Will Muschamp evaluates Jake Bentley's play, response to boos from crowd
Despite boos from fans in Williams-Brice Stadium, coach Will Muschamp said he didn’t consider pulling QB Jake Bentley in favor of Michael Scarnecchia.
Bentley had a bit of a rough start with an early interception, but he responded by leading the Gamecocks to 16 points in the third quarter.
“That position, there’s going to be criticism just like my position is, he battled his ass off,” Muschamp said. “He put us in position to win the game, we need to play better around him.”
Muschamp said he’s very surprised with the dropped passes by the wide receivers after the group was expected to be a strength entering the season.
The Texas A&M game was another example of a slow start for the Gamecocks followed by a strong third quarter. Muschamp didn’t have an explanation.
“We need to get out of the gate faster, something we’ll look at in the off week,” he said.
Here are other comments Muschamp told reporters after the game:
Will Muschamp: "Too many self-inflicted issues. Finishing plays down the field. Had opportunities, got to finish."
— David Cloninger (@DCPandC) October 13, 2018
Muschamp: Wasn’t a thought to put Scarnecchia in. Bentley needed to settle down after early rough start. He put us in a situation to win the game. We need to play better around him.
— SportsTalk (@sportstalksc) October 13, 2018
Muschamp: We need to find a way to get off the field in the fourth quarter, we wore down a bit. We need to stay on the field more offensively.
— SportsTalk (@sportstalksc) October 13, 2018
Muschamp: They loaded the box, we knew it was going to be tough to run. We took some shots down the field, didn’t execute.
— SportsTalk (@sportstalksc) October 13, 2018
Surprised that the receivers were supposed to be a strength and we're still talking about dropped passes? Muschamp: "Very surprised."
— David Cloninger (@DCPandC) October 13, 2018
Muschamp: We had some wonderful opportunities, we knew that going in, need to get on the jugs machine.
— SportsTalk (@sportstalksc) October 13, 2018
Muschamp: Dylan Wonnum has been getting better. Earned the opportunity to play. That's why he was in there.
— David Cloninger (@DCPandC) October 13, 2018
