After two muffed punts in the loss to Texas A&M, Will Muschamp said his main concern was catching punts, not returning them. In Sunday's game against Georgia, tight end Hayden Hurst was used as a returner on five of the Bulldogs' six punts, but he let each of them bounce.
Hurst gave way to defensive back Chris Lammons at the end of the game, but not before letting a punt bounce. This proved to be a costly mistake. After South Carolina had cut the deficit to 14-7 and stopped the Georgia offense, Hurst let a punt go at the 30-yard line, and it bounced all the way to South Carolina's 3.
"That was the first time I've ever punt returned in my life," Hurst said. "It's difficult to get a read on those balls. Ball was wobbling and looked like it was going to fall short, and it took a heck of a bounce. That's a tough one."
The Gamecocks would punt on the ensuing drive, and Georgia took over inside the South Carolina 39 before finding the end zone in just five plays.
After Sunday's game, South Carolina has used Hurst, Lammons, Deebo Samuel, Rashad Fenton and Jamarcus King as punt returners. Samuel and King have each lost fumbles in the return game this year, while Fenton has looked unsure when catching the ball in addition to dropping one against Texas A&M.
"I'm up for anybody," Muschamp said of a potential punt returner. "I figure at a Division I program, we'd have somebody who can catch a punt."