The key factor Will Muschamp sees for successful bowl teams

South Carolina football coach Will Muschamp has been through a few bowls in his time.

He’s coached teams that went to national championships and won conference titles. He’s been at Auburn, LSU, Texas, Florida and elsewhere.

And he zeroed in on a key factor common for successful bowl teams and made that a his message to the team coming into prep.

“Generally, the teams in bowl games that focus when they’re supposed to focus during meetings and practice and walk-throughs, and then when you’re supposed to have fun have fun,” Muschamp said. “And they understand when to turn that on and off.”

His squad is looking to win a second bowl in a row, this one against the Virginia Cavaliers in the Belk Bowl at noon Saturday. They upset Michigan last season in the Outback Bowl.

USC will have an abbreviated practice schedule owing to the proximity to Christmas. The Gamecocks will have only two practices in Charlotte and two walk-throughs after a week of workouts in Columbia.

But the team is focusing on smaller things, even with the wonky schedule buttressed against the holiday.

“The whole key to winning games is adversity and team chemistry,” guard Sadarius Hutcherson said. “Every game, you’re going through adversity. So with us dealing with adversity, it’s us coming together. We just have to learn how to stick together and just finish.”

Two seasons ago, they came up just short, rallying back after a bad start to the Birmingham Bowl and ultimately losing in overtime.

This season, the team has often found itself bouncing back from adversity. In winning seven games, South Carolina alternated losses and wins every week but two, a pair of victories against Tennessee and Ole Miss.

The opening Charlotte practice Wednesday was loose, players dancing and seeming to have some fun on a cold day.

But not too much fun. The ability to switch that on and off comes with something else.

“Generally that comes with more mature teams,” Muschamp said. “I think we have a mature team. I really liked our preparation in Columbia.”