With disheartening loss and tough stretch ahead, Gamecocks pledge to ‘stay together’

Saturday night’s result could send South Carolina’s football team in a few different directions.

The first half of the 24-10 loss to Kentucky was about as disheartening to Gamecocks players and fans as one could imagine. The second half wasn’t that much better. USC is effectively three games back in the SEC East to two teams.

It’s the kind of game that can send a team down a bad road, but one Gamecock promised it won’t.

“We’re going to stay together as a team and work on that as a team and do what we have to do to get better as a team,” quarterback Jake Bentley said. “No one is going to get separated or anything like that.”

The Gamecocks (2-2, 1-2 SEC) are about to enter a potentially difficult stretch. They’ll host 3-1 Missouri and its powerful offense, then get a Texas A&M team that looked feisty against Clemson.

After Tennessee and an open week, USC will visit Ole Miss (a high-scoring team in its own right) and now-ranked Florida in back-to-back weeks.

With the division title hopes growing dim at best, what still spurs the Gamecocks to get better and right the ship?

“Pride and just winning games,” defensive back Steven Montac said. “You can’t just forfeit the season.

“We’ve still got a whole season ahead of us. You’re talking about four games.”

A year ago, USC started 3-2, which included tight losses to A&M and Kentucky sandwiched around a near-loss to Louisiana Tech. They ground their way to a 5-2 finish to the regular season and then capped things with a bowl win.

But those early games last year were closer. The defense helped keep a better cap on things and the offense showed more potential, so there’s more to work on.

And that means getting spurred to improve every day to improve the little things, which in turn improve the big things. Even though he’s paid the big bucks, that won’t come directly from Will Muschamp.

“If it’s coming from the coaches, we’re not a good team,” Bentley said. “It has to come from us, come from the older guys on the team, just let everyone know it’s the process of just getting better. Obviously we wish we could’ve had plays back.”

This story was originally published September 30, 2018 at 4:33 PM.