ADVERTISEMENT

Not sure what has changed the perception

MookieBlaylock9

Well-Known Member
May 19, 2012
4,536
3,137
113
I may or not be on the Muschamp bus still, but I know I am in a small minority of fans that has been exceedingly patient with Muschamp.

I do not understand the change in tune from so many fans after this week's game.

That game was fairly typical of a Muschamp game. We actually got turnovers, and we had a competent offensive plan. This was the difference.

This team is ok. If you are excited about an offensive coordinator, that makes sense.

I'm just saying. Don't be surprised if we play 3 quarters of football like the 1st quarter of last week.

We may not get short fields and turnovers again.

Still supportive and happy for the team as always, though.
 
I may or not be on the Muschamp bus still, but I know I am in a small minority of fans that has been exceedingly patient with Muschamp.

I do not understand the change in tune from so many fans after this week's game.

That game was fairly typical of a Muschamp game. We actually got turnovers, and we had a competent offensive plan. This was the difference.

This team is ok. If you are excited about an offensive coordinator, that makes sense.

I'm just saying. Don't be surprised if we play 3 quarters of football like the 1st quarter of last week.

We may not get short fields and turnovers again.

Still supportive and happy for the team as always, though.
I feel as though our games this season have not been indicative of the Muschamp era though- we have a clearly defined plan and identity on offense. I would like to see some more diversity honestly- we seem to have a solid run game but not a solid 2 minute offense.. If we can figure out how to mix it up and go fast when we need to, this could be a pretty good offense and that is a big surprise to me TBH.

I am not overly excited, but just as I did when we were losing, I will point out what I see. I saw squandered opportunities game one and two which were all the more frustrating because we fought our way back into both games and somehow did not really give ourselves a shot either time! Games three and four, I have seen the same fight and offensive improvement, but we did take advantage of opportunities to win them. Say what you will about Auburn, doesn’t changed they were the #15 ranked team when we best them! Say what you will about Va- ok Vandy just flat out sucks- but we beat them like we should have beaten the worst team we play this year- we blew them out! The offense is consistently scoring around/above 30 points a game and the D seems to be improving. If we get Izzy back and a couple other guys.. Damn.. We just might have something! Or, we could see every player on offense go down like we saw last year and lose the rest of the games! Neither will change my assessment of these first four games- D has been not quite as good as I hoped but looking up, offense has surprised me!
 
I agree Mookie with your assessment. And I'm learning to be supportive of this coaching staff as I always am of players. I think where I find myself is getting over the first hurdle of a two hurdle straightaway. As a believer that college football is an offensive football game first, I have come to accept we are not going to stretch the field, not going to outscore anybody on offense alone, not going to be offensively exciting. I don't think you can win big if you don't do those things now. So I've accepted what the approach is here. Play smart, play conservative, ball control, tough defense. The cost of getting over that hurdle is the acceptance we want to be competitive, and we want more wins than loses. Ok. The second hurdle is thinking this staff can produce the second one of those costs year in, year out. But I will take one hurdle at a time. And I will not expect to challenge the top of the conference.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MookieBlaylock9
I may or not be on the Muschamp bus still, but I know I am in a small minority of fans that has been exceedingly patient with Muschamp.

I do not understand the change in tune from so many fans after this week's game.

That game was fairly typical of a Muschamp game. We actually got turnovers, and we had a competent offensive plan. This was the difference.

This team is ok. If you are excited about an offensive coordinator, that makes sense.

I'm just saying. Don't be surprised if we play 3 quarters of football like the 1st quarter of last week.

We may not get short fields and turnovers again.

Still supportive and happy for the team as always, though.

The offense capitalized in a major way on the 3 times the D gave them a short field, getting the ball at Auburn's 8, 29 and 49 yard line. Besides that, we only had 2 sustained drives that resulted in points.
 
The offense capitalized in a major way on the 3 times the D gave them a short field, getting the ball at Auburn's 8, 29 and 49 yard line. Besides that, we only had 2 sustained drives that resulted in points.
I do like that we get 3rd downs with Bobo. Also, on goal line situations or 4th and short, the offense just gets up to the ball and goes.
 
Two things. Red zone efficiency and time of possession.

For pretty much his entire tenure as South Carolina’s head coach his team has been amongst the worst red zone offenses— with the only exception being the 2017 season in which they were average. It’s a small sample size, but they are currently amongst the best in scoring red zone touchdowns and scoring in the red zone in general.

