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What Will Muschamp said about South Carolina’s final drive
By Adam Spencer
Published:
For the second week in a row, South Carolina’s late-game management has been called into question.
Last week, it was kicking a field goal late against Tennessee in a 31-27 loss, as the field goal did nothing but narrow the score line. On Saturday, a slow offensive pace in the fourth quarter, down 2 touchdowns, was called into question.
No. 3 Florida picked up a 38-24 win at The Swamp, and South Carolina coach Will Muschamp explained the offensive strategy in the fourth quarter, saying the Gamecocks were taking what the Gator defense was giving (via 247Sports):
“It wasn’t a deliberate pace. At the end of the day, we were trying to get first-downs. They were trying to play more coverage. They were staying on top, playing and trying to keep explosives down the field. We were taking what they were giving us. … In most situations, they were playing coverage. Certainly, did we want more time on the clock? Yeah, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to take what they give you in that situation. That’s what we were doing, to stay alive with the drive.”
“We were going to save our timeouts. … If you don’t get the onside kick, it doesn’t matter. You get the onside kick, you’ve got two timeouts and a little more than a minute to go in the game. It gives you an opportunity. Could we have played at a crisper tempo? Yeah, but we were in situations where they were protecting. They were playing coverage and they were teeing off up front, because they knew they we were going to throw the football. We couldn’t run the ball. … They eliminated big plays down the field. We had to take what they gave us. I thought we could’ve played faster at times. … Trying to stay on the field and trying create an explosive, which we never got to (do).”
“We’re just trying to get down the field. If they would’ve given us a 9-ball and we could’ve thrown it and scored a little bit faster, we would’ve done it. They didn’t. They were staying on top of the coverage in all situations. We could’ve played with a little more crisper pace, especially there when it gets to about four minutes in the game, but we’re trying to stay on the field to score and make it a one-score game with an onside kick and two timeous to go try and win the game, alright?”
At the end of the day, South Carolina is now 0-2 and questions continue to mount about Muschamp’s ability to win games. Things could get ugly in Columbia soon if the losses continue.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 14 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.