‘We have his back 110 percent.’ South Carolina players strongly defend Will Muschamp
Before Will Muschamp made it to the locker room for halftime of South Carolina’s game with Alabama on Sept. 14, he was stopped for an interview with CBS.
What came next was a viral moment in USC’s eventual 47-23 loss to the No. 2 Crimson Tide.
Frustrated by a Rico Dowdle run not being reviewed for a touchdown at the end of the second quarter, Muschamp told the sideline reporter, “I’m not going to comment on that. I’ll get fined for the rest of my life if I comment on that.”
A month and a half later, a Gamecock player channeled his coach when asked about what he really wants to say when he sees social media discussion about Muschamp being unfit for the USC job.
“I don’t know if I’d get fined,” sophomore linebacker Ernest Jones said Tuesday, “but I might get kicked off. So I’m not going to say what I want to say.”
The Gamecocks are 3-5 (2-4 SEC) after an ugly 20-point loss to Tennessee. Chances for bowl eligibility aren’t high as they head into their final four games, including two against ranked opponents and one on the road. USC hosts Vanderbilt (2-5, 1-3) on Saturday night.
Dissatisfied fans have gone to social media to express their displeasure. South Carolina players have seen it.
“When I see people talk about (Muschamp) and say he’s unfit for the job, they just don’t personally know him and know everything he does to get us prepared,” Jones said. “And being realistic, I believe more so the problems in games comes down to us. They teach us the right stuff, they show us the right stuff. It’s just a fact of doing your job. That’s what I preach and I’m going to continue to preach it.”
Jones’ message represented that of several Carolina players on Tuesday. They’re united in showing support for their coach.
“We don’t worry about what people on social media say,” said sophomore cornerback Jaycee Horn. “We’re in the building with him every day. We know how great of a coach he is and how much trust he has in his players. So we have his back 110 percent and we’re going to go out there and put it all on the line for him.”
Tight end Nick Muse said Muschamp was the only coach who pushed for him to play right away when Muse was seeking his next school after transferring from William & Mary.
“He’s the man I want running this thing,” Muse said. “Everybody can say what they want, everybody’s got opinions.
“At the end of the day, when I was in the recruiting process, he was the only one that wanted me to play this year. All the other coaches I went to, all the other visits I took, they were like, ‘You’re going to sit out a year.’ And Coach Muschamp was like, ‘Heck no, I want you to play, you can play.’”
Sixth-year senior center Donell Stanley was recruited by and played for Steve Spurrier before Muschamp arrived in 2016. The fourth-year coach is 25-22 with the Gamecocks.
“I got all the faith in the world in Coach Muschamp,” Stanley said. “He puts us in situations to be successful. He’s a guy that does anything anybody asks him. He’s a good guy to me and I trust what he’s doing. And I like how he’s developed me into a player.”
This story was originally published October 29, 2019 at 1:00 PM.