Time of possession is the other one. Again, small sample, but they are among the nation’s leaders. They’ve typically been near the bottom under Muschamp. This can be attributed to a solid, if not spectacular third down conversion rate on offense, a very good stop rate on defense, and a slower pace of play on offense.

Those are the significant reasons they played two close games and won two games. And if you’ve been watching this team game in and game out during the Muschamp era, this is a big change.

If they keep up at these rates, they will win a few more games this season for sure. And if you’re a Muschamp apologist, you could make a good case for giving him more time with Bobo.

The big issue for them at the moment is what they are doing on offense is largely a high-wire act. They are only averaging 5 yards a play, which is typically below average. It means they lack explosive plays and have to sustain long drives frequently to score. Any down tick in third down conversion rate or an uptick in something like offensive penalties could be devastating to them. What Bobo has established allows them to excel in short yardage situations, but they have to get into those situations first. They are only middle in the pack in red zone attempts as it is, should that slide at all they will be in real trouble. Teams that average 5 yards or less per play on offense generally don’t win very many games.
 
People are happy for a win. The team is 2-2 now after being 4-8 last year. The most common projection on the season was 3-7 but I don’t think anyone knew how bad some of the teams on our schedule were going to be. This team might end up with 5 wins and people will be chomping at the bit for next year’s disappointment.
 
  • Like
Reactions: hillstosea
People react emotionally to scores (which yes are important) but don’t have the understandIng to diving in to what other variables make a team and program good and sustainable. I think when a coach loses one game in particular it doesn’t mean his program is on the right or wrong track. And Vice Versa. People’s inability to understand the depth of program building allow to to emotionally react heavily to the surface level results of winning and losing. (Again very important but to make good strategic decisions got to look deeper and know what to look for)
 
  • Like
Reactions: hillstosea
I think we will continue to play well, but I'm hard pressed to find more than 2 more wins in any scenario. Ole Miss looks like the best bet for a win and maybe Missouri since it is in Columbia, SC. We need an upset over LSU or ATM to get to 5 wins. Of the two, I think ATM is the best bet because it is also at home.

5 wins would give me reason to be optimistic about next year. If we only get 3 wins then to me it will be a repeat of last year with a little better offense.
 
People react emotionally to scores (which yes are important) but don’t have the understandIng to diving in to what other variables make a team and program good and sustainable. I think when a coach loses one game in particular it doesn’t mean his program is on the right or wrong track. And Vice Versa. People’s inability to understand the depth of program building allow to to emotionally react heavily to the surface level results of winning and losing. (Again very important but to make good strategic decisions got to look deeper and know what to look for)

So, if we "look deep enough" in the program and find something positive, we shouldn't care whether we win or lose. Got it! This is normal speak for those who accept mediocrity and don't give a damn whether we win or lose. We have a much better chance of winning if fans refuse to put up with losing. We pay these coaches millions of dollars "to win". The mediocre fans will come out of the woodwork when we start winning a few games and attack those, including myself, for refusing to accept losing. You can count on it! I truly believe a coach that starts to turn a program around is one who is getting his butt kicked by fans who refuse to accept losing.
 
I don't feel much different after four games than I thought I would. To the extent my optimism is greater than it was a couple of weeks ago, it might have more to do with the actual quality of our competition vs. what we perceived it to be in the preseason than an adjustment of expectations regarding our performance in absolute terms.

First games are always unpredictable, and UT looked like one of the several toss-up games that could reasonably go either way. Obviously, it didn't go ours. UF is a more talented team, and beating them in the Swamp was always going to be a tall order. We should've beaten Vandy handily and we did. Auburn turned out to be not as strong as anticipated, and we made some key plays in key moments to win. LSU has the potential to be a similar game.

I think there is a logjam of teams in the middle of the SEC where there is a small enough variation in talent such that coaching decisions, a couple of plays in big moments and player injuries/availability will mean the difference between wins and losses in head-to-head matchups between those teams. Based on the first four weeks of games, the mid-tier pack is larger than normal. That isn't a positive or negative reflection on Muschamp, just like it wasn't a positive or negative reflection on Spurrier when we piled up wins in a period where many analysts were saying that the SEC-E was just weak.

