The unexpected cancellation of Saturday’s game against Marshall left South Carolina with a quandary: The Gamecocks got a surprise bye week to heal injuries, but they also had to deal with the sting of the Georgia loss for another week.

Coach Will Muschamp remains confident and upbeat, even to the point of not yet rescheduling the Marshall game because of the possibility — or probability depending on your viewpoint — of playing in Atlanta on Dec. 1.

“I don’t know that (playing a 12th game) matters,” he said. “I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself.”

As the Columbia region tries to return to normal this week following Hurricane Florence, the campus will follow suit, and classes are expected to resume on Monday. The Gamecocks had already discussed alternative practice plans if the area was without power into the coming week. Muschamp said Thursday on his radio show that the decision to cancel the game was “absolutely the right call.”

“I have been through several hurricanes. It’s nothing to play with,” Muschamp said Thursday night on the “Carolina Calls” show, according to The State. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the people on the coast right now.”

South Carolina has a bye on Oct. 20 — between Texas A&M and Tennessee — but Muschamp did not think playing 10 straight games was wise for the players.

The challenges with the scheduling logistics are that Williams-Brice Stadium is scheduled to host high school state championship games Dec. 1. But if those could be moved, the Gamecocks could play Marshall if the Thundering Herd does not make the Conference USA title game. Other wild card options include Nebraska and Akron, who had their season opener canceled because of weather.

While the Gamecocks could want to recoup the seven-figure loss in revenue from the Marshall cancellation, bowl eligibility could be the more logical reason to add the canceled game back to the schedule.

The extended time off gave some fans time to vent frustrations following the lopsided Georgia loss. But SEC Network analyst Greg McElroy was one person who came to Muschamp’s defense. Muschamp’s Gamecocks have exceeded expectations in back-to-back seasons, with six wins and then nine wins.

“If you think that Will Muschamp should be released and relieved of his duties after what he’s done with an absolutely abysmal roster the last two years, it’s remarkable,” McElroy said. “Absolutely remarkable to me. Like, that is the most short-sighted thing I have ever heard on this program.”

Muschamp, meanwhile, cleared up a suggestion by T.J. Brunson that the Gamecocks didn’t keep playing hard late in the game. He maintained that the Gamecocks played hard, but didn’t respond well in the second half when they allowed three straight touchdowns.

South Carolina should feel confident for Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt (4 p.m. ET, SEC Network), riding a nine-game winning streak in the series. But the Gamecocks still had Georgia on last year’s schedule after they played Vanderbilt, meaning the SEC East title was still possible. The Commodores also lost two key defenders in the game to targeting calls. But Vandy QB Kyle Shurmur passed for a season-high 333 yards and four touchdowns.

Vanderbilt is coming off of a near-upset at Notre Dame, but its defense looked shoddy, especially early in the game. Still, South Carolina’s defense will be tested against Shurmur and Co., especially without injured DL D.J. Wonnum.

“It will increase Bryson (Allen-Williams’) percentage of playing the buck position,” Muschamp said last week. “Then you’ve got Aaron (Sterling) and Shameik (Blackshear) at the end position. Keir Thomas can go outside and play the end. Daniel Fennell can play the end. Then it increases Danny’s and Brad (Johnson’s) reps at the buck.”

The other questions center on the offense and play-calling of offensive coordinator Bryan McClendon, who admitted he was too pass-heavy in the Georgia loss. The Gamecocks must decide how much they will stick with their new up-tempo philosophy, and how much to return to the basics. Or what works best against Vanderbilt.

“You can’t start shouldering blame on everything.’ You can’t do that as a coordinator,” Muschamp said. “It’s a team game, and we’ve got to play better on the defensive side of the ball. Now, we need to convert third and 2 and third and 1 on the first two drives of the second half. Those were productive conversations, and we need to get better. That’s on me.”

With an extra week off the field, questions remain. The next round of answers, though, comes this week.