According to quarterback Jake Bentley, South Carolina (7-3, 5-3 SEC) is "locked in" to face in-state foe Wofford (9-1, Southern Conference) at Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday.
South Carolina is coming off a win versus Florida in which its running game flourished. Wofford also won last week against Chattanooga, 24-21 in overtime. The win secured the Southern Conference Championship and an NCAA division II Playoff berth for the Terriers.
Some fans may speculate that South Carolina could be looking ahead to next week’s matchup versus in-state rival Clemson, but head coach Will Muschamp implemented several days of preparation for Wofford, even before game week. This should give Gamecock fans confidence going into Saturday's game.
“(I have) a lot of respect for Coach (Mike) Ayers and the Wofford program," Muschamp said. "He’s been there since 1988. I was a junior in high school when he came to the Wofford program. They’re 9-1 this year. They won the Southern Conference. They’re as well-coached a team as we will play in my time here at South Carolina.”
The Terriers are 9-1 overall with their only losses coming to Ole Miss and Samford. Last year, the Terriers were a 10-win team, so success isn’t new to them. Wofford also runs a different type of offense from the majority of teams in today’s game. The Terriers are a traditional triple option style offense with a lot of moving pieces.
“They do an outstanding job offensively," Muschamp said. "They’re a very difficult preparation. Obviously, there are some option factors involved in it, but they’re very multiple with what they do under center and in the shotgun. They do a really nice job of spreading the field and making you defend the entire field.”
Wofford has rushed for more than 2,600 yards this season and has recorded 33 touchdowns as a team. The Gamecocks know what they are going to get from Wofford, but the key for the Gamecocks is “assignment football," according to Muschamp.
“They create a lot of different motions and things," Muschamp said of the Terriers. "They try to get your eyes in the wrong spot. You have to be very disciplined with your eye control. That takes you to your responsibility. There can’t be any ‘I thought he had the ball’ or ‘I thought he pulled the ball.’”
Wofford plays unlike any other team South Carolina has faced this year. While they may be in a lower division, the Gamecocks know they can’t look past the Terriers. The Gamecocks do not want a repeat of their loss to The Citadel in 2015.
“We addressed that situation this morning," Muschamp said Tuesday. "I leaned on a lot of the experience of the football team that went through that. It starts with your preparation. That’s what’s most important, to prepare the right way. The proper preparation prevents poor performance in a lot of situations."
On the other side of the ball, look for Bentley to have a bounce back game against the Terriers after throwing for no touchdowns and three interceptions last week against Florida. Bentley and offensive coordinator Kurt Roper are trying to get a feel for each other, even though this is Bentley’s second year in Roper's system.
“I think that’s a very close relationship as far as those things are concerned," Muschamp said. "Kurt coaches the guys extremely hard but also, just like the rest of us, off the field understands that they’re college students. He understands that part of it. I think they have an outstanding relationship.”
On paper, South Carolina should win this game in all aspects. Muschamp is doing all he can to prepare his team for Wofford, just like any other week. Luckily for the Gamecocks, Muschamp has a decent amount of coaching experience against the option style offense from his early days of coaching.
“I used to coach in the Gulf South Conference when I was at West Georgia and Valdosta State," Muschamp said. "We faced probably five to six teams a year that ran some sort of double slot, veer option or triple option principals.”
Muschamp having this experience will give the South Carolina defense confidence in knowing it will feel prepared to face the Wofford attack.
South Carolina leads the all-time series versus Wofford 19-4, with the Gamecocks last loss dating back to World War I. The Gamecocks have won 16 straight matchups since their last loss with the most recent being in 2012 when the Gamecocks won, 24-7.
South Carolina looks to continue its program improvement under Muschamp and win its eighth game of the season.