Probably not IF Gamecock defensive coaches are fired, but when

A beautiful day for football. But the Gamecocks showed the team has a
long way to go. 

Gamecock Head Coach Steve Spurrier was relived and sounded genuinely satisfied to get a 41-10

“W” against a lower division Furman team, Saturday.

In the stands, the fans were grumbling and still perplexed at how their solidly-built program had sunk to such a low level. 

Spurrier is likely past the anger. He is probably looking to making the best of a bad situation with not much chance to fix it until off-season, with coaching changes.

That is what it has come to. South Carolina was ranked in the Top 10, pre-season after three 11-win campaigns. Now it may be difficult for the team to get to six wins after two fourth-quarter defensive collapses. Two of SC's “Gimme” wins – Missouri and Kentucky - are losses.

South Carolina has a home game left with South Alabama and a home game versus a resurgent Tennessee team that beat an 11-2 Gamecock squad last year. Everything else, Auburn, Florida and Clemson are on the road.

Morale is especially low among fans. There is just not much to look forward in this once much-anticipated football season. 

On Saturday, the Gamecock defense gave up chunks of yards to Furman.

On one play, Furman running back Hank McCloud broke loose to score on a 60-yard touchdown on the SC defense. It was career-long run for McCloud. 

Other times the Gamecock D was bailed out by Furman fumbles, but there was not much to believe the defenses' problems are solved. Furman had lost five in a row, and stood up to the Gamecocks well at times. The Paladins finished with 211 yards on the ground. 

It is inexplicable that a program could fall as much as the Gamecocks have slipped from 2013 to 2014. Chances are the team just finally ran out of superior talent on defense.

And while the offense seems to be struggling now, it's a case of contagious failure that damages a team. It takes a lot to build confidence, and little to destroy it.

Gamecock fans can hope the defensive coaching staff has found a clue, but don't count on it. It looks like a poorly coached unit, without direction.

Not only is it likely the whole defensive coaching staff be released at the end of 2014, it is the right, and most just, thing to do. The special teams coach has not done a very good job either. 

Too many people have sacrificed too much, to get Carolina to where it was, to let it be destroyed by the very coaches paid to move it up to the next level.

Fans have become accustomed to expect better from Spurrier's teams.