What was Will Muschamp doing? Media reacts to South Carolina's slow final drive

South Carolina kept things competitive in The Swamp facing the No. 3 Florida Gators. The Gamecocks got the ball back down 38-24 with 8:11 remaining in the fourth quarter.

One would expect a team down 14 points to operate with a sense of urgency looking for a quick score. Will Muschamp’s squad, however, instead went on an 18-play, 74-yard drive that took 7:23 off the clock, doing the Gators’ job of chewing the clock for them. Adding insult to injury for South Carolina, the drive ended with a turnover on downs.

Muschamp’s clock management was called out on social media:

hang in folks, we're only an hour or so away from Muschamp saying "that's on me" when asked about 4th quarter clock management

— Graham Hall (@GrahamHall_) October 3, 2020

Thanks to Muschamp for running out the clock. This is the kind of drive you need to salt a game away…..wait

— Will Miles (@WillMilesSEC) October 3, 2020

Will Muschamp’s clock management is to football, what 2020 is to everything else. AWFUL.

— Matt Barrie (@MattBarrie) October 3, 2020

Down by two touchdowns with under six minutes remaining on a running clock, for three straight snaps South Carolina snaps the ball with under 10 seconds on the play clock. The Muschamp Way.

— Mark Wheeler (@InsideTheGators) October 3, 2020

Muschamp comes through with the cover! Love how they let the play clock run down to 2 on almost every play on that last drive. #SCvsUF #Gators #Gamecocks

— Chris Cato FOX 13 (@chriscato) October 3, 2020

Will Muschamp's late-game clock management is like Eagles Andy Reid on valium. #SCARvsUF

— Ben Saunders (@BSaundersSport) October 3, 2020

as a head coach, if you can't manage the clock, or understand game situations, it doesn't matter how much knowledge you have on a particular side of the ball. How Will Muschamp ran that last 4 minutes is a guide on how NOT to do things in that situation.. .

— Steve Kim (@StevESPNKim) October 3, 2020

bold muschamp strategy trying to run out the clock here

— Phil Mattingly (@Phil_Mattingly) October 3, 2020

This might be the single worst exhibition of clock mismanagement I’ve ever seen. And I saw four years’ worth of it with Will Muschamp as Florida’s coach.

— InAllKindsOfWeather.com (@AllKindsWeather) October 3, 2020

Why are we running out the clock

— Bakari Sellers (@Bakari_Sellers) October 3, 2020

Will Muschamp is an artist and whether or not you like his work is irrelevant. https://t.co/yG13BzMXm4

— Ryan Nanni (@celebrityhottub) October 3, 2020

I think that was something like a 19-play drive. When down by 2 TDs in the 4th quarter. So bizarre. Is Muschamp like this a lot these days with clock management?

— Jon Solomon (@JonSolomonAspen) October 3, 2020