It was difficult to watch at times for the South Carolina faithful. But there were glimpses of things to be optimistic about Saturday night amid the 45-16 rout at the hands of Georgia.

Yes, the Gamecocks fell to 2-7 and are at Kentucky next week in their regular-season finale. South Carolina has lost 5 in a row and allowed at least 45 points in 4 of the games. But as the calendar flips to 2021, and with a new coach expected to arrive soon, there are are things to look forward to next season.

For starters, the backfield in 2021 appears to have plenty of options, from Luke Doty to Kevin Harris and a healthy MarShawn Lloyd.

“‘You don’t lack confidence, and that’s part of being a great player,'” interim coach Mike Bobo recalled telling Doty. “‘You’re going to be a damn good player because you’re not scared.'”

Then there was Harris’ dead-to-rights run, where the coaches lamented into their headsets that he was stopped short only to see him deliver a stunning 2-yard gain.

When the game was still in doubt, former 5-star recruit Zacch Pickens made his 1st career sack.

Depending on the point at which you marked the roster this season, the Gamecocks were down between 16 and 25 players. But whether it was the block ‘C,’ a motivational speech from Bobo or simply their own intestinal fortitude, they found a way to plow forward against a top-10 opponent looking for revenge from last season.

If the 4 opt-outs weren’t enough, and the likes of star receiver Shi Smith and SEC sacks leader J.J. Enagbare also being out, the death knell was watching leading tackler Ernest Jones hobble off in the 1st half, then hearing a report of him being in street clothes on the sideline. That’s not to mention what’s left of the coaching staff; each individual is understandably charting his next step.

Overall, nearly 20 players couldn’t play because of injuries or COVID-19 issues. Another 7 have opted out, including 4 since the school fired Will Muschamp nearly 2 weeks ago. Along with Jaycee Horn, one of the more notable opt-outs for the Georgia game was Israel Mukuamu, the cornerback whose 3 interceptions led South Carolina to a stunning 20-17 double-overtime win over at No. 3 Georgia last season.

Jones’ absence meant the Gamecocks were down to 2 starters on the field that they had to open the season against Tennessee.

“It’s very frustrating, you losing your best players, and you feel like you’re having to start from the bottom of the depth chart,” said safety Jammie Robinson, who had a team-high 10 tackles and an interception. “The guys that came in gave their best effort.”

They scratched and clawed as much as they could.

They didn’t even stop when Georgia went up 21-0 and the Gamecocks had yet to register a 1st down. Instead, they tacked on 10 points, and Harris went to work and had Gamecocks fans pumping their fists in support as he churned out yard after yard. Harris is now just 72 yards short of 1,000 on the season.

“Part of being a man is you don’t make excuses, and you don’t let people make excuses for you. That’s part of it — it doesn’t define who you are, as an individual, it doesn’t define who you are as an offense or defense, and it doesn’t define who you are as a Gamecock going forward next week and beyond next week. It’s how you respond to that,” Bobo said. “Don’t let somebody make somebody make an excuse and say we didn’t have this, didn’t have that, that’s evident. We went out there and we played ball. If you’re on the field and wearing a Gamecock uniform, you need to fight your ass off.”

One of the stars of the game was tight end Nick Muse, who earlier this season said he would take a bullet for Muschamp. He now says he might return next season if his position coach, Bobby Bentley, returns.

Earlier in the season, Muse was one of the players known for dropped passes. But with Doty at quarterback against Georgia, Muse had 8 catches for 131 yards and a touchdown.

“We know each other pretty well, hang out pretty much every day,” Muse said. “Out here on the football field, I think he just trusts me.”