Many South Carolina students entered this football anticipating another year of growth.
The returning chemistry of quarterback Jake Bentley and wide receiver Deebo Samuel after a nine-win season capped off by a bowl win set high expecationas for the season.
But fans have not seen the results that were expected.
After a battle win over Missouri last Saturday, the student section found its faith in back-up quarterback Michael Scarnecchia.
How can a first-time starter have such an effect on the student body?
The question remains unanswered. However, the voice of student body chanting "we want Scar" puts a lot of pressure on junior quarterback Jake Bentley, who reclaimed the starting role after coming back from injury against Texas A&M.
Scarnecchia's performance captured Gamecock Nation's attention when Bentley-led offenses did not execute against Georgia and Kentucky. It even got to the point Saturday against A&M where South Carolina fan's booed Bentley and Deebo for their performances.
The fan base is what ultimately supports the foundation of the football team, and Bentley understands the frustration, he feels it too.
“That’s life," Bentley said. "That’s really the way that I've always been brought up is you can’t worry about outside influences, and other people are going to try and come at you each and every way, but you just have to focus on what you believe in ... obviously it's disappointing to hear that from the fans, but they just want to win too and so do I.”
Even though Bentley acknowledges the fact that the fans want to win, there still needs to be a bigger motivation within the team to make a change. And whether or not Gamecock Nation believes so, Bentley made a change Saturday.
Amidst all the boos and "we want Scar" chants, Bentley kept his composure to lead the Gamecocks into a strong comeback in the second half. It is a hard task for South Carolina sometimes to not point the finger at Bentley, but it has to stop if they want him to continue to battle through the negative performances.
Despite the frustrations of this season, Bentley does not deserve to shoulder the entirety of the blame. It has been proven time and time again that he is a consistent and foundational leader for South Carolina's offense.
He has started upwards of 20 games, and that in itself shows the confidence that his teammates and coaches have in him. Before pointing the finger just at Bentley, fans need to realize that criticism should be levied at the team as a whole.
Bentley's teammates have continued respect for his role as quarterback, and that says a lot about his demeanor.
Both Scarnecchia and Bentley have been able to look to each other for support and direction during this season, even if that doesn't stop the division that has been created with the fan base.
"Scar is an unbelievable teammate, unbelievable friend," Bentley said. "He supports me no matter what. It's just great to have him around me and after every drive he was coming over, letting me know what he saw, what he thinks is going to be open, just different things throughout the game. It's just really great to have him."