What Dan Werner has meant to South Carolina QBs, offense this season
When Ole Miss offensive coordinator Phil Longo took the same position at North Carolina with Mack Brown, it left a spot for Rebels coach Matt Luke to fill.
And one name that hit the speculation world quickly: South Carolina quarterbacks coach Dan Werner.
The veteran coach spent five seasons in Oxford, building high-tempo, throw-it-around offenses until Hugh Freeze let him go for Longo. After one year as an analyst for Nick Saban, Werner found his way to Columbia to work with the Gamecocks’ passers.
And in one season, he left a mark on South Carolina’s quarterback room.
“Coach Werner is probably one of the biggest blessings, biggest helps that I’ve had since I’ve been in college,” Gamecocks quarterback Jake Bentley said. “Just his overall knowledge of the game and how he approaches it, what he’s brought to our offense has just been great for us.”
Bentley has thrown for 2,953 yards, 27 scores and 12 interceptions, posting a career-best 153.6 rating in 11 games. If he could maintain that rating through the bowl game, he’d likely have the third-best mark for a Gamecocks starter, behind only Connor Shaw’s final two seasons.
Werner also had an important role in being a veteran presence alongside first-time offensive coordinator Bryan McClendon. Werner brought an array of RPO plays the program wanted to work in. When McClendon started calling plays from the sideline halfway through the year, Werner brought plenty of experience as an eye from the box.
Another small factor worth noting was how South Carolina had to start backup Michael Scarnecchia against Missouri, and the team didn’t suffer much at all. He connected on 57.1 percent of his passes for 249 yards and three scores, and led the Gamecocks 53 yards in the final minute to set up a game-winning field goal.
Scarnecchia credited Werner with helping in one big area.
“Confidence is a big thing,” Scarnecchia said. “You can see it throughout the whole QB room. Everyone is confident in their reads and having discernment when they’re making a certain read and throwing the ball. Just trusting yourself and trusting yourself when you’re taking shots. He’s been big on, ‘When you have a shot, take it, but don’t force anything.’ He’s helping us be smart with the ball.”
USC is 332 yards away from the most passing yards in program history and has set the school record for yards in a game.
It remains to be seen if Werner will return to a place he spent five years, to running an offense, or if he’ll even be given the chance. But if he is, he’ll leave having guided Bentley through some things.
South Carolina was often out of sorts on offense early in the season, especially Bentley. Some big plays were missed when he couldn’t connect with open receivers, and a mess of drops didn’t help in some big losses.
But after that start, Bentley locked in and performed as many projected before this and last season, and Werner had a hand there.
“Through the ups and downs of this year, he’s stayed consistent,” Bentley said. “Never wavered in how he coaches or approaches each game. Just been great for me and taught me a lot this year.”
This story was originally published December 12, 2018 at 2:38 PM.