Jaheim Bell’s involvement among first-half surprises for South Carolina football
Shane Beamer’s second season in Columbia is already half over.
South Carolina sits at 4-2 following a crucial win at No. 13 Kentucky on Saturday. Now comes trying to get the Gamecocks bowl-eligible in back-to-back years for the first time since 2017-18.
Here’s a look at some of the surprises from the season’s first half:
QB Spencer Rattler’s ups and downs
Perhaps we should’ve seen this coming.
Spencer Rattler’s college career has been littered with high highs and low lows. That’s followed him from Oklahoma to South Carolina, where his numbers have ebbed and flowed week to week.
Rattler currently ranks sixth among Southeastern Conference quarterbacks with 1,297 yards passing, but he also sits dead last with eight interceptions among league passers averaging at least 15 throws per game.
The ex-Sooner has had moments of brilliance. He’s created generally consistent connections with receivers Antwane “Juice” Wells Jr. and Jalen Brooks. He’s also made those boneheaded throws that led to his benching at Oklahoma.
In fairness, Rattler has largely played better than his numbers might indicate. The interceptions, for example, haven’t been completely been his fault — as many as three of them fell on receivers’ failures to make plays.
South Carolina has a nice runway in front of it with games against Texas A&M, Missouri and Vanderbilt. It needs a more consistent version of Rattler — the one we expected when he signed with the Gamecocks — if they’re to push toward a 6-3 or 7-2 start.
TE Jaheim Bell’s lack of involvement in the offense
Short of Rattler, Jaheim Bell might’ve drawn more headlines than any player on South Carolina’s roster this offseason. He was considered a do-it-all-type weapon who could catch passes, block and even take handoffs from time to time.
That hasn’t quite come to fruition.
Bell ranks fourth on the team in receiving yards (137), but he’s recorded no more than two receptions in five of the Gamecocks’ games. He’s also notched just six carries for 16 yards over the last month.
South Carolina’s offense has seemed to figure some things out over its current three-game winning-streak. Bell hasn’t exactly been a crucial cog in that recent run, though he was increasingly involved on Saturday at Kentucky.
The Gamecocks could use more of the Bell that torched North Carolina in last year’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl over these final six games than the one that slogged through the first half of 2022.
DE Gilber Edmond’s productivity, youngsters starring at safety
South Carolina’s defense has suffered a whole host of injuries this season.
Starting edge rusher Jordan Strachan and linebacker Mo Kaba are both out for the season. Defensive backs Darius Rush, Devonni Reed, David Spaulding and R.J. Roderick have all missed time for one reason or another.
That’s led South Carolina to lean on some younger bodies.
Gilber Edmond was a project when he landed as the last player in USC’s 2020 class. He’d played almost exclusively receiver during high school before a flip to defensive line his senior season. He’s taken on the bulk of the snaps vacated by Strachan, averaging four tackles per game and sitting second on the team with two sacks.
True freshman defensive backs Nick Emmanwori and DQ Smith have also found themselves thrust into the middle of the action despite having only been on campus a short time. Emmanwori has already evolved into a starter and budding star at safety, leading the team in tackles and adding a physical presence on the back end. Smith, too, has shown flashes in coverage, while he added a scoop and score on a punt block in the win over Georgia State.
South Carolina would certainly prefer to have its entire stable of defenders healthy. However, defensive coordinator Clayton White and his staff have done a nice job mitigating those losses by bringing along some of the younger players on the roster.
Mitch Jeter’s emergence at kicker
It’s not so much that Mitch Jeter’s effectiveness is surprising as it is that South Carolina seems to have hit on another kicker.
USC had to replace all-time points scorer Parker White from last year’s team. That led to a competition between Jeter and Alex Herrera, which the former edged out.
Jeter has been nails through six games so far. He’s 6-for-6 on field goal attempts — including a pair of 50-plus yarders in his starting debut against Georgia State — while he’s converted 15-of-16 extra points.
South Carolina hasn’t gotten into any last-ditch effort games yet this season, but it should feel pretty good about what it has in Jeter should the time come.
This story was originally published October 12, 2022 at 6:30 AM.
