South Carolina football coach Will Muschamp makes clear his stance on trash talk
South Carolina’s football team has had a habit of getting a little chatty after plays.
Whether it’s after a tackle, a catch, or even sometimes an incomplete pass that wasn’t all that catchable to begin with, Gamecocks players will speak up.
But there is a limit USC coach Will Muschamp has, one his team tested against Vanderbilt this weekend.
“We’re not gonna put up with it when it hurts our team,” Muschamp said.
And in the other situations?
“We discourage it,” Muschamp said. “But obviously it gets competitive at times. Sometimes those things happen. But when it’s detrimental to the team ...”
Twice that happened in Nashville. After the game, Muschamp got into how a set of offensive linemen getting chatty with their Commodore counterparts bled out valuable time as the staff suddenly turned from letting the first half run out to scrambling to get off a Hail Mary.
The first-half clock expired as the team was still trying to get set.
About halfway through the fourth quarter, guard Jordan Rhodes got locked up with Vandy linebacker Dimitri Moore. At the whistle, Rhodes tossed Moore to the ground. The pair got got into each other’s face with Rhodes throwing either a shove or light punch.
Both players were assessed unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.
These events came two weeks after defensive end Kingsley Enagbare drew an unsportsmanlike call for apparently jawing against Tennessee. That play allowed the Vols to stay on the field after missing on third down and flip the field on the Gamecocks.
Saturday, it was the lost chance at a deep throw that seemed to stick with the Gamecocks coaches, and the response is something they hope sticks with the players.
“We addressed it at halftime,” Muschamp said. “It was addressed again (Sunday) with our football team. And I don’t tolerate it.”
