Does a bye help or hurt? Muschamp explains, plus talks UGA, Dowdle, Joyner injuries

South Carolina football gets an extra week to prepare for one of its biggest games of the year, a trip to Athens to face No. 3 Georgia.

So how much does that matter?

The Gamecocks (2-3) are coming off one of their best performances of the year. They held UK to a low number of yards. They got the running game going.

“Probably our best overall game on all three phases Saturday night,” Muschamp said Wednesday during the weekly SEC media teleconference. “Love to continue to carry that momentum moving forward. We do have some guys banged up that having a week off is huge for getting them back for that ball game. Generally I’ll wait til the next game and if we win it, it was a hell of a time for open week and if we don’t win it, it probably wasn’t a good time.”

Muschamp is one to heap some praise on an opponent before a game, and UGA gave him a lot to work on.

“They’ve recruited a really high level,” Muschamp said. “They have a very deep roster on both sides of the ball, which creates competition to practice every day.”

He noted they’re physical on the offensive front and athletic and long on defense. He praised Jake Fromm for how he directs the offense, and the backs for their home run ability.

USC is at Georgia on Oct. 12. The game will kick off at noon on ESPN.

Injury update

South Carolina finished the UK game down a pair of playmakers in Dakereon Joyner and Rico Dowdle. The expectation had been a limited Dowdle this week and no Joyner at all.

Not much has changed from that.

“Dakereon hasn’t done anything,” Muschamp said of the start of this week. “Rico is working out and running, but he has not practiced with us, but he is moving around. And I anticipate Rico being back (against Georgia). I’ll know more about Dakereon the first of next week, but we were going to shut him down this week, no matter what.”

Dowdle is the team’s top rusher with 370 yards and four touchdowns. Joyner has 142 passing yards and 78 more from scrimmage, splitting time between receiver and change-of-pace quarterback.

This story was originally published October 2, 2019 at 1:13 PM.