Will a 6th offensive coordinator make a difference in Will Muschamp's South Carolina future?
Barring a complete 180 against Clemson, it appears significant offensive changes are on the way if coach Will Muschamp is, in fact, set to return for a 5th season in 2020.
How much offensive coordinator Bryan McClendon is to blame is up for debate, but the coaching staff has already switched spots this season during games, with McClendon moving from the sidelines to the press box, and QB coach Dan Werner going to the sidelines.
As the Gamecocks have worked through this offensive malaise, that was a move the coaching staff hoped offered a spark. After all, McClendon had started his play-calling career in the box, a setup that lasted 6 games before a rain storm last year against Missouri knocked out South Carolina’s headsets. The moved helped McClendon, who also coaches the receivers, iron out the offense after a series of drops.
It’s unknown how many adjustments are left to be made, even in a bye week, so it would be logical if McClendon is in a new role in the offseason, or moves on from the program.
If that’s the case, Muschamp would be looking for a 6th offensive coordinator as a head coach after Charlie Weis, Brent Pease, Kurt Roper (twice) and McClendon. Some foreshadowing has come from Muschamp’s comments in the last month.
Muschamp: “we’ve been ineffective consistently throwing the football… we need to be more productive… bottom line.” @abc_columbia pic.twitter.com/jmQHtgX6Ax
— Mike Gillespie (@MikeABCColumbia) October 29, 2019
In a sentiment he has expressed in recent weeks about the offense, Muschamp explained Roper’s firing from South Carolina this way: “I just think we need to be more productive, at the end of the day,” Muschamp said.
In late 2017, South Carolina ranked 109th nationally in yards per game with 337 yards. This year, the Gamecocks are 79th at 390 yards.
At Florida, Weis left after one season to coach Kansas after the Gators were 10th in the 12-team SEC in total offense, and Muschamp brought in Pease, with ideally a spark from the Boise State offenses. But the Florida teams in 2012 and 2013 were led by defense and remembered for injuries, and the offenses were just asked to do enough to get by. The Gators ranked last in the SEC in total offense in 2013, and were 12th in 2012.
South Carolina this season is 9th in total offense, and the Gamecocks were seventh last season.
In 2014, Florida brought in Roper to work with QB Jeff Driskel, but short conservative passes didn’t produce much, and he had 9 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions with just 1,140 yards.
Except for Weis, all of these coordinators have been long-time assistants who have a special talent, be it developing quarterbacks or recruiting. McClendon, for example, was a former long-time Georgia assistant known for recruiting talent-rich metro Atlanta.
Based on their tenure alone, aside from production numbers, none of these assistants have made it into Year 3 with Muschamp. So it’s fair to wonder if Muschamp should re-evaluate even how he goes about the hiring process. After all, while it was about a month-long “interview process” for McClendon, he was the only staffer considered for the job, and all Muschamp had to go on for McClendon before his promotion to OC was his play-calling against Michigan in the Outback Bowl after the 2017 season.
South Carolina had 300 total yards, 13 first downs, but was just 2-for-14 on 3rd down and had just 61 rushing yards. Those numbers are very similar to the production the Gamecocks have delivered in recent weeks.
One of the classic moves of a coach on the hot seat is to change one or both coordinators. But given Muschamp’s track record, will that be enough?
No, it will not.
Definition of insanity…
A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds
Feel bad for Gamecock fans having this guy as their coach. He’ll hire another offensive coordinator and the offense’s productivity will not change.
Oh man. And the hits just keep on coming.
I remember when Kirby came to UGA and Bryan McClendon left. I was really hoping UGA would retain him. His recruiting was great, he was the interim coach for the bowl game that year.
Maybe Kirby saw something that Muschamp did not. Maybe McClendon just isn’t ready or capable to be an OC.
He’ll land a job somewhere. Best of luck to him
Well Coley was not it. Muschamp will figure it out in another 20 years. Give the man time, he’s rebuilding from the mess he inherited…lol.
I hate to see a Georgia man in such a poor place but poor is not the right word to use with his buyout contract. Will, just tell them to make a decision and then get back to Lake Oconee for some fishing and relaxation.
Maybe he can buy a house next to mine on Oconee. Wouldn’t that be rich.
SCar possessed the ball @ Kyle for a whopping 18:21. The woo pig sooies managed 27:23 against A&M. The bottom line? If you don’t win TOP against Jimbo you ain’t gonna win the game. He will wear your defense out and call whatever plays he wants.
Will had offense issues @ UF. He’s a superb developer of D talent and a good D talent recruiter. SCar needs a strong offense staff. Not sure if they got the $$$ to go and buy one.
They won’t try, they will do what they have always done, go to the bargain bin and put someone there who will learn on the job. SC is horrible at planning for the future and worse at getting rid of dead weight.
Your right. There is no cohesive plan it seems.
