Dakereon Joyner breaks through, brings the energy with first touch, TD of the season
In a Vanderbilt Stadium mostly empty of fans, South Carolina’s Dakereon Joyner brought a burst of energy mixed with a little joy.
He’s a former four-star quarterback recruit who moved to wide receiver and is still feeling his way through the position. Games 1 and 2 for him in the 2020 season included no catches and hardly any targets.
But late in the Gamecocks’ 41-7 blowout win of the Commodores, he brought a small army of his teammates off the sideline, breaking through with a big play that had most of the bench out to congratulate him.
He finished the day with one touch, 47 yards, one touchdown.
“That’s just who he is,” tight end Nick Muse said. “He’s good enough to make that play. So we’re gonna start utilizing him more, obviously. But I just told him to keep his positive energy up and help the other wide receivers who are coming along, too.”
Joyner not getting touches has been a source of questions from fans for two weeks, especially after the Gamecocks’ coaches repeatedly talked about how he was a player who needed the ball in his hands.
USC got it to him on a reverse, handing the ball to Deshaun Fenwick on a sweep and having Fenwick pitch the ball back to Joyner.
The defense overflowed, Joyner got a few key blocks or near-blocks and was racing down the right sideline.
He even got the assist from quarterback Collin Hill, who had to sell a little that he was finished with a handoff before wheeling back to help lead the way for the score.
“I’m just playing clean-up,” Hill said. “If there’s any leakage right there, I’ve got to pick it up. They flowed really hard and I just kind of kept going and tried to stay out of his way, slash maybe, make a block maybe.”
Hill joked that he couldn’t reveal too much about the play call, but he did the job, mostly staying out of Joyner’s way and simply getting in the way of a safety.
It was the second score of Joyner’s career, now in his third year. Gamecocks coach Will Muschamp said the staff had planned to call that play earlier, but never found the right moment.
“Him being out there causes a threat because you never know what he’s capable of doing, like today,” Muse said.
Joyner has come through an unusual road while in Columbia. A former Mr. Football award winner and high school great for Fort Dorchester High School near Charleston, he came to USC with a high level of expectations.
After his freshman year, he lost a battle for the backup QB spot to Ryan Hilinski and was moved to receiver, a challenge he seemed to take on with enthusiasm. (He’s got the football IQ and speed to play safety as well.) But starting QB Jake Bentley was lost for the year, meaning Joyner had to be a backup quarterback, neophyte receiver and deal with a nagging hamstring issue across 2019.
In the offseason, he also became an important voice on the team in speaking up about racial justice issues.
Muse said the long run not only gave the team a boost — Jammie Robinson was cracking a massive smile on the sideline — but it also boosted Joyner as well. Playing a skill position when one isn’t getting the ball isn’t easy, and the senior said the two shared a chat about it.
“DK, he’s been up and down throughout the past couple years,” Muse said. “He’s like (freshman QB/receiver) Luke Doty. He’s good enough to play anywhere. So we’re gonna try to find ways to get him the ball. I think his confidence was kind of low until today. I’ve talked to him a couple of times personally, just in the locker room stuff, had a 30-minute conversations about how we just need to be positive, make the plays when they come. He’s too athletic not to be on field.”
