The story behind Will Muschamp’s specs

Will Muschamp added something to his all-black wardrobe Saturday — a pair of glasses.

The South Carolina football coach wore a pair of reading glasses from the tip of his nose during the 24-7 win over Kentucky at Williams-Brice Stadium.

It was the first night game of the season and Muschamp explained after the game that he has trouble reading sometimes at night.

“You know what? I’m getting old and I can’t read, especially at night,” Muschamp said. “It’s been a (crappy) fall. I got more gray hair than I ever had. My wife doesn’t like to hang around losers. I’ve been losing. It ain’t been good.”

Muschamp’s new look got a thumbs up from punter Joseph Charlton and center Donell Stanley.

“He had those things on his nose,” Stanley joked. “It makes him look more experienced and look like he knows what he is doing.”

“It is a good look and I like it,” Charlton said.

Linemen praise Nichols performance

True freshman Jaylen Nichols got thrown in the starting lineup at right tackle in place of Dylan Wonnum.

Muschamp said Wonnum is expected to miss three or four weeks with an ankle injury suffered last week against Missouri.

Nichols was a three-star recruit coming out of Myers Park High School in Charlotte and was an early enrollee in the winter.

Stanley and guard Sadarius Hutcherson had high praise of the 6-foot-5, 325-pound Nichols’ performance against the Wildcats. As a group, USC turned in one of the best efforts of the season and ran the ball for 247 yards.

“Jaylen put some stress on himself early in the week but you had to settle him down,” Stanley said. “He is a guy who has all the ability. He is a strong guy and we always had faith in him. I communicated with him and made some calls and made sure he had them. He made a few mistakes but he kept on playing.”

Ol’ Ball Coach returns

There were several familiar faces at Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday.

Former Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier and his wife, Jerri, were at the game. Spurrier was dominant against Kentucky at Florida and USC, going 20-3 against the Wildcats.

In addition to Spurrier, former Gamecock football players Deebo Samuel and Brandon Shell also were attendance. Samuel, a rookie with the San Francisco 49ers, led the fans in the “GAME! COCK!” chant before the game.

USC women’s basketball star A’ja Wilson also was at the game. Wilson just completed her second season in the WNBA with the Las Vegas Aces, who advanced to the conference semifinals.

Getting their kicks

USC’s Joseph Charlton and Kentucky’s Max Duffy each showed why they are two of the top punters in the SEC.

Both kickers averaged over 50 yards a kick on Saturday and each punted nine times. Charlton, who played at AC Flora, had two kicks over 60 yards, including a 65-yarder.

“I’m always ready for it. Whenever they need me, I want to go out there and do my job,” Charlton said.

Briefly

Keir Thomas and Jamel Cook missed the game to attend a funeral of a high school friend in Florida. Muschamp expects them back early next week. …. Bryan Edwards recorded a catch in his 43rd straight game, which tied Kenny McKinley’s school record. … Freshman Xavier Legette caught his first career pass, a 4-yarder in the second quarter. … Parker White moved into the ninth in school history in points scored with 186. ... Tavien Feaster (107) and Rico Dowdle (102) rushed for more than 100 yards. It was the first time USC had multiple 100-yard rushers in an SEC game since Oct. 20, 2001 when Andrew Pinnock (106) and Derek Watson (105) each hit the century mark.

This story was originally published September 29, 2019 at 12:40 AM.