Even if you bought one, WM would either wreck it or smother it. He usually hires OCs that have been successful elsewhere, but they never seem to get results when they work for him? There’s a reason.
We’re 2nd in the SEC in number of offensive plays (behind only LSU), but 119th in the country in points per game.
112th in red zone scoring attempts per game, but 124th in red zone scores per game.
You can have Dooley, oh wait, you actually want to get better.
LMAO
Muschimp just can’t get an offense going. With the Gators he went after hot offensive coordinator’s. None worked. Either he gets involved or something just goes wrong. Whatever the problem , he’s the one consistent factor.
And he had 2 future NFL QBs on the roster.
Yeah…you’re right…both Driskell and Brissett are playing in NFL. Crazy.
Make a difference=No Way ! Anyone who followed his record of vanilla-offense at Florida(and there you better score !) knows that Will Muschamp is a total failure as a Head Coach, period. If you fail at Florida=it is your fault, with all that in-state talent. He has failed at Two(2) SEC Universities, that’s all that can be said. If the AD at South Carolina keeps him with a 4/8 record, then what will it say to the next coach ? If Will is not fired by the AD…then the University President should fire the AD, Ray Tanner and Will too. this guy’s a joke as a Head Coach. Any new coach should show some progress in his 3rd year…we all now that…and the Gamecocks have digressed. He over-works/practices his team=all those injuries that he keeps speaking of.
Nobody wanted to hire him, before South Carolina…that temper has not abated…still a mad dog(no disrespect to Georgia), always will be. He has recruited non-sec talent, and they perform like it(poor coaching does not help either !) The Loyal South Carolina Fans DESERVE BETTER, A LOT BETTER. FIRE HIM AFTER CLEMSON BLOWS THEM OUT !
Nochamp is not a great evaluator nor developer of defensive talent. Tired of hearing that. Over the years he has had a few good defenses, but most have been not so good. See the stats.
He has proven he is no HC. As stated above by someone else, he has had several offensive coordinators and none have panned out, so the problem must be him.
What great OC is going to come here knowing his HC is on the hot seat and knowing the HC has had terrible luck with offensive coordinators?
The only logical thing to do is to fire Neverchamp and his whole staff and start over. After you hire a new AD. Tanner started all of this by hiring a failure and then giving him a ridiculous contract. Eat the buyout and move on.
His defenses were good. They might not have had great stats because they were on the field for 40 mins, but after watching the defense at UF or playing against them for the last decade, they are pretty consistently good.
It doesn’t matter who the OC is, Muschamp is a DC who doesn’t understand the offensive side of the game.
He is an elite recruiter (at least he was at Florida), high energy, kids love/like him and all, but he doesn’t understand how to build an offense. He can build an elite defense (and did at UF and had moments at USC). His D is the reason that Mcelwain won 2 SEC-E titles….as soon as that was gone, Mcelwain was trash.
His ceiling is as a Venables-like DC. He is not cut out to be a head coach.
If Muschamp is serious he needs to do what the HBC did with Ellis Johnson and hire an associate head coach in charge of the offense and leave them alone. That is protect Muschamp from himself from interfering.
“His D is the reason MacElwain won 2 SEC-E titles …”
That may be true, but he couldn’t do it with his own defense.
The guy has passion and he’s a tireless worker …and that’s about it. His recruiting prowess is way overblown. He looked good in the rankings but stockpiled talent disproportionately across the roster. His roster management was horrible. Signing seven 5-star DBs in a single class but whiffing on OL & WR for 3 consecutive classes doesn’t make you a good recruiter.
He gets impatient and chippy with the media, he’s always had an injury outbreak but still has the same S&C coach/program, still coaches ‘not to lose’ and his offensive shortcomings are legendary. There are few people in the profession that could win a game like they did in Athens …only to squander that momentum with 3 bad losses. The officiating debacle from the UF game got into his head… and he wouldn’t let it go and he let it destroy his season. Florida fans have seen all this before. It’s not surprising to see the season unfold the way it has.
He will be on Alabama staff soon.
That’s a good one and I believe an accurate statement.
Good call
To quote David Tepper Panthers owner “I HATE MEDIOCRITY!
Carolina fans have become accustomed to accepting excuses for non-performance,no accountability and mediocrity, that will only change when fans and donors refuse to accept mediocrity and sadly vote with their feet. I am a long term donor season ticket holder(8 tickets) seriously considering dropping my GC membership and tickets. I do not invest in anything I don’t/can’t believe in. I do not believe in what I see from Will Muschamp. A thorough lack of preparation at the Belk Bowl, miserable coaching vs UNC, UT,MIZZOU ad nauseam.
Carolina Fans DESERVE BETTER, Muschamp should apologize for HIS performance and RESIGN.
I HATE and will NOT invest in Mediocrity. CHange cannot be a 3rd OC, if Muschamp couldn’t win at Florida who thinks he could win @ Carolina(except Ray)?
GOCOCKS!
Agreed.