South Carolina primed to continue upward trend in upcoming season
On third downs, a rooster crow screeches on the Williams-Brice Stadium PA system.
This year, the Gamecocks aren’t waiting for third down to crow. They’re not even waiting until football season.
The feeling in Columbia is that the Gamecocks are on the rise after going 7-6 in their first season under coach Shane Beamer.
Adding to the optimism is the arrival of heralded Spencer Rattler, who will definitely improve the Gamecocks’ situation at quarterback.
However, the offensive line remains problematic. The receivers, as a group, are serviceable, and their running game lost leading rusher Kevin Harris to the NFL.
Furthermore, the defensive line and linebackers must show dramatic progress. Seven opponents rushed for 184 yards or more last season.
Even the excitement over Rattler should be tempered to some degree. After all, he lost the starting job at Oklahoma to freshman Caleb Williams last season.
He’ll face more robust defenses in the SEC.
Still, Rattler will make South Carolina better. If the Gamecocks were to make a bowl game again, that would give them a reason to crow.
Area of strength: Nickel Cam Smith heads a group of four returning starters in the secondary. That’s impressive, considering South Carolina led the SEC in pass defense last season. But, of course, that could be deceiving. Only 336 passes were attempted by opponents against the Gamecocks, the second-fewest in the conference. Opponents didn’t pass often because it wasn’t necessary. South Carolina’s run defense ranked 94th in the nation. Still, the secondary is a point of strength, especially compared to other units. The Gamecocks nabbed 15 interceptions. National champion Georgia was the only SEC team with more. Smith had three of them.
Area of concern: The entire offensive line returns intact. However, that line struggled in 2021. The Gamecocks averaged just 121.7 rushing yards against SEC competition. They also allowed 31 sacks.
Impact newcomer: The arrival of Oklahoma transfer Spencer Rattler is a significant upgrade at quarterback. In several games last season, the Gamecocks were forced to start Zeb Noland, who went there as a graduate assistant coach. Of course, Rattler lost his starting job at Oklahoma last year mainly because he threw five interceptions in six games. Yet, the fact remains Rattler was the nation’s top-rated quarterback prospect in 2019.
Top players
- QB Spencer Rattler: Though struggling with mistakes last season, he threw for 3,031 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2020.
- CB Cam Smith: An All-SEC contender, he emerged as a productive nickel back last season. He had three interceptions, broke up 11 passes, had 41 tackles and forced a fumble.
- WR Josh Vann: Had a breakout year of sorts in 2021. He caught 43 passes for 679 yards and five touchdowns. Those totals are solid, but unspectacular. However, he accomplished that with erratic quarterback play. His numbers figure to improve with Rattler on hand.
2022 South Carolina schedule
- Sept. 4 vs. Georgia State
- Sept. 10 at Arkansas
- Sept. 17 vs. Georgia
- Sept. 24 vs. Charlotte
- Oct. 1 vs. South Carolina State
- Oct. 8 at Kentucky
- Oct. 22 vs. Texas A&M
- Oct. 29 vs. Missouri
- Nov. 5 at Vanderbilt
- Nov. 12 at Florida
- Nov. 19 vs. Tennessee
- Nov. 26 at Clemson