Last year, injuries and offensive coaching killed our season, so we lost more than our fair share of toss-ups. This year, COVID is making things more unpredictable than they normally are. However, we are arguably in a better position to weather injuries/illness, especially at the QB position; replacing a senior with a true freshman last year, especially with the lack of cohesive offensive game-planning, killed any chances of success. I feel a lot better about the QB room this year if something were to happen to Hill.

If all the bounces go our way for the remainder of the year, we will have a chance to win every game (possible exception being UGA; they are significantly better than we are and it would be a lot to expect back-to-back upsets). Life doesn't work that way, though, so we are looking at some split for the other five non-UGA opponents. We remain deficient at WR, LB, and the jury is out on the OL and safeties. Arguably, we are better than expected at RB, DL and QB. If we lose to UGA and don't win out/lose out, we finish between 3-7 and 6-4.

The coaching staff seems better, especially offensively, than it was last year with the additions of Bobo, Kitchings, Cox, Rocker and Wilson. However, it's too soon to tell whether the staff as a whole gives us a distinct advantage against any other SEC staffs, whether in terms of gameday coaching, player development or recruiting. I don't know whether they'll be around long enough to make a reasonably informed determination of just how strong the staff now is. Recruiting this year was always going to be down because of the modest number of SC prospects and the 4-8 finish.

Bottom line is that nothing much has changed in the past two weeks other than that we're now 2-2 rather than 0-2. I will enjoy it for what it is because life is always better after a win, but it doesn't mean that the coaching staff got better. Likewise, starting 0-2 in itself didn't mean much either.
 
Last edited:
So, if we "look deep enough" in the program and find something positive, we shouldn't care whether we win or lose. Got it! This is normal speak for those who accept mediocrity and don't give a damn whether we win or lose. We have a much better chance of winning if fans refuse to put up with losing. We pay these coaches millions of dollars "to win". The mediocre fans will come out of the woodwork when we start winning a few games and attack those, including myself, for refusing to accept losing. You can count on it! I truly believe a coach that starts to turn a program around is one who is getting his butt kicked by fans who refuse to accept losing.

I just look at things with realistic lenses and a little substance and not like fanboy. The reference was to winning or losing in a 1 game scenario.

You can’t just “knee jerk” react to every games performance or even couple of games. There could have been a case that Spurrier should have been let go after 2008. Also who are we? We don’t have the Picken’s like the Traditionally more powerful schools. Kirby passed us to go to a more traditional power. There’s so many more factors. Were 2-2 against ALL SEC schedule . We have #3 total D in league and have improved tremendously on Offense. We didn’t get destroyed in the ones we lost. What the f**** else do you want? We are improving.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: RoosterBooster1
I just look at things with realistic lenses and a little substance and not like fanboy. The reference was to winning or losing in a 1 game scenario.

You can’t just “knee jerk” react to every games performance or even couple of games. There could have been a case that Spurrier should have been let go after 2008. Also who are we? We don’t have the Picken’s like the Traditionally more powerful schools. Kirby passed us to go to a more traditional power. There’s so many more factors. Were 2-2 against ALL SEC schedule . We have #3 total D in league and have improved tremendously on Offense. We didn’t get destroyed in the ones we lost. What the f**** else do you want? We are improving.

I believe I was clear enough in what I posted. There are posters who are hiding out, waiting for us to win a couple of games, then they pounce. In my opinion, when and if we start winning it will be because of those fans that refuse to accept losing.
 
I may or not be on the Muschamp bus still, but I know I am in a small minority of fans that has been exceedingly patient with Muschamp.

I do not understand the change in tune from so many fans after this week's game.

That game was fairly typical of a Muschamp game. We actually got turnovers, and we had a competent offensive plan. This was the difference.

This team is ok. If you are excited about an offensive coordinator, that makes sense.

I'm just saying. Don't be surprised if we play 3 quarters of football like the 1st quarter of last week.

We may not get short fields and turnovers again.

Still supportive and happy for the team as always, though.

he is still the worst coach in the conference.
 
  • Like
Reactions: cocknjax
People are happy for a win. The team is 2-2 now after being 4-8 last year. The most common projection on the season was 3-7 but I don’t think anyone knew how bad some of the teams on our schedule were going to be. This team might end up with 5 wins and people will be chomping at the bit for next year’s disappointment.
I agree. Haven’t beaten any really good team yet. Actually played only one real good team. LSU, I don’t rate as real good,but if the Cocks can pull off a win at Baton Rouge, I’ll start being a believer
 
I believe I was clear enough in what I posted. There are posters who are hiding out, waiting for us to win a couple of games, then they pounce. In my opinion, when and if we start winning it will be because of those fans that refuse to accept losing.

