This was Will Muschamp’s message to his team after the Clemson loss

South Carolina football coach Will Muschamp came out after his team’s 56-35 loss to Clemson a little snappy, getting gruff with the first question from the media before apologizing. He made clear the goal was to win, even against a 26-point favorite, on the road.

“Our guys fought their guts out,” Muschamp said. “We came here to win the game. We didn’t.”

So what did he tell his team after playing the best it has against its No. 1 rival during his tenure?

“He knew what kind of group he had,” middle linebacker T.J. Brunson said. “Guys didn’t lay down and quit. Guys were still hungry regardless of the score or anything. He was just really proud of us for fighting. That was the biggest thing. We have some more to go, but it’s coming.”

The Gamecocks stayed within a score of the Tigers for much of the first half. After falling behind by 28, they kept after it, adding a pair of scores in the late going, throwing again and again.

It was by far the most competitive meeting between the teams in Muschamp’s tenure. The Gamecocks were down 35 before even getting on the scoreboard two years ago. Last season, USC was down 34-0 at the start of the fourth quarter.

South Carolina’s season has been a strange one. The offense underperformed early and came on late. The defense had its share of issues and has now been cut to ribbons by injuries. Kentucky’s sudden rise and close losses to Florida and Texas A&M marred what was projected by many to be a big season.

Instead, the Gamecocks, which picked up close wins against Tennessee, Ole Miss and Missouri, will go for seven wins next week. There’s a case Saturday could be taken as a moral victory, but in a larger sense the players took it as a small sign of progress, even just learning to work day-in, day-out.

“It hasn’t paid off how we wanted to,” Brunson said. “We wish we were in a different spot, going back to the beginning of the year. But everybody’s learned to just deal with what you have. Just keep growing. Each week, just keep growing, keep getting better. It’s just, looking back to when I first got here, it’s been a complete culture change. We had guys that didn’t necessarily understand what it took to win.

“It’s happening. I don’t know about the outside. I don’t really care honestly. But from when I was first here, my freshman year to now, the culture change has been night and day. We’ve got guys who want to win, who are hungry, who are willing to put in the work. It takes time. It definitely takes time. But it’s coming.”

This story was originally published November 25, 2018 at 12:48 AM.