How good is Spencer Rattler? And other questions USC must answer vs. Georgia State
South Carolina football is back.
USC kicks off its season Saturday night against former Steve Spurrier assistant Shawn Elliott and his pesky Georgia State team at Williams-Brice Stadium. (The game is streaming on SEC Network Plus and ESPN+.)
The Gamecocks overachieved in Year 1 under Shane Beamer. The hope is to follow a surprising 7-6 campaign with another breakout this fall.
Here are three questions South Carolina must answer in the first game of the season:
Which version of QB Spencer Rattler is USC getting?
Spencer Rattler’s evolution from Heisman Trophy front-runner to benched backup is one of the more fascinating sagas in recent college football memory.
It’s not all that long ago Rattler was considered a possible option for the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Now? He’s in Columbia looking to revive his career.
Rattler has all the talent in the world. Coaches at South Carolina have raved publicly and privately about his ability. He’s got that “wow” factor that backs up his previous five-star billing.
The kicker, though, is last season.
Rattler was largely surgical in his first year as a starter for the Sooners, completing 67.5% of his 317 passes for 3,031 yards, 28 touchdowns and just seven interceptions in 2020. But after throwing five interceptions over his first six games last fall, a halftime benching against Texas and then-freshman Caleb Williams’ emergence, Rattler’s OU career was basically over.
On Saturday, we’ll get our first look at which version of Rattler is in Columbia against a defense that ranked 109th nationally against the pass last fall.
The Gamecocks almost certainly won’t have to play four different quarterbacks this fall. (That noise you hear is Beamer knocking on wood.) Rattler’s talent and assured spot as the starter likely raises the floor for this South Carolina team.
But if he can elevate to an elite level, USC’s ceiling completely changes.
Can the Gamecocks stop the run?
South Carolina’s schedule — per usual — does Beamer and Co. no favors. That includes Saturday against Georgia State.
As good as Clayton White’s defense was in 2021, the Gamecocks were susceptible against the run for the bulk of last season.
South Carolina surrendered an average of 175 yards per game on the ground a year ago. Five opponents ran for 230 yards or more over USC’s 13 games. That can’t happen again.
Georgia State is a heck of measuring stick out of the gate for the South Carolina defense.
Former Gamecocks defender Jamyest Williams and ex-walk-on Tucker Gregg make up an über-talented Panthers backfield. The pair combined for 1,812 yards and 18 touchdowns on 320 touches last fall. Quarterback Darren Grainger also added 660 yards and three touchdowns on his 133 carries.
South Carolina should be stout at linebacker and in the middle of its defensive line. Defensive ends Jordan Strachan — who started his career at Georgia State — and Jordan Burch are going to have to help set the edge and keep Williams, Gregg and Grainger in check if USC hopes to keep its season opener from getting hairy.
How good can South Carolina be in 2022?
One game against a Sun Belt team isn’t a perfect indicator for the rest of the year, but these are the kinds of contests South Carolina needs to take care of business in.
USC flirted with disaster at East Carolina and at home against Troy in 2021. It won both contests, but they were messy, at best.
Elliott has every reason to have his team ready to go. He’s a Camden native, spent seven years on staff at South Carolina and was the interim coach when Steve Spurrier suddenly retired in the middle of the 2015 season. In some alternate universe, it’s not crazy to imagine him as the head coach in Columbia right now.
That’s not to mention Georgia State has held its own against Southeastern Conference foes throughout Elliott’s tenure — just ask Tennessee and Auburn.
South Carolina has enjoyed an offseason of hope and hype. Rattler’s arrival is a big piece of that. As was an upstart 2021 season.
That can be washed away in an instant.
The Gamecocks are pegged as roughly two-touchdown favorites. I think it’s a good bet the Panthers keep this one close into the second half, especially if Beamer’s crew starts slowly.
South Carolina wants to punch up in a wide-open SEC East behind defending national champion Georgia. Winning comfortably on Saturday would be a tangible sign of progress after last year’s lethargic outings against Group of Five foes.
This story was originally published September 2, 2022 at 8:40 AM.
