South Carolina considering a change at key special teams spot
The tone about that specific kickoff was notably dismissive.
South Carolina football coach Will Muschamp was recapping a far from banner day from his special teams units in a 52-24 loss to LSU. The coach characterized Mitch Jeter’s third-quarter kickoff as a line drive with about “2 seconds” of hangtime.
It was muffed. Gamecock players got out of their lanes as Trey Palmer corralled it for LSU. Then he sliced through the coverage team and was gone for a back-breaking 93-yard kickoff return, pushing a two-score game back to 21 points seven seconds after the Gamecocks had closed the gap.
And now, Muschamp is considering some changes.
“A lot of our coverage issues and two long returns have gone to the kick and ball position,” Muschamp said. “Looking at possibly kicking off with Parker (White). Give those guys an opportunity this week. I don’t like to do that from the standpoint of wear and tear on his leg through a season. But we cannot continue to not have the right kind of kickoff in place.”
The Gamecocks also gave up a 25-yard return earlier in the game.
White himself had a rough day on the placekicking front, missing three of four field goals. One was a at a difficult range (54 yards) and another saw him mis-hit the ball and kick up some grass on a 34 yards.
Jeter is a true freshman who joined the team as a scholarship player and projects to replace White when his eligibility moves on. White is in his fourth season as the Gamecocks’ starting kicker.
This story was originally published October 25, 2020 at 8:32 PM.
