Why South Carolina is sticking with Jason Brown at QB against Missouri
South Carolina is sticking with its guns under center.
Former St. Francis (Pennsylvania) quarterback Jason Brown will get the start against Missouri on Saturday, head coach Shane Beamer confirmed Tuesday. Brown got his first start since transferring to South Carolina in USC’s 40-17 win over Florida on Saturday.
The former FCS quarterback completed 14 of 24 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns in the Gamecocks’ trouncing of the Gators. Brown was thrust into starting duties last week as Zeb Noland recovered from a bye week knee surgery to address a torn meniscus.
“He obviously played well the other night and we had some momentum because of it offensively,” Beamer said. “Zeb’s healthier and available. He’s good to go. Jason is the starter and we’ve got a capable group of guys back there who can play quarterback.”
That Brown earned the starting nod this week is as much an indictment of his work since the season began. Both Beamer and offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield have lauded his efforts to drop 20 pounds during the spring and his week-to-week preparation over the last few months.
Beamer noted last week, and again on Tuesday, that Brown has been a regular in the Long Family Football Operations Center this season. He tends to poke his head into Beamer’s office in the mornings and late at night. Long hours in the film room or on the practice field mark the time in between.
“He’s a natural leader, a natural quarterback,” Satterfield said last week. “And even when he wasn’t playing, he had that intangible to shoot me a random text, or just things he would say on the sideline or in the locker room, or how he is in the meeting room, how you would prepare. He’s always had that and I think he’s just kept his head down ... and worked.”
Beamer had generally shied away from naming a starting quarterback in recent weeks. He didn’t officially anoint Brown the starter ahead of the Florida game until his pregame radio show — though news broke on Friday afternoon.
Speaking with reporters on his Sunday teleconference, Beamer also didn’t address the quarterback situation, explaining he hadn’t had a chance to catch up with Noland yet.
“As far as sitting down with any quarterbacks and all that stuff, it is what it is,” Beamer said on Sunday. “I’m not going to answer a ton of questions on the quarterback depth chart and all that.”
South Carolina has started three different quarterbacks this season between Luke Doty, Noland and Brown. Doty is out for the season with a foot injury and it’s unclear when Noland will return to full health.
Freshman Colten Gauthier served as the Gamecocks’ backup quarterback behind Brown during the Florida game.
USC needs one win in its final three games against Missouri, Auburn and Clemson to reach bowl eligibility. If the Gamecocks get their sixth win, Beamer would become the third consecutive head coach in South Carolina history to reach a bowl game in his first year on the job after Will Muschamp and Steve Spurrier both did so.
“(Jason improved) from a physical standpoint, working on footwork or throwing the football mental standpoint, understanding your offense and being able to operate it,” Beamer said Tuesday. “That was really good to see the other night.”
This story was originally published November 9, 2021 at 1:22 PM.
