2016 Mississippi State Football Opponents to Know: Will Muschamp
We take a look at an offensive and defensive player from the 2016 Mississippi State Football opponents who will likely play a key part in the season, plus the opposing head coach.
The first SEC opponent for the Mississippi State football team in 2016 was taken to places it had never gone before under Steve Spurrier. The legendary coach began his tenure at South Carolina in 2005, and it ended with his abrupt retirement during the middle of the 2015 season.
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The success of Spurrier did wonderful things for the football program at South Carolina. From 2010 to 2013, the Gamecocks went 42-11 and appeared in the SEC Championship their only time in 2010.
The problem with all of that success is it likely made the South Carolina coaching job one of the most difficult in the country. And the evidence of how difficult of a job it is was made clear when the Gamecocks hired Will Muschamp as their head coach following the 2015 season.
Historically, the South Carolina football program is similar to the Mississippi State football program, at least before the beginning of the Spurrier era. Before Spurrier showed up, winning seven or eight games in a season would make the fans happy. Now, those seasons are a disappointment.
Will Muschamp was not the top choice for the team. Rich Rodriguez of Arizona turned the job down, and Muschamp accepted the position shortly thereafter.
I don’t know how the Muschamp hire was viewed in South Carolina, but in general, it didn’t inspire a lot of confidence around the country that the Gamecocks would be returning to the national spotlight any time soon.
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In his time as the Florida Gators head coach, Will Muschamp went 28-21 over four seasons, and took the Gators to two bowl games. The problem is, the Gators were loaded with talent, and the team was set up to have a ton of success, and Muchamp produced mediocre results.
So expecting him to take a team without as many resources and talent depleted as the Gamecocks are seems to be too tall of a task. But the one thing they might be able to cling to and make Mississippi State football fans worry is the defense Muschamp teams usually put on the field.
The Gators were always one of the best defensive teams in the SEC under Muschamp. Many of their wins under Muschamp were a direct result of the defensive prowess of the Gators.
The reason he only lasted four seasons in Gainesville though was because the Gators were a disaster on offense. The Gators struggled to score points, but despite that, Muschmap hired almost his identical Florida offensive coaching staff.
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The Gamecocks were a terrible offensive team in 2015 and a mediocre defensive team. This is a game the Mississippi State football team should win. But if you’re the type of Bulldog fan who likes to worry, and most of us are, there is a chance Muschamp could make the defense one of best in the nation and win a game 6-3 in Starkville during Week 2. I don’t think that is likely, but it wouldn’t be the most surprising thing in the world if it happened.