Before the season, many preseason prognostications pegged South Carolina at this point as no worse than 3-3, and probably several had the Gamecocks at 4-2.

The 4 SEC games would yield a 3-1 record at best realistically, but of course, hardly anybody saw the unusual combination of a Missouri loss followed by a win at Georgia. The North Carolina loss, especially now, seems like a spur-in-the-saddle of a team trying to turn a corner in Will Muschamp’s 4th season.

With games remaining against Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Appalachian State, bowl eligibility is in reach, and that doesn’t even include an upset this week against Florida, or wins at Texas A&M and against Clemson in Williams-Brice Stadium.

Muschamp grabbed plenty of equity from his fan base, and most important, players who followed through on the plan with the coaching start following the 1-3 start.

“We really tackled well today. It all comes down to tackling,” Muschamp said after the Georgia win. “I wish I could tell you it’s some fancy tackling drill, but it wasn’t anything different. We have this bad disease of wanting to butt guys down. We think that’s going to happen in our league, and it doesn’t. I feel like in my 4 years here, it always takes us a couple of games for us to figure that out, that coach may know what the hell he is talking about.”

Perhaps the best illustration of sticking to it when the situation got tough was first revealed before the season started. Dakereon Joyner lost the backup quarterback job to Ryan Hilinski and in this day and age of college football, it would have been understandable for the former Mr. Football winner from the Palmetto State to move on. After all, the Gamecocks had just received an addition from a key running back at Clemson via transfer in Tavien Feaster. But Joyner stayed, and it was his play at Georgia that steadied the ship and didn’t send the program in full-blown panic mode after Hilinski went down with a left knee injury.

“It brings tears to my eyes,” Joyner said after the game. “Because people ask me, ‘Why you staying, why you doing this, why you doing that?’ God has a plan. I was here to be the best teammate possible every single day, and I never once doubted my abilities. … If you genuinely trust that plan, stick in there, and that’s what I did.”

The Georgia win showed what Muschamp preached in the offseason, and how this is the best team since he’s been in Columbia. The “competitive depth” showed up, especially along the defensive line, which stood the test, and then some, against the Bulldogs’ much-hyped and oversized offensive line. Georgia ran 95 plays but couldn’t find the end zone in either OT had to settle for a 42-yard tying field goal attempt in double overtime.

Perhaps like few other coaches, Muschamp keeps a level perspective on the short-term and long-term, and how it affects his roster. Remember, he voluntarily discussed the daunting schedule at SEC Media Days before any questions came, and he’s aware of popular SEC stats like former assistants’ record against Nick Saban.

That’s what makes the final 6 regular season games interesting. This week’s Florida game is another interesting barometer because the Gamecocks haven’t been in this position under Muschamp, handling prosperity after a huge road upset, and arguably for a decade since the Alabama upset, but that was at home, of course. Muschamp raises questions voluntarily as a way to motivate his team.

“Today was a good win for us. We have to build off of it,” he said. “How are we going to handle this? That’s a question I’m going to have for our football team moving forward.”