South Carolina football: Will Muschamp hot seat meter after week 5
By Jacob Elsey
Will Muschamp’s seat is getting hotter after latest South Carolina football loss.
Coming into the season, Will Muschamp’s chances of being fired by the end of the year were pretty substantial. His 2-to-1 odds were tops in the conference, just ahead of Vanderbilt’s Derek Mason (9/4).
A win over No. 15 Auburn eased some of the heat on the head coach’s seat heading into week five, but just when things seemed to be turning around, the Gamecocks fell flat in a blowout loss to LSU.
Now, the pressure is back on, and with a week off before a matchup with No. 10 Texas A&M, the fanbase will have even more time to scrutinize the disappointing defeat at the hands of the defending national champions.
In the game, little went right for the Gamecocks. Collin Hill played his worst game in a South Carolina uniform, sparking a possible quarterback controversy. The defense, Muschamp’s supposed strength as a coach, played even worse, causing further angst and consternation around the South Carolina program.
What’s most disappointing about the loss is the fact that the Gamecocks entered the matchup with hope, as many believed they were the better team leading up to the game. LSU was playing a freshman quarterback in his first career start. The Carolina secondary had just played its best game of the year versus Auburn. LSU’s defense was ranked as one of the nation’s worst, allowing nearly 500 yards to opponents each game.
Instead, South Carolina failed to stop the run, let the freshman signal caller get comfortable, allowed a defensive score on a pick six, and saw a muffed kickoff turn into a 95-yard touchdown return. All that could go wrong, did go wrong, and it resulted in a huge blown opportunity for the Gamecocks to take the next step.
The defeat gives South Carolina fans flashbacks to the 2019 season, when the Gamecocks lost five of their final six games following an upset of Georgia. It halts any momentum the program had coming off of a two-game winning streak and returns the chirping of Muschamp’s future in Columbia.
The Gamecocks will have two weeks to prepare for a home meeting against a tenth-ranked Aggies squad that currently sits at 3-1, with a win over Florida. South Carolina certainly won’t be favored and it’s hard to consider the matchup a “must-win,” but as the losses continue to pile up, the heat on Muschamp’s seat will continue to rise.
CURRENT SEAT HEAT (out of 10): LEVEL 8 (that didn’t take long, scorching once again)
WEEK 5: LEVEL 5 (heat down after big win)
WEEK 4: LEVEL 8 (cooling, but not by much)
WEEK 3: LEVEL 10 (scorching)
WEEK 2: LEVEL 8 (heating up)
WEEK 1: LEVEL 7 (toasty)