Now in his fourth season at South Carolina, Head Coach Will Muschamp says this is his best team.
Muschamp sat down with NBC Charlotte Sports Director Nick Carboni to discuss the upcoming season, including the opening game against North Carolina (Aug. 31 at Bank of America Stadium).
NICK: You start the season where it ended (28-0 loss to UVA in Belk Bowl). What did you take from that loss that you can transition in to this game as you enter year four?
Muschamp: "I was really disappointed with the way we performed, and that goes back to me and how we coached and played that day. We're certainly looking forward to getting back into Bank of America Stadium and putting on a better show for our fan base, they deserve better than that."
NICK: What does QB Jake Bentley need to do this year?
Muschamp: "Just be more consistent. We didn't take care of the football as well as we needed to. We had six redzone interceptions and 14 interceptions overall. He's better than that. He's played some outstanding football for us. You look against Clemson, an outstanding football team, he threw for over 500 yards that night. Just be more consistent, and take care of the football."
NICK: What will it be like to face your former mentor Mack Brown, now coaching at UNC?
Muschamp: "I have tremendous respect for Coach Brown. He gave us a wonderful opportunity at Texas, and it was three of the best coaching years I've ever had."
NICK: You go from Texas, to Florida now to South Carolina. What have the last 10 years taught you about the business and about yourself?
Muchamp: "You better have a quarterback, that's number one. Certainly the game has slowed down for me a little bit. I think in the first couple of years it's kind of like drinking water out of a firehose. I've been fortunate to work at some unbelievable institutions but I'm really excited to be here at South Carolina.
NICK: What do you want to see from your team in the Belk College Kick Off vs. North Carolina?
Muschamp: "We've talked a lot about leaving no doubt about the things that Take No Talent -- T.N.T. And really emphasized that to our players in our offseason. If we'll do the things that take no talent extremely well, the effort, the toughness the discipline, the competitive edge you have to have all the time to earn what you have and have a team-first mentality, we'll have a successful football team."