LOLOLOL!!! Yes It will be because of the Fans of the Message Boards!! That's it!!! Not the players.... Whatever makes you feel significant in life buddy
 
I think we will continue to play well, but I'm hard pressed to find more than 2 more wins in any scenario. Ole Miss looks like the best bet for a win and maybe Missouri since it is in Columbia, SC. We need an upset over LSU or ATM to get to 5 wins. Of the two, I think ATM is the best bet because it is also at home.

5 wins would give me reason to be optimistic about next year. If we only get 3 wins then to me it will be a repeat of last year with a little better offense.
i dont care what year it is, if ya best lsu or bama, its a year for the books
 
I just want somebody to tell Muschamp that if you have the ball and the lead with about 4:30 left in the game, there's no rule that says you have to punt the ball back to the other team. It's legal to get first downs and end the game on offense.
 
It also seems like we have less injuries and we are well-conditioned.

So, maybe Muschamp got the OC and strength coach figured out. Those have always been criticisms.
 
  • Like
Reactions: gamecockjosh
I believe I was clear enough in what I posted. There are posters who are hiding out, waiting for us to win a couple of games, then they pounce. In my opinion, when and if we start winning it will be because of those fans that refuse to accept losing.
Exactly what do you do when we lose that the rest of us don't. Put on a uniform, set fire to Muschamp's house, blow up the stadium? What do the fans that "refuse to accept losing" do other than bitch on a message board? I've got some very unfortunate news for you, no fan can directly alter the outcome of any game or season. What you can do is donate money & show up on Saturday's which guarantees you exactly nothing. If we win it will have very little or nothing to do with fans that "refuse to lose", whatever the hell that means. You're just a spectator/booster, nothing more, nothing less. The game will be won or lost by the guys down on the field.
 
Last edited:
Exactly what do you do when we lose that the rest of us don't. Put on a uniform, set fire to Muschamp's house, blow up the stadium? What do the fans that "refuse to accept losing" do other than bitch on a message board? I've got some very unfortunate news for you, no fan can directly alter the outcome of any game or season. What you can do is donate money & show up on Saturday's which guarantees you exactly nothing. If we win it will have very little or nothing to do with fans that "refuse to lose", whatever the hell that means. You're just a spectator/booster, nothing more, nothing less. The game will be won or lost by the guys down on the field.

Thank you scbirdhunter. Sitting on his ass bitching while these players lay it on the line and coaches (whether he likes them or not) Put in hours that would tear most marriages apart.... and the success of the program rides on people like him ....smfh
 
  • Like
Reactions: MookieBlaylock9
I just want somebody to tell Muschamp that if you have the ball and the lead with about 4:30 left in the game, there's no rule that says you have to punt the ball back to the other team. It's legal to get first downs and end the game on offense.

Are you implying we didn’t want to get first downs and run out the clock?

Someone else posted a similar complaint, I asked what he’d do different.

Crickets.

So give us your opinion, if you were the HBC or OC, game running down, with a lead against a ranked opponent your program hadn’t beat since 1933, what would you have done different?

Please be specific, don’t beat around the bush with generalities.
 
  • Like
Reactions: kidrobinski
So, if we "look deep enough" in the program and find something positive, we shouldn't care whether we win or lose. Got it! This is normal speak for those who accept mediocrity and don't give a damn whether we win or lose. We have a much better chance of winning if fans refuse to put up with losing. We pay these coaches millions of dollars "to win". The mediocre fans will come out of the woodwork when we start winning a few games and attack those, including myself, for refusing to accept losing. You can count on it! I truly believe a coach that starts to turn a program around is one who is getting his butt kicked by fans who refuse to accept losing.

Every major program pays their coaches millions of dollars to win.

Since you’re not a “mediocre fan”, what exactly have you done to improve the situation other than complain here?

Did you drive by the practice field and yell insults? Leave Tanner and Muschamp nasty voicemails? Egg Muschamps house?

You think Muschamp, his staff, and the athletic program likes losing?
 
