Gamecocks must ‘get it going now, ASAP’: At 0-2, urgency elevated in unusual season
Just moments after the South Carolina football team fell to 0-2 with a loss to Florida on Saturday, junior cornerback Jaycee Horn offered a stark vision of the two paths facing the Gamecocks the rest of the season.
“We have eight more games left,” Horn said. “If we don’t keep fighting, it could get ugly, so we have to keep fighting, go out and win this week.”
USC is already off to its worst start since 1999, as a lack of nonconference games and an immediate crush of SEC opponents have taken an early toll. But as Horn and the Gamecocks search for their first win, this week’s particular game against Vanderbilt could be especially crucial to avoiding the ugliness Horn referenced.
Carolina is a double-digit favorite over Vandy, with ESPN’s Football Power Index giving the Gamecocks a 79.8% chance of winning, the highest mark of the season. It’s one of only two games where South Carolina is projected to be the favorite this year. If USC is to get on a winning track, beating the Commodores seems like a prerequisite.
“There’s a lot of ball left to be played,” defensive tackle Keir Thomas said. “We don’t have no time to hang our head ... we’re out here behind the ball, we’re 0-2, so, I mean we’ve got to get it going now, ASAP.”
After the Gamecocks lost their season opener to Tennessee in narrow fashion, 31-27, coach Will Muschamp described the mood in the locker room as hurt, with players upset over the chance they let slip away. Now, they’re facing another chance and fully aware they can’t afford to let many more go.
“Of course we want to be 2-0. We did some good things against two very good opponents, but we’re still not where we want to be,” Thomas said. “We have a good opportunity this weekend to go out and try to get a win against a good Vandy team that’s gonna fight like they always do. ... Backs against the wall, I mean we’re not where we expected to be, but we’re hoping to go out and get a win.”
Since South Carolina’s upset of No. 4 Georgia last October, the Gamecocks have lost seven of eight games. The lone victory came against Vanderbilt. Given those struggles over the past year, Muschamp acknowledged Tuesday that “learning to win” is an issue that the coaching staff continues to stress.
“I do think that you will yourself to win. You believe you’re going to win, you know you’re going to win. And that’s something that comes from confidence,” Muschamp said. “And I do think that our guys need to keep playing and put themselves in those positions. As coaches, we need to put them in better positions, so when they have those opportunities to go win the game, that’s what happens.
“And I think that I’ve been a part of that (on other teams) where, you know, there was no doubt when we hit the field, we knew we’re gonna win the ballgame. There was absolutely no doubt, and we’ve got to continue to push to that here, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
For his part, running back Deshaun Fenwick said that even with the 0-2 start, the players’ confidence hasn’t waned.
“We’re always go into every game expecting we’re gonna win, regardless of who has us losing or winning,” Fenwick said. “We know as a team how good we are, and we just know you have to go out and execute. And if you execute, you win games, regardless.”
The Gamecocks know how they’re perceived by experts and observers. And facing a game they can ill afford to lose, they’re hoping to use that doubt as motivation.
“A lot of people on the outside looking in don’t think we’re very good. And we’re OK with that,” Thomas said. “Since I’ve been here, we’ve had to prove people wrong. I mean, we’re just look forward to turning it around and proving those people wrong.”
South Carolina (0-2) at Vanderbilt (0-2)
When: Noon Saturday
Where: Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee
TV: SEC Network
Line: South Carolina by 12
This story was originally published October 7, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Gamecocks must ‘get it going now, ASAP’: At 0-2, urgency elevated in unusual season."
