COLOMBIA – Parker White’s field goal passed the goal posts, Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship went out and South Carolina saved the season. Few, especially Gamecocks, stand between the hedges in Athens, Georgia, and beat Bulldogs, especially when they rank third in the country.
In the middle of last season, that monumental victory equaled the Gamecocks’ record of 3-3. A lost lead in the fourth quarter against North Carolina, a competitive but three-point loss to Alabama, and a disappointing loss in Missouri before Georgia suddenly didn’t look too bad. USC could take advantage of that moment and move forward. Instead, they ended the season at 4-8.
This sounds familiar and it should. Gamecocks was 2-2 after a monumental victory over No. 15 Auburn three weeks ago. They had noticed everything since a 0-2 start and would prove to be much better than expected.
But now they are sitting 2-4 after consecutive lashes, their coach on thin ice and a double digit underdog on Saturday for another 2-4 team. If there is any silver lining, it is that Gamecocks are relatively healthy going to Ole Miss, while in the last three games of last year, they were so dejected that they could barely reach half of their pre-season depth chart.
No one, at least outside, is comforted, although the players packaged Texas A&M’s last week’s 48-3 moves.
“Sundays are never fun after a defeat, especially one like this,” said quarterback Collin Hill, who is fighting for his own job this week with backups Ryan Hilinski and Luke Doty. “But we look at him, let’s learn from him, put him to bed and move on.”
The players spent press availability on Tuesday defending Muschamp and trying to explain what went wrong against the Aggies. If it were Hollywood, it would be the perfect starting point for a team to get together in the dark, win multiple games and raise an overwhelmed fan base.
It’s USC football, not Hollywood. If miracles happen to Gamecocks, they are few and far between during 127 seasons.
“We need to win a football game. It will make everyone happy, ”said Muschamp. “We are preparing our football team as we normally would, as we did against Vanderbilt, as we did against Auburn. We need to train better and play better on Saturday night ”.
This season’s victories came in consecutive weeks and featured a click attack and a defense that recovered crucial twists. Since then, it has been a mess, and while one might argue that seventh ranked Texas A&M was clearly the best team, that excuse does not explain the 52-24 loss to LSU (2-3).
“The team’s mood is very good, everyone is optimistic,” said runner Deshaun Fenwick. “Just moving forward, trying to win a game.”
The turning point in Georgia became a speck instead of a line drawn in the sand last season. Auburn’s victory could be the same if Gamecocks can’t find a way to win on Saturday.
Follow David Cloninger on Twitter @DCPandC.