. (link)
Football: Gamecocks still searching for rotation at receiver - After the season opener, the Gamecocks were left searching for answers at the receiver position outside of Shi Smith. (link)
Football - First and 10: more on defensive struggles, Smith on pace for record year - Looking at a few more in-depth stats from Saturday's loss. (subscription)
Football: What went right, what went wrong Saturday - In this weekly feature, we'll take a look at the Pro Football Focus numbers to try and figure out the good and bad from the game that was. (subscription)
Football: Secondary struggles again in loss - Through two games, the Gamecocks have allowed opponents almost nine yards per pass attempt with their early-season struggles coming to a head in a loss to Florida. (link)
Football: End of half was 'momentum swing' for Florida - When Florida kicked a field goal to take a 17-14 lead with 3:30 left in the first half, it looked like South Carolina would either be able to score before the end of the half or go into the locker room down three, but that didn't happen. (link)
Football - Looking Ahead: What's the realistic path to a successful season? - Well, it’s not ideal for the Gamecocks to start the season 0-2, but it’s the situation they find themselves in after losses to ranked opponents in Tennessee and Florida. The Gamecocks were competitive in each of those games, falling victim to their own miscues late. (link)
Football: Mike Davis scores TD to put Panthers on the board - With Carolina starter Christian McCaffrey out, former South Carolina running back Mike Davis is getting plenty of chances in the Panthers' backfield. (link)
Insider notes: baseball scrimmage (Oct. 3) - Gamecocks have a few newcomers impressing early. (subscription)
MBB Recruiting: Gamecocks make top six for 2021 hoops target - South Carolina offered Jalen DeLoach less than a month ago, and it made enough of an impression to make the first cut in his recruitment. (link)
PREVIOUSLY...
Football: South Carolina announces battle armor for Florida - It's an all-white look when the Gamecocks head down to Gainesville this weekend. (link)
Football: Muschamp gives good news on Mukuamu - South Carolina should be getting one of their top cornerbacks back for this weekend's game against Florida. (link)
Football - Star power: How starters for Gamecocks, Gators stacked up as recruits - In this feature, GamecockCentral.com takes a closer look at how projected starters for the South Carolina Gamecocks football program stack up against the Florida Gators in terms of past recruiting ranking. (subscription)
Football: Gamecocks have to get creative with Smith against Gators - Coming out of Saturday’s loss to Tennessee, Will Muschamp had some issues with the Gamecock offense, but Shi Smith was not one of them. (link)
Football: How South Carolina is preparing for Kyle Pitts - In every press conference, Will Muschamp rattles off a handful of players on the opposing team that week, going through and talking about how each offensive player mentioned can hurt the Gamecocks if they don’t pay attention to him Saturday. (link)
Football: Carolina Confidential - Big picture thoughts from UT and on to UF. (subscription)
Football: Buy or sell? The turnover battle - Are we buying or selling that the Gamecocks will be on the plus side of the turnover margin on Saturday? (subscription)
Live updates: Carolina Calls with Will Muschamp (Oct. 1) - Updates from the show on 107.5 FM will be in this thread. (subscription)
Insider notes: baseball scrimmage (Oct. 1) - Gamecocks get in some good work on Thursday. (subscription)
- Jackson Fields
3. 📅 On This Date
Oct. 5, 1991 - It wasn't much of a game, but still noteworthy as freshman running back Brandon Bennett broke the school rushing record in a 55-7 blowout of East Tennessee State. The freshman from Greer had already crossed the 100-yard mark by the end of the first quarter, thanks to touchdown runs of 12 and 89 yards. Bennett's first score was set up by an interception by linebacker Eric Brown while a fumble recovery by Brown on the next possession set up a score by senior Albert Haynes on a 25-yard run. Haynes would add another TD in the second after a pick by CB Erik Anderson. Another interception, this one by LB Mike Landry, led to a TD pass from senior QB Bobby Fuller to David Pitchko to make it 34-0 at the break. Backups started joining the fun in the second half, as second-string QB Wright Mitchell rushed for a touchdown for USC's only score in the third. Bennett added one more TD in the fourth, finishing his day with 278 rushing yards on 31 carries. Safety Tony Watkins accounted for the game's final points with a 54-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Oct. 5 Birthdays
• Jerry Shepherd (Outfielder, 1991-1992) - All-Metro in 1991, All-SEC in 1992. Hit .365 with 31 HR and 104 RBI in his two seasons
• Oct. 10 – Football: Vanderbilt (5)
• Dec. 16 – Football: Early Signing Day (72)
• Feb. 3 – Football: Late Signing Day (121)
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