A month ago from Tuesday, South Carolina upset Georgia in what most expected to be a signature win and turning point to the Gamecocks’ season and maybe even in the tenure of head coach Will Muschamp. But South Carolina is 1-3 since then, and this past Saturday, the Gamecocks lost at home to Appalachian State.

South Carolina must now win a road game at Texas A&M and a home contest against Clemson just to finish .500. To beat Georgia and likely not earn a bowl bid is a tough thing to swallow for South Carolina fans.

For that reason, Muschamp is already hearing the criticism. He’s in his fourth season at the helm of the Gamecocks, and unless they win both games to finish the season, South Carolina will post its worst record under Muschamp.

With that in mind, a reporter asked Muschamp in his press conference Tuesday what he would tell the fans who have lost faith in the coaching staff during Year 4.

“We’ve had, in our first three years, a lot more success than anybody else has,” Muschamp said. “We haven’t played as consistent as we need to, and there’s some things we need to address as we move forward. Continue to support these players, continue to support what they do. We’ve got another home game, and we need to get two wins to go to a bowl game. We’ve had some success here before, and some other people haven’t. We look forward to a long tenure here at South Carolina.”

South Carolina has never exactly been a powerhouse, but Muschamp’s first statement is a little misleading. In his first three seasons, the Gamecocks went 22-17. In Steve Spurrier’s first three seasons, South Carolina posted a 21-16 record. While Muschamp won more games, Spurrier posted a better win percentage.

But the key is Spurrier didn’t register a losing record at South Carolina until his final season. By year seven, Spurrier had the Gamecocks competing on the national stage.

Maybe Muschamp just needs more time, but he will undoubtably continue to hear this criticism if the Gamecocks finish 2019 with four or five wins.