Planning and Logistics Ramp Up in Advance of Bowl Game Announcement
In most years, getting a football team ready for a bowl game is a period of excitement for the student-athletes and fans, and it’s a busy time for administrators in arranging travel and looking at finances. 2020 hasn’t been like most years for anybody due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and for South Carolina football, the ability to play in a bowl game is still exciting for the young men on the field, but there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes to make it happen.
“This year, we had to bring our guys back not knowing where we’re going,” said Chance Miller, Senior Deputy Athletics Director. “We released them after the last game on December 5, but they’re back here right now. They came back Monday, and we tested them all and isolated them to make sure there were no issues. Then we tested them again on Tuesday. They’re rehabbing and lifting right now to get back in shape.”
“We’re still testing just like we were before,” said head football athletic trainer Clint Haggard. “The guys have been working out to get ready, and we’re still testing three times per week.”
The Gamecocks won’t know where and when they’ll play in a bowl game until Sunday. Regardless, in a year where finances are at the forefront more than ever, administrators have to make sure those areas balance.
“We have a projected payout for each bowl game,” Miller said. “They are reduced from what they were in the past because of COVID and reduced attendance. We look at what our travel allowance is and all the other expenses. We are not concerned about making money on the game, but more so taking care of the student-athletes.
“You’re always concerned about the morale of the team. We have a pretty good leadership group on the team right now that have worked through this, and they have rallied around each other. I think they view this bowl game as a new start for next year. It’s a chance to start fresh. In the meantime, we’re going to try to do some fun things with them while they are here. The bowl games usually have a bunch of fun events, but all that is closed down this year. So, we’ll try to do some things with them while they’re here, and if we have to travel on Christmas eve, then we’ll try to do something with them there. We’ll keep them isolated, but still try to let them have some fun.”
The Gamecocks took a break from the usual workout routine on Friday to go to Frankie’s Fun Park in Columbia. Director of Football Operations George Wynn noted that during a team meal earlier, the team had some holiday fun as well with a gingerbread house competition.
“The protocols for testing and all the people involved with the testing were great.”
– Clint Haggard
Despite a 2-8 record, the Gamecocks are able to play in the postseason as the SEC is contractually obligated to fill the bowl games. What shouldn’t be lost about this season is the hard work put in by the medical staff which allowed South Carolina to play all 10 of its games, as scheduled. That’s something that many schools around the country have not been able to do.
“The biggest challenge at first was getting the guys to buy-in to what we were doing; to wear their masks, socially distance, wash their hands, stay away from other people, and people outside the team,” Haggard said. “They obviously did a good job with that. The protocols for testing and all the people involved with the testing were great. There was a semblance of positivity by having them test negative, so they were safe. It showed that what we were doing was working. They know they’re getting tested regularly, so they were careful about it.”
“Clint, George, and everyone involved with our game day, practice and facilities operations were fantastic and allowed us to play 10 games without delays,” Miller said. “While COVID is always the X factor with trying to play in a bowl game, our staff has put protocols in place to be able play pending the test outcomes.”
While it was a difficult season for the Gamecocks, which saw the dismissal of head coach Will Muschamp and the hiring for Shane Beamer to take over the program, the administration is doing its best to accommodate the student-athletes as they wait to see whether they can go home for Christmas or if they’ll have to stay in Columbia to prepare for the game.
“The biggest challenge has been that we had to bring the guys back, not knowing which bowl game we’re going to go to,” Miller said. “When you go into a bowl season, you have an idea which day you will end, and you can build out a calendar for your team to do a sort of mini-camp in Columbia based on the dates of the bowl game. Then you fly to the location and have four or five days out there. In between those dates, you’d let them go home for a couple of days. The challenge with that is if we play a bowl at a later date and send them home for the holidays, and you bring them back, you have to test them again. If five or six test positive, contact tracing could wipe out half the team.”
Like every other team, the Gamecocks have had to play the numbers game all year. With injuries and potential COVID issues, as well as a few key players who have opted out of the remainder of the season to pursue NFL careers, South Carolina has a different roster makeup than it had back in August. If South Carolina plays in the Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa on December 26, the student-athletes will have to make additional sacrifices, which would include less time with family around the holidays.
“If we play later and you go home, you have to stay close to your immediate family, keeping track of where they’ve been and who they’ve been exposed to,” Miller said. “I feel for them for what these student-athletes have had to go through this year, but they’ve handled everything in a first-class manner with everything we’ve asked of them.”
New head coach Shane Beamer will not be coaching the team in practice leading up to the bowl game or in the game itself, but he will be back in Columbia to observe the team as it prepares in practice before they leave for the game. All of the other coaches who were on staff at the end of the regular season are expected to be with the team for the bowl game.
Stay tuned to GamecocksOnline this weekend for the latest updates on South Carolina’s bowl plans.
