Analysis: USC’s coaching staff had a chance to build goodwill. They did the opposite
Usually this space is reserved for brass-tacks realities about South Carolina football.
The result is paramount. The spirit matters some, but often we try to wash away the emotions of all that.
Not this one.
Leading into Saturday’s game at LSU, circumstances shifted more and more in the favor of Will Muschamp’s Gamecocks.
USC’s most glaring issue, a lack of play-makers, was answered with wide receiver Jalen Brooks becoming eligible. LSU’s mighty offense lost its starting QB and had to throw a true freshman three-star recruit into the fire. If momentum is actually a thing, South Carolina had it coming off the team’s second win over a ranked team since October of 2016.
The Tigers were still favored Saturday. They still had better players in a lot of spots. A Gamecocks loss wasn’t out of the question, and the Las Vegas betting line said as much. If South Carolina delivered a spirited performance in a tight loss, that would be that.
But LSU had 38 points after 34 minutes and 45 with four minutes left in the third quarter. They won 52-24. That’s with a quarterback who was the second-best QB in LSU’s recruiting class last year.
Asked if his team missed a big opportunity, Muschamp said, “I don’t think there’s any question.”
The tackling was shoddy. There were inopportune penalties. The Tigers, who came into the game averaging 3.2 yards a carry just leaned on the Gamecocks, shoving them backward down the field.
The USC offense finally found its big plays, but the efficiency evaporated. It couldn’t stay on the field and provided LSU points with one of the worst pick-six plays you’ll see.
Usually, a bad loss can be flushed to a degree. South Carolina gets a bye after this game, and a coaching staff getting paid more than $8 million a year will be tasked with washing away whatever hangover comes with this.
But it’s going to leave a mark on the collective psyche of those who follow the team and want the Gamecocks to do well.
Will Muschamp and his staff won’t get fired this year, not with the state of athletic department fiances. The Auburn win provides enough buttress to prevent a complete collapse that makes even the most dire money situation seem flexible.
But a win or even a spirited loss? That builds a staff goodwill. Goodwill isn’t 100% needed if the wins are flowing (though they tend to go together), but in tight spots it’s a factor that helps.
And getting beat to a pulp in a game that looked pretty favorable? Well, that builds “badwill.” Lots of it.
Three-hour odysseys of miscues and shoddy defense? Those put folks in a bad mood in a venture (college sports) that lives on excitement.
If you had told most anyone prognosticating that South Carolina’s season the Gamecocks would be 2-3 at the open week, they’d most likely take it. But circumstances change, and the trip to LSU could’ve yielded many outcomes that were reasonable. Getting housed wasn’t one of them.
“It was a huge opportunity, of course,” quarterback Collin Hill said. “We came off two wins. We were ready to go, but didn’t make enough plays.”
Barring something dramatic, 2021 is going to be the prove-it year for this staff. This was supposed to be that year, but the unusual nature of 2020 saw that almost everyone gets a mulligan.
But games like Saturday’s, they burn through goodwill and patience. South Carolina is probably a program that needs to develop consistency before it takes big steps forward. After after a week of cautious optimism raising hopes, the Gamecocks’ play hammered home the point that consistency feels a long way off.
This story was originally published October 24, 2020 at 11:28 PM.
