Having its SEC East title hopes unexpectedly dashed by the end of September, South Carolina now turns its attention to salvaging a season that sees the Gamecocks with two losses by at least two touchdowns each at the hands of what appears to be the two contenders to win the division.

In both games, against Georgia and Kentucky, South Carolina was outscored 21-0 in a quarter, and trailed by double digits in the first half in each game. Add four turnovers and six drops against Kentucky, and not much went South Carolina’s way in either game.

“We’re far too inconsistent, we made it very difficult on ourselves,” Muschamp said after the program’s fifth consecutive loss to Kentucky.

There are many issues facing coach Will Muschamp and the Gamecocks, but here are five of the more prominent problems the program has experienced:

Jake Bentley’s play

As the quarterback has progressed into becoming one of the more veteran QBs in the SEC, one nagging question remains about him taking the next step into the upper echelon: Accuracy. He had the second-most interceptions in the SEC last year, and his touchdown-to-interception ratio was just 18-to-12.

This year, he has the most interceptions (6) in the SEC, and after the Kentucky game, for example, Muschamp suggested that a change could be made at any position if turnovers persist.

In losses, Bentley has completed 57 percent of his passes with 2 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. In two wins, Bentley has completed 72 percent of his passes with 5 TDs and 1 interception.

“It’s not one position, but we certainly cannot be careless with the football,” Muschamp said on his Sunday media teleconference, according to audio posted by SportsTalkSC. “We’ve got nine turnovers in four games at multiple spots. But we’ve got to do a better job of protecting as a whole. … (Bentley) missed some things from a read standpoint. I thought we protected pretty well for the most part. We missed a couple things, especially late, when it became more of a one-dimensional game as far as the drives were concerned. But we missed some things, some reads that we need to be able to hit. But we’ve got to help him down the field as well. We had some opportunities down the field that we didn’t take advantage of.”

It’s too early to start talking quarterback controversy. But the short time that backup Michael Scarnecchia was in the game, he was effective, Muschamp said.

Trash talking

Against Georgia, it was the pregame chatter of Deebo Samuel speaking to the media about Deandre Baker, making it clear he wasn’t aware of the cornerback. Baker and other Georgia players shouted from the rooftops after the game that Samuel’s comments were a motivating factor.

Against Kentucky, South Carolina had 11 penalties for 94 yards, and many, particularly early, were related to jawing after the whistle that resulted in personnel fouls and unsportsmanlike conduct flags. Muschamp said those issues would be discussed early this week.

“We’ll address it as an entire team, and talk about some of the silly, self-inflicted things that we create for ourselves by not playing smart football,” he said. “Just like we have before in past times and we’ll get it corrected.”

D.J. Wonnum’s injury

What was initially reported as a minor injury with minimal time lost quickly turned into a serious ailment where the pass rusher has missed several weeks.

Wonnum last year led the Gamecocks with 6 sacks, twice as many as any teammate. Given Javon Kinlaw’s burst on the scene this year, having Wonnum would make a formidable front line to curb the porous defensive front.

Only Missouri and Georgia have fewer sacks in the SEC than South Carolina’s 7.

Rushing defense

It’s one thing if you struggle against Benny Snell Jr. and Kentucky’s top-shelf offensive line. But South Carolina didn’t necessarily do that: Kentucky only mustered 133 yards on 35 carries. Snell was held to 99 yards and a lone touchdown.

But the Gamecocks gave up 273 rushing yards to Vanderbilt, and 263 rushing yards to Coastal Carolina. That puts them second to last in the SEC in rushing yards per game. They are 11th in the league in rushing TDs allowed (7) and 12th in yards per attempt (4.17).

Play-calling philosophy

The much ballyhooed up-tempo offense first was abandoned against Georgia as offensive coordinator Bryan McClendon admitted that, “We need to be more hard-headed in the run game.” In that game, South Carolina was 6-for-14 on third down, and 0-for-2 on fourth down, which without a consistent running game made for short drives. It was one reason Georgia led South Carolina by 11 minutes in time of possession.

Against Kentucky, there were six dropped passes and a fumble, but the offensive game plan appeared disjointed at best there, especially in terms of a consistent plan. Bentley was 3-for-11 at halftime. On one first-half drive, WR Bryan Edwards dropped a wide-open deep ball, then Bentley escaped pressure only to throw his fourth interception of the season.

The result is South Carolina ranks 13th in total offense and 11th in scoring offense.

Those aren’t SEC East-contending numbers, and that’s a key reason the Gamecocks’ hopes were dashed before the calendar flipped to October.