It’s Year 5 and Will Muschamp is once again talking about the first three years of his tenure at South Carolina.

This isn’t the Gamecock Club speaking circuit in the spring of 2019, nor the back stretch of Year 4, as the wheels fell off of that forgettable, 4-8 season that followed.

We’re in Year 5 and South Carolina has sandwiched two of the worst losses during Muschamp’s time in Columbia around an open week: 48-3 to Texas A&M at Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday night, and 52-24 on the road two weeks ago against LSU.

If any South Carolina fans are upset with those results, they have every right to be, according to their head coach.

“I hope they’re pissed off, and that’s fine,” Muschamp said, when asked about his message to the fans.

“The last two performances, I don’t think there’s any doubt they should be (upset).”

They’re on the same page as their head coach, though it might be the only common ground between them.

“I’m disappointed with how we played, performed and how we coached,” Muschamp said. “We’re going to continue to work.”

There’s been some “success here,” he added.

“Our first three years of our tenure, we won more games than any other coach did in here and we are planning on continuing to have success here,” Muschamp said. “I think we recruited well. I think we have good players in our program. I’m disappointed in our last two outings.”

247Sports’ Brad Crawford pointed out a few specifics about the teams South Carolina beat between 2016 and 2018 seasons. It’s not a compelling case for the Gamecocks’ head coach.

The 2019 and 2020 campaigns certainly aren’t either. Six wins over the last 18 games - that’s certainly nothing to pound your chest about, especially after Year 3 ended with a 7-6 record and a 28-0 loss to Virginia in the Belk Bowl.

South Carolina’s won back-to-back games twice over the last two seasons, including once earlier this year. The Gamecocks have lost back-to-back games twice in 2020.

They won back-to-back games once in 2018. The 2017 campaign, which ended with a 9-4 record and a hefty contract extension for Muschamp, featured three stretches with back-to-back wins.

At one point that season, South Carolina won three in a row, over Arkansas, Tennessee and Vanderbilt. Those three teams combined to win 13 games. The Razorbacks and Volunteers had new head coaches the following year.

Ahh, yes, the good old days of South Carolina football under Will Muschamp.