Muschamp wants no pity party over loss of Moore; Eyes BAW to fill void
The last thing Will Muschamp wanted to see from his football team regarding the loss of All-SEC linebacker Skai Moore was a pity party.
So, ever since South Carolina learned in late May that Moore, USC’s tackle leader for three straight years, would undergo season-ending neck fusion surgery, Muschamp’s endearing message to the Gamecock linebacker corps has been explicit and unambiguous: Next Man Up.
“He is obviously a playmaker and a very well respected teammate,” Muschamp said recently. “Extremely good athlete, so it’s a huge loss for us. But man down, man up. We need somebody else to step up in his absence. It’s unfortunate for us and him, but we certainly have some talented guys to take that role.”
Muschamp’s message of stepping up is clearly targeted at a few players, among them junior outside linebacker Bryson Allen-Williams.
Through five preseason camp practices, the USC linebackers have demonstrated they have heeded Muschamp’s counsel.
“I knew I had to be one of the guys to step up this year. When Skai went down, I had to take my workouts to another level,” Allen-Williams said. “He was one guy that was hard to lose. The coaches told us everybody had to step it up.
“One person is not going to be able to take over Skai’s role. We have to split the load between the entire defense and play total defense. Basically, the leader of our team and the linebacker corps is out. We have to split the load and everybody has to step up."
The current linebacker corps features three seniors (Jonathan Walton, T.J. Holloman and Larenz Bryant), a junior (BAW) and several young promising players led by redshirt freshman Sherrod Pittman and true freshman T.J. Brunson.
“Losing a guy like Skai with his speed and agility (hurts), but our motto is never complain about things that happen,” Gamecocks defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson said. “We can’t worry about that. It’s next guy up. That’s our focus right now. Next man up. Skai is around and he attends all the meetings and he’s doing everything to get healthy, and we’re counting on him next year. Right now, we’re going to worry about what we’ve got and work to improve those guys.”
Moore averaged 87 tackles and almost four interceptions per season (260 tackles + 11 INTs overall; 111 tackles in 2015) in his first three years. Who is being eyed to replace that level of production? The name most prominently mentioned by Robinson is Allen-Williams.
“We have some guys like Bryson Allen-Williams, who is doing a really good job,” Robinson said. “T.J. Holloman and Jonathan Walton are doing a really good job. T.J. Brunson, a young guy, is starting to show up. We have Sherrod Pittman. We have a lot of guys that are starting to do some different things for us. They have to be able to play multiple positions, Mike and Will, and even go out to Sam a little bit when we get into our regular package.”
Without Moore, Muschamp envisions Allen-Williams playing an increasingly integral role on the second level of the Gamecocks defense attacking the backfield as a gifted pass rusher and standing his ground in run defense.
“He helps us when he is on the field,” Muschamp said. “He is a good football player. He is a productive guy and a bright young man. He plays the game fast and has very good natural instincts off the ball. And he also has pass rush ability.
The biggest challenge for us defensively, as I’ve told our defensive staff, is making sure we don’t ask too much (of BAW). Let’s make sure we keep (BAW) playing fast and not thinking and let him react and play the game because he has some natural instincts to play extremely well at a high level.”
Embracing the opportunity to take his game to the next level, Allen-Williams is excited by the chance provided by Muschamp’s scheme to fill multiple roles on the Gamecocks defense. After all, the opportunity to be a centerpiece of the Gamecock defense is what attracted him to Columbia nearly three years ago.
“Coming in, that is what I thought I was going to be able to do,” Allen-Williams said. “A lot of unfortunate things happened my first two years, but I’m very excited for this year. It’s exciting knowing Coach (Muschamp) sees what I bring to the table. Coach Muschamp having that confidence in me has put that confidence back in myself that I can go out there and play this game at a high level. I definitely have a different mindset. Our expectations are definitely high.”
Last season, Allen-Williams made just seven tackles in the first five games (including a career high six at Georgia) before logging five tackles at LSU. The following week, in Shawn Elliott’s debut as interim coach, Allen-Williams logged three tackles and his first career interception. A few weeks later, he made his first start of the season vs. The Citadel.
After collecting 50 tackles and 0.5 sacks in 24 career games, Allen-Williams, one of the crown jewels of USC’s 2014 signing class, insists he has just scratched the surface of his potential.
“Definitely not,” Allen-Williams quickly responded when asked if he had ‘come anywhere close to showing the kind of player he can be.’
“I feel like this offseason was big for me. Just working with (strength and conditioning) Coach (Jeff) Dillman and working with our nutritionist and myself doing the extra little stuff to get better, I feel like I have a lot of untapped potential. Coach Muschamp and his staff is going to help me out a lot. I’m very excited.
“All of our coaches are great teachers. The way they teach the scheme, it’s easy for us to play fast because we know what we have to do, where we have to line up and what gaps we have to fit. There is not a lot of disparity. We have one of the best defensive staffs you’ll see around the country.”
After emerging late last season, the seemingly rejuvenated Allen-Williams turned in an impressive spring, planting him firmly on the radar for becoming USC’s best defensive player in the absence of Moore.
Muschamp recruited Allen-Williams when he was coaching Florida, so the coach was aware of BAW’s abilities when he took over the Gamecocks in early December.
“Coach Muschamp is a great person and a great coach,” Allen-Williams said. “I’m very excited to see how we do this year. Coach Muschamp offered me my first scholarship. When he first came in, he told me I was a guy he always wanted to get. Now I have a chance to play for him.”
