Five things we learned from South Carolina’s shutout win over Eastern Illinois
South Carolina handled its business Saturday night. The Shane Beamer era began with a 46-0 pummeling of FCS opponent Eastern Illinois.
The Gamecocks have more daunting matchups upcoming — back-to-back road trips to East Carolina on Sept. 11 and Georgia on Sept. 18 are up next — but they did answer some offseason questions in the season debut.
What did we learn from South Carolina’s first football game of 2021? Here are five of the top takeaways:
Zeb Noland a solid option at QB ... decision coming?
Zeb Noland showed poise in his debut as the Gamecocks’ starting quarterback, finishing the night completing 13 of his 22 passes for 121 yards and four touchdowns.
Three weeks ago, Noland was helping write the offensive playbook and coaching at practice as a graduate assistant. But as we all know, Luke Doty fell injured in practice, leaving an opportunity for Noland to exercise his final year of eligibility.
Beamer told reporters after the game he expects Doty to be at “full speed” by next week’s game against East Carolina. On a Sunday conference call, Beamer said South Carolina will not name a quarterback starter before this week’s game.
Cam Smith helps answer questions about secondary
Cam Smith’s injury status had been a topic of discussion as he recovered in the preseason from a cracked bone in his foot, but the third-year cornerback showed he’s going to be just fine in the Gamecocks’ season opener. Smith finished as South Carolina’s leading tackler against Eastern Illinois with four solo tackles, one a 2-yard tackle for loss.
He’s one of many pieces that needed to come together in the Gamecocks’ retooled secondary coming off the loss of 2020 leaders Jaycee Horn and Israel Mukuamu. South Carolina defensive backs also had a good night Saturday when Smith wasn’t on the field. Safety Jaylan Foster was one of two Gamecocks to get an interception, and Eastern Illinois didn’t have a play go further than 12 yards.
Special teams a strength so far
On Saturday, the Gamecocks blocked a punt for the first time since 2014, and then they did it again.
South Carolina’s transfer additions proved to be game-changers in special teams packages. Debo Williams, a transfer from FCS Delaware, brought down the first punt block, setting South Carolina up inside the Panthers’ 40-yard line for a drive that resulted in a touchdown. Georgia State transfer Jordan Strachan came down with the second blocked punt at midfield.
Kickers and punters also played well on Saturday. Kai Kroeger only punted twice, but he launched his first of the season 50 yards after the Gamecocks’ first drive against Eastern Illinois resulted in a three-and-out. Experienced kicker Parker White nailed his only field goal attempt, a 36-yard kick. Mitch Jeter averaged 62.6 yards on his five kickoffs.
Tight ends are getting involved
Beamer made preseason promises to involve tight ends in his offense. The promises were kept on Saturday.
South Carolina’s first two touchdowns were tight end receptions — first a 4-yard pass to Nick Muse and then a 3-yard pass to Jaheim Bell.
Bell also got a couple carries in the season opener, like he did in South Carolina’s spring game. Bell had two touches for 16 yards, including a 10-yard rush on third down.
The running back room is deep
Juju McDowell said he believed South Carolina had the best running back room in the country during the preseason. While that’s still an undetermined claim, the Gamecocks had plenty of options at their disposal on Saturday night.
Even without star tailback Kevin Harris, who was out on Saturday with an illness, South Carolina rushers totaled 258 yards, splitting the bulk of the carries pretty evenly between MarShawn Lloyd (14), ZaQuandre White (12) and McDowell (12).
What happens once Harris does return is yet to be determined. Offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield has previously said he’s inclined to play who’s running well over spreading out touches evenly. Should Harris go on a tear like he did in 2020, it could result in a different approach.
Next Gamecocks game
Who: South Carolina at East Carolina
When: Noon Saturday, Sept. 11
Where: at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, NC
TV: ESPN2
Line: ECU by 2
