Throughout fall camp, head coach Will Muschamp preached three things to his young football team: effort, toughness and discipline. In the first half Thursday night, South Carolina struggled with the third.
After electing to receive the opening kickoff and surviving the near mishap from AJ Turner on the kickoff, the Gamecock offense couldn't stay out of its own way.
South Carolina was whistled for holding on the first play from scrimmage, and after digging itself out of a 2nd and 24 to pick up a first down, penalties held the Gamecocks back again. DJ Park was called for being significantly downfield on a play Muschamp said was one the first they put in during camp. Donell Stanley jumped early on the next play, and 1st and 21 proved to be insurmountable for the South Carolina offense on its first drive.
A holding penalty was declined on the next drive as Turner was stopped in the backfield, but when the first half was in the books, the Gamecocks had committed six penalties (including the declined hold), four of which were on the offensive line.
"We just had to tell the guys to calm down and play the game we know how to play," senior left tackle Mason Zandi said. "We're a confident group up front. We've got continuity among us. The front five is pretty good."
Trailing 10-0 at halftime, having committed six penalties, and being coached by one of the more temperamental coaches in college football, players had every reason to believe the locker room speech wouldn't be a fun one. They would have been wrong.
"We thought 'oh my God, he's going to come in here yelling and screaming," senior linebacker TJ Holloman said of Muschamp when the fiery coach entered the locker room at halftime. "He was very calm. He just gave us positive encouragement and said that we are going finish this."
It wasn't just the offensive line that needed the encouragement. The South Carolina offense had logged just 88 yards in the first half, and two fumbles had proven costly in giving Vanderbilt a 10-0 lead. After Brandon McIlwain fumbled in deep in enemy territory in the second quarter and nearly fumbled again, Muschamp decided to switch it up on offense.
"We've got to take care of the football, and that's really why we went back with Perry in the second half," Muschamp said.
The first-year head coach took some of the blame for Mcilwain's lack of ball security, pointing out that quarterbacks were not hit live during fall camp.
In the second half, the Gamecocks committed just one penalty and no turnovers, while Orth engineered drives to bring the team back. A "calm" Will Muschamp providing encouragement was enough to spark the turnaround.