5 questions facing Will Muschamp, South Carolina after blowout loss to Texas A&M
South Carolina football slogged through a painful 48-3 loss to Texas A&M on Saturday, their widest-margin loss in SEC play since 2008. Usually after the Gamecocks play, we run over the things we learned from the game. But after such a performance, we’re left with more questions than answers. So, here are five of the biggest ones moving forward.
1. Who starts at QB against Ole Miss?
Collin Hill, South Carolina’s starting quarterback through six games, had to go through the bye week with plenty of outside speculation about his job security after an underwhelming performance against LSU in which he completed just 12 passes. Unfortunately for Hill, things were somehow even worse against A&M — he was 8-for-21 passing with 66 yards and two interceptions, adding up to a dismal 45.5 rating.
On Sunday, coach Will Muschamp said the team is open to making a change at quarterback.
Now HIll, sophomore Ryan Hilinski and freshman Luke Doty are all competing to see who starts this week when the Gamecocks travel to Ole Miss. More than one could play against the Rebels, Muschamp said Sunday.
2. How can the run defense be salvaged?
Simply put, South Carolina’s run defense has been terrible as of late. Auburn, LSU and Texas A&M have each rushed for more than 200 yards on more than five yards per carry, combining for six touchdowns and lots of chunk plays.
Muschamp talked during the open week about changing up a few things schematically, but mostly about the defensive front being better about disengaging from blocks and making plays. They needed to, because the linebacker position is dangerously thin behind workhorse do-it-all Ernest Jones. And against the Aggies, they simply weren’t better. To be fair, the A&M offensive line is a good unit, and their backs are among the SEC’s best. Still, the Gamecocks have the talent — a pair of former five-star prospects, a bevy of four-star guys. If the scheme can’t fix it and the talent can’t shine through, what else can be done?
3. Was that just a blip for Kevin Harris?
Kevin Harris has arguably been the biggest, best surprise for South Carolina this year, with more than 500 yards and eight touchdowns in five games entering Saturday. But for the first time all year, he was bottled up — the Aggies held him to 39 yards on 13 attempts, and most of that yardage came on one 28-yard burst. He didn’t get as many opportunities as he usually does. Even when he did, Texas A&M’s front got good penetration and met him in the backfield frequently.
The bigger question moving forward is whether other teams will be able to replicate A&M’s success against Harris. After five games, have teams learned how to keep him in check? Was his start to the season more a flash in the pan than sustained breakout? And perhaps more worryingly if you’re a Carolina fan, will defenses simply load up the box to ensure he has no room to run and dare the offense to throw the ball?
4. What’s happened on third downs?
At one point in the distant past — OK, it was three weeks ago — South Carolina topped the SEC in third-down defense. The Gamecocks were susceptible on first and second down, to be sure, but once they got you to third, they locked things down at an impressive rate.
LSU and Texas A&M have radically changed that. The Tigers went 8-for-10 on third down, not to mention converting their one fourth down attempt. And the Aggies were 12-for-16, in addition to converting a fourth down. LSU never had to punt, and Texas A&M punted twice in the first quarter and then not again for the rest of the game. The defense hasn’t gotten much rest with low little the offense has held on to the ball, either. In these two games, South Carolina has converted just 25% of its own third downs.
5. Are we staring down another late-season collapse?
Last season, South Carolina’s upset win over Georgia was supposed to spark a second-half surge for the Gamecocks. Instead, it was followed by a 1-5 implosion that put Will Muschamp on the hot seat, angering fans and forcing a major reshuffling of the assistant coaching staff.
This year, the Gamecocks got a home win over No. 15 Auburn. Sure, it wasn’t quite as massive as taking down top-five Georgia on the road, but once again it felt like it opened a path for USC to have a successful season. And once again, South Carolina has instead followed a big win with demoralizing losses. Looking ahead, there are no guaranteed wins left on the schedule. Unless USC can get things together and build some confidence, it’s staring down the barrel of another meltdown — one that would put Will Muschamp in an extremely unpleasant spot.
This story was originally published November 8, 2020 at 7:11 AM with the headline "5 questions facing Will Muschamp, South Carolina after blowout loss to Texas A&M."