  • Like
Reactions: kidrobinski
Exactly what do you do when we lose that the rest of us don't. Put on a uniform, set fire to Muschamp's house, blow up the stadium? What do the fans that "refuse to accept losing" do other than bitch on a message board? I've got some very unfortunate news for you, no fan can directly alter the outcome of any game or season. What you can do is donate money & show up on Saturday's which guarantees you exactly nothing. If we win it will have very little or nothing to do with fans that "refuse to lose", whatever the hell that means. You're just a spectator/booster, nothing more, nothing less. The game will be won or lost by the guys down on the field.
The phenomenon of all of these fans that "refuse to accept losing" has taken on a life of its own. I think it started on social media. They call into radio shows too. I am confused as well what this entails.

I assume these people hold themselves to such a high standard and practice this approach in their professions.
 
Thank you scbirdhunter. Sitting on his ass bitching while these players lay it on the line and coaches (whether he likes them or not) Put in hours that would tear most marriages apart.... and the success of the program rides on people like him ....smfh
When you have the same fans calling to fire coaches or kick players off the team every single week, I have to assume there are some personal issues hiding out underneath the surface.
 
Exactly what do you do when we lose that the rest of us don't. Put on a uniform, set fire to Muschamp's house, blow up the stadium? What do the fans that "refuse to accept losing" do other than bitch on a message board? I've got some very unfortunate news for you, no fan can directly alter the outcome of any game or season. What you can do is donate money & show up on Saturday's which guarantees you exactly nothing. If we win it will have very little or nothing to do with fans that "refuse to lose", whatever the hell that means. You're just a spectator/booster, nothing more, nothing less. The game will be won or lost by the guys down on the field.

My apologies if I hurt your feelings.
 
When you have the same fans calling to fire coaches or kick players off the team every single week, I have to assume there are some personal issues hiding out underneath the surface.
What players are being called on to be kicked off the team?
 
Are you implying we didn’t want to get first downs and run out the clock?

Someone else posted a similar complaint, I asked what he’d do different.

Crickets.

So give us your opinion, if you were the HBC or OC, game running down, with a lead against a ranked opponent your program hadn’t beat since 1933, what would you have done different?

Please be specific, don’t beat around the bush with generalities.

I'd try throwing the ball once. Is that specific enough for you?

No, I wasn't seriously implying that Muschamp didn't _want_ to get the first down. What I am saying, straight up, is that we went super conservative on that last drive and looked like our fear of losing was greater than our desire for victory.

Having said that, I'm glad it worked out and thrilled we got the win against an overrated Auburn team.
 
We're on a two game win streak instead of a 5 game skid, or whatever it was. And they were overall good performances. I mean, in the end, there is only wins and losses by which to judge a team. I don't think we're out of the woods just yet. But we are looking a little better better than I thought after the UT game.
 
I'd try throwing the ball once. Is that specific enough for you?

No, I wasn't seriously implying that Muschamp didn't _want_ to get the first down. What I am saying, straight up, is that we went super conservative on that last drive and looked like our fear of losing was greater than our desire for victory.

Having said that, I'm glad it worked out and thrilled we got the win against an overrated Auburn team.
Muschamp plays the odds. Defensively, we had played very well in the 2nd half and I don't think he respected Nix enough to believe he could throw another TD. HBC used to pull out a lot of tricks, but he's long gone. And we used to have to rely on our D a little too much when HBC would come out throwing and not kill enough clock.
 
  • Like
Reactions: uscg1984
It also seems like we have less injuries and we are well-conditioned.

So, maybe Muschamp got the OC and strength coach figured out. Those have always been criticisms.

This is why I’m cautiously optimistic.

I’m now convinced that Muschamp’s greatest fault is hiring bad assistants. Why did he promote guys from within who clearly weren’t ready? Why did it take so long to get a good OC?

He’s got to get better at that. In fact, I’d argue there should have been changes on the defensive side of the ball last year. It didn’t happen though because people were only screaming about the offense because it was so wretched. A great coach probably would have made changes there too.

I hope the Bobo hire causes the light bulb to come on for him. He must surround himself with better coaches.
 
I think he's actually been consistent in his hiring, he's been loyal across the board. BoBo was a loyalty hire like so many before him. Everybody gets a hit in hiring eventually; some are better than others. That is what we have experienced with this approach. When he does not hire an assistant or former buddy for a coordinator job we will get an idea how good he is at hiring. Until then, we have to hope hiring by loyalty has landed on a positive outcome with BoBo.
 
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest posts

ADVERTISEMENT