What Will Muschamp said about Collin Hill and USC’s QB spot after loss to LSU
The whispers were inevitable.
Any time the winner of a tight quarterback battle shows the slightest crack in his game, it’s only natural for the question to arise: Is it time to make a switch?
Much has been made about the way graduate transfer quarterback Collin Hill won over his South Carolina coaches and teammates during training camp, beating out incumbent Ryan Hilinski. His even-keeled demeanor, his comfort with Mike Bobo’s offense from their time together at Colorado State, the resolve he showed by coming back from three ACL tears — they all were factors in Hill’s rising status within the program.
But Hill often looked over-matched in the Gamecocks’ 52-24 loss at LSU on Saturday night.
Facing a Tigers defense that ranked last in the Southeastern Conference with 380.7 passing yards allowed per game, Hill completed just 55% of his 22 passes, absorbed five sacks and threw a costly interception that was returned for a score. Though he totaled 234 passing yards, 56 came on the team’s final drive in the fourth quarter, with the game well out of hand. Hill completed only four passes by halftime.
Coming off two straight wins and facing a 1-2 LSU team that was starting a true freshman quarterback, the Gamecocks had a chance to make a statement on prime-time television. Instead, Hill turned in his worst performance of the season, and the Gamecocks fell to 2-3.
Is it time to make a switch?
Head coach Will Muschamp did his best to sidestep the question after the game, saying that he defers to Bobo when it comes to making offensive decisions.
“That’s why I hired him, and we’ll have that discussion when it’s appropriate,” Muschamp said. “... We feel like (Hill) forced the ball on the interception a little bit, but he was accurate with the ball and held it probably a couple too many times and created some sacks. We need to go back and look at the film before we start determining how the guy played.”
It was a strange showing from Hill and the South Carolina offense, as the Gamecocks were able to produce five passing plays of 15-plus yards, including 57-yard and 44-yard deep balls to redshirt freshman tight end Keveon Mullins. But the team struggled to execute in key moments, converting just 3-of-10 third-down attempts and failing to produce a passing touchdown in the red zone until the final drive.
Typically stoic, calm and positive, Hill seemed perturbed after Saturday’s game, saying “the frustration level is very high.”
The struggles of the passing game don’t fall entirely on Hill’s shoulders, as the offensive line frequently wilted under LSU’s defensive pressure. There also were a few instances where receivers didn’t execute their routes. On the interception, receiver Jalen Brooks failed to finish off a slant route. Muschamp said both Brooks and Hill were to blame for the result.
However, Hill’s inability to get rid of the ball with the LSU pass rush bearing down created sack opportunities. On a couple of occasions, he double-clutched and held onto the ball, only to go down.
“You can’t take sacks,” Hill said. “Negative plays will kill you. I took some sacks tonight, and some of those are gonna be on me. But I gotta get rid of the ball, whether it’s just throwing it away. I can’t take negative plays. And I think we really struggled in the red zone tonight.”
Despite the score and the passing game’s ineffectiveness, the Gamecocks never handed the reins to Hilinski, even when the contest was out of reach. Hilinski, of course, burst onto the scene last season as a true freshman, throwing for 2,357 yards and 11 touchdowns after quarterback Jake Bentley went down with a season-ending injury. But Hill edged out the sophomore in training camp, and Hilinski has yet to attempt a pass this season.
Dual-threat freshman Luke Doty played one snap at quarterback out of the wildcat formation on Saturday night, rushing for six yards.
With the Gamecocks entering their bye week, there’s no telling what adjustments Bobo and Muschamp might make. Based on Muschamp’s comments after the loss to LSU, a quarterback change doesn’t appear imminent, but USC also has no reason to tip its hand with two weeks before it hosts Texas A&M in Columbia.
Speaking Sunday night with reporters, Muschamp said he still thinks Hill gives the Gamecocks the best chance to win. Hilinski and Doty will get more practice work than usual this week, but that was already part of the plan.
Hill might have earned the benefit of the doubt given his early-season performances in shootouts against Tennessee and Florida, and his ability to play clean and limit mistakes in the wins against Vanderbilt and Auburn. Through five games, he’s thrown five touchdowns to three interceptions, rushed for four scores and posted 1,076 passing yards.
But there was a clear look of dejection in his eyes after the loss to LSU.
“It was a huge opportunity for us,” Hill said. “We came off two wins. I think we were ready to go but didn’t make enough plays. We all felt like it was a big opportunity for us, especially heading into a bye week, but they out-played us tonight.
“... I think it’s all right to feel this way now, but you shouldn’t let it linger. It’s fine to feel frustrated. If you don’t, you have a problem.”
Next USC football game
Who: Texas A&M at South Carolina
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7
Where: Williams-Brice Stadium
TV: SEC Network or ESPN
This story was originally published October 25, 2020 at 8:10 AM.
