Gamecocks looking for makeup game
South Carolina athletics director Ray Tanner continues to work on scheduling a makeup date for the Gamecocks to make up for the September date with UCF that was cancelled because of storm warnings, but it isn’t as simple as it may seem.
The number of opportunities are not that plentiful.
“It wasn’t like the entirety of college football shut down that weekend,” coach Will Muschamp said. “It was really a certain region and only a handful of teams. So, he is working through that right now and spending a lot more time on that than he probably wants to on it.
“But, we are going to play a game on December 1. Who that will be, I don’t know.”
The Gamecocks (4-3, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) are two wins short of reaching the six-win level for bowl eligibility and though they helped themselves with a big win over Tennessee last week, they still have work to do.
After playing Ole Miss (5-3, 1-3 SEC) at Oxford Saturday, the Gamecocks are at Florida on Nov. 10 and later play at Clemson on Nov. 24.
In between is a home game against Chattanooga, a 6-2 FCS foe, and that should net them a win, but the Gamecocks don’t want to be taking anything for granted.
Obviously, a win over the Rebels this week would be a big boost toward the postseason.
“They’re a very explosive offensive football team,” Muschamp said of the Rebels, who are under a postseason ban for NCAA issues. “Matt Luke, their head football coach, was previously the offensive line coach, and they’ve got guys up front that really jump out at you.”
The Rebels are the SEC’s most prolific passing team with quarterback Jordan Ta’amu the league’s leading passer. Ta’amu has accounted for 2,622 yards of Ole Miss’ total of 2,796. His favorite target is wide receiver A.J. Brown with 805 yards on 60 receptions, both league highs.
“A.J. Brown is a fantastic player, a guy that is big, strong and physical, can catch the ball off of his body, attacks the football,” Muschamp said. “One of the better receivers, obviously, in college football.”
The Gamecocks also have been concentrating on facing the up-tempo offense Ole Miss uses to pressure opponents.
“We do tempo periods every day against our offense,” Muschamp said. “That’s part of our preparation for this game, but the more and more you rep something, the more comfortable you become with it.”
