Flashback to October 27, 2013. No. 21 South Carolina (5-2, 3-2) was facing undefeated No. 5 Missouri (7-0, 3-0) in Columbia, Missouri. A loss in this game would all but eliminate South Carolina’s chances at an SEC Eastern-Division Championship and would snap a lengthy streak of being ranked in the AP poll.
Down 17-0 to start the fourth quarter, South Carolina did something that has apparently vanished from their game plan ever since: the Gamecocks played defense. In the fourth quarter, Missouri had failed drives of 37-, 4-, and 3- yards. On the other side of the ball, South Carolina imposed its will on Missouri, racking up 187 yards of total offense and three scores in the fourth quarter.
What happened to this grit and determination? When the Gamecocks were down by any margin in any game over the past two years, the defense was automatically written off and the game was considered to no longer be winnable. Why is this? One reason is there is no longer a Jadeveon Clowney or Victor Hampton to count on to make “the big hit(s)." And, the 2016 edition of Gamecock defense is not looking much better – star linebacker Skai Moore is going to redshirt the 2016 season due to injury. Without any major playmakers on the defensive side of the ball, it appears the defense is doomed to repeat its last two outings.
However, it is just June and there is still plenty of time to hope. Linebacker Jonathan Walton had a huge game against Miami in the 2014 Duck Commander Independence Bowl but has mainly played second fiddle to Moore ever since. Additionally, time and time again, Bryson Allen-Williams has shown that he is an SEC caliber athlete. There are players on the defense who have been set up to succeed. The school made a major commitment to improving the defense by hiring a defensive-minded head coach in Will Muschamp.
There is a precedent for a comeback season led by a newly hired coach. In his second year at South Carolina, Lou Holtz engineered one of the greatest single-season turnarounds in FBS history. Coming off of an embarrassing 0-11 season in 1999, Lou Holtz led the 2000 Gamecocks to a record of 8-4, a second place finish in the SEC, the second bowl game victory in school history (vs. Ohio State, 24-7), and finished ranked No. 19 in the country.
In 2012, the Auburn Tigers, coached by National Champion Coach Gene Chizik, had their worst record in 60 years (3-9, 0-8) – sounds familiar, right? Chizik was fired at the conclusion of the 2012 season, and Gus Malzhan was hired shortly thereafter. The 2013 season was a dream season for the Auburn Tigers. Auburn finished the season ranked No. 2 in the country with a record of 12-2. Although the Tigers’ season ended in a loss, they racked up wins over rival Alabama, won the SEC Championship, and appeared in the National Championship Game.
While there are not many reasons to believe this year will be any different than the other two, there is a chance that the Gamecocks might flip the script. What is the point of following a sports team if there are not highs and lows? Yes, winning is fun, but there’s nothing better than winning as an underdog.
