Agent Muschamp has a vision, y’all.
South Carolina’s coaching staff has identified five factors it believes are critical to the Gamecocks’ success on the field. The 2018 season proved their point, head coach Will Muschamp said.
In the seven games South Carolina won three or more of its critical factors, it won. In the six games it lost, it did not.
“That’s indicative of kind of how we were, very inconsistent at times,” Muschamp said.
Again this year, starting with the spring practice, the Gamecocks will pour their energy into coming out on top of each of these five factors — turnover margin, explosive plays, field position, red zone and the fourth quarter.
No real shock there, but if you look at Muschamp’s career, one of those factors towers over the rest. And don’t think he doesn’t know it.
The Gamecocks’ No. 1 emphasis throughout spring practice and much of fall camp will be reversing their turnover fortunes. South Carolina was 101st in the country last year in turnover margin, giving the ball away 21 times and only getting it back 16 times. The Gamecocks had finished in the nation’s top 25 in turnover margin the previous two seasons.
“It’s not something we don’t always emphasize, but it obviously really hurt us last year,” Muschamp said.
When his teams excel in turnover margin, they generally do well. Those regression to the mean seasons are a bitch, though. And since you can only do so much to control turnover margin, it makes it a little difficult to handicap South Carolina’s 2019 chances.
