Gamecocks had ‘bad mindset’ in bowl game. In spring, it still drives the offense
The words “the bowl game” came up, and South Carolina’s football players were quick with their reactions.
“Nobody’s got the same (demeanor),” center Donell Stanley said. “We had a bad mindset in that game.”
Quarterback Jake Bentley added, “When you get shut out and perform the way we did, that’s motivation for anyone to get better.”
There wasn’t much in the way of sugarcoating, excuse-making or even brushing it aside. And to a degree, that’s by design.
Last week was the first time the players were back on the field in an official capacity since Virginia held the Gamecocks to 4.3 yards per play, forcing a pair of turnovers in a shutout effort and 28-0 loss. It was a stinging loss for a group that finished the regular season on a tear and was starting the post-Deebo Samuel era.
Eight of USC’s offensive starters from that game are still around.
“That’s kind of what we talked about as an offense before the spring started,” Bentley said. “What we needed to do to not let that happen again. Everyone has taken it upon themselves to work hard, to get better and to make sure that doesn’t happen because none of us played well.”
Bentley only connected on 42.5 percent of his passes in that game. He missed an early fourth-down pass and had a pair of late passes picked off as he forced balls into coverage.
South Carolina’s passing game had come on in the latter half of the regular season, but the running game was still a work in progress. USC backs averaged 3.5 yards per carry that day, and coach Will Muschamp said that’s a point of emphasis this spring.
“We just put it behind, but at the same time, we’ve got it in our minds that we can’t let it happen again,” Stanley said. “So everybody is coming in stronger mentally and physically.”
It was an especially difficult game for freshman receiver Josh Vann, who was stepping in for Samuel. Vann had a pair of costly drops and zero catches on six targets. He mentioned it being a bad day but something to learn from.
Bentley was asked if anything dramatic would change from an offense that finished in the top 25 nationally in yards per play. Things might well change without Samuel and with a new pair of top tight ends, but the bones of the thing shouldn’t shift too much.
“For the most part, everything is pretty much the same,” Bentley said. “I know as far as the coaching staff, they’re going to go back through, really dive in, dissect which plays worked for us, which plays didn’t and take out, add some new things, but I think , for the most part, everything is the same.”
