Muschamp’s message to Gamecocks: Beating Clemson could ‘right a lot of wrongs’
South Carolina’s football season is down to one shot. And it’s about as long a shot as can be cooked up.
In two weeks, defending national champion Clemson comes to Columbia with an undefeated record and a roster loaded with future NFL players. The Gamecocks’ roster is in ragged shape, and USC (4-7) will be lucky if the point spread is within three touchdowns.
But coming out of South Carolina’s 30-6 loss to Texas A&M to lock in a 3-5 SEC record, coach Will Muschamp had a little message for his players.
“Like coach Muschamp said, we can right a lot of wrongs by beating Clemson,” sophomore corner Jaycee Horn said. “That’s a top-four opponent, a big rival of South Carolina. So we’ve got to go back to the drawing board and give it our all one last time.”
USC’s season was revitalized with an upset of Georgia, but the momentum gained there was undone by losses to Tennessee and Appalachian State. Beating Clemson wouldn’t bring USC a bowl spot — and it might not even keep the Tigers from the playoff field — but it would give the team something else to hang its hat on.
It’s been a while since South Carolina got a win in this series, the last one coming in 2013.
The five-game skid has come by an average of 23.4 points. The closest game was five points, the next closest 18.
Getting to 5-7 would be big for Muschamp, who has come under fire as the team fell below .500. It would also be the first time the team has “won the state” with him as coach, a stated goal at the start of each season.
Beating the Tigers, especially with an offense struggling as badly as USC’s, is an extremely tall order. But as the coach told his players, pulling off the feat would erase much of the stain that has soaked into this team across the 2019 season.
NEXT
Who: South Carolina vs. Clemson
When: Noon, Saturday, Nov. 30
Where: Williams-Brice Stadium
TV: ESPN
This story was originally published November 17, 2019 at 8:45 AM.
