Players Adopting Common Mindset

South Carolina sits 5-3, ahead of schedule in their rebuild. However, they have a sour taste in their mouth, one that the Gamecocks are determined to dismiss.

If you told fans one year ago that the Gamecocks would sit 5-3 with one month left in the season, many would have jumped at the prospect. South Carolina currently finds itself in that situation, yet needs more.

Success is always accompanied by want. Once you get a taste of national relevance, you want more and more. That's an encouraging sign, as some football teams are content resting on their laurels.

While South Carolina has the mindset to push itself forward, the on-field result this past weekend was less than optimal. They were embarrassed by Missouri on their home turf, looking far from the team that bested two SEC foes in primetime.

However, the players seem to have moved on. They watched the tape, understood their deficiencies, and are on to Vanderbilt. Center Eric Douglas put it best when he broke down football to its core:

"We're 5-3. We could be 1-7. We could be 6-2; we can't look in the rear-view mirror. Got to always look ahead."

Football will come down to a few plays that separate a winner from a loser. South Carolina came out on the wrong side against the Tigers but has also compiled similar success in recent weeks.

Defensive lineman Zacch Pickens adopted a similar mindset, saying they got complacent by feeding into the national hype. This was a concern leading up to kickoff, as the Gamecocks jumped straight from Texas A&M into Missouri prep.

"What we showed last week wasn't us. I feel like we relaxed a lot because we thought we arrived at 5-2…We didn't attack it how we should've. Got embarrassed."

Several other players took the podium on Tuesday afternoon and expressed one common sentiment. The Gamecocks know their efforts weren't enough but are confident they can return and find their winning ways through an intense week of preparation.

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