USC Gamecocks Football

Everything Jaheim Bell said today about his season, lack of touches against Missouri

South Carolina tight end Jaheim Bell hasn’t had the season most expected.

After an offseason of hype, Bell has seen his role limited through eight games this fall. The Florida native spoke with reporters about his year to date and his recent usage on Tuesday.

Here’s what he said ahead of the South Carolina (5-3, 2-3 SEC) road game (7:30 p.m. Saturday, SECN) against Vanderbilt (3-5, 0-4 SEC):

Conversations with the staff about getting on the field more and things he has to do:

“Those conversations through the week pretty much telling me, do everything right on the field. I do whatever they asked me to do that’s pretty much it. Just got to (stay prepared) during the week.”

Following a prolific game in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, how did you envision this season going?

“After that bowl game and going into the summer — recovering (from an injury) and all that — I thought that I was going to take off.”

You only got nine snaps in the Missouri game. Is that something you expected?

“No, I wasn’t expecting to only have nine snaps. I was expecting to have a big game. That didn’t happen, so just on to the next week. We’re just preparing for Vanderbilt this week. I’ve just got to prepare, like I said before, and just try to get ready for a big week.”

How frustrating is it to have that inconsistency in playing time week-to-week?

“It’s very frustrating going through the week knowing you’re going to get the ball and it doesn’t happen. It’s kind of frustrating, but I kind of tried to let that go after after Sunday and Monday and try to come in and build on it and be positive and prepare like a pro.”

What do you think success looks like for you over the last four weeks?

“Success for me is just finishing the season healthy and just being the best player I can be for this team.”

Why is it you think you’re being kept off the field?

“Some of it might be a personnel issue. I feel like I can be a dynamic player in any personnel, but it’s not really a conversation of why I’m not out there. It just happened. But most of it is a personnel issue.”

What does a mental rep look like for you?

“A mental rep is big on our side of the line. ... Just preparing throughout the game. Like I said, preparing like a pro — that that includes still preparing through the game. Just seeing what the defense is going to do while you’re on the sideline.”

What do you remember about last year’s Vanderbilt game?

“We started the game pretty good. That touchdown was very electric to the crowd. It got the crowd on their feet. Going into the second half it was kind of rough for us, but we battled back like we always do. We’re a second-half team. I’ve heard that a lot and that’s what we did. We came back and got the job done.”

Offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield has challenged you to be a better blocker. How do you think you’ve improved in that facet of the game?

“Throughout the season, I feel like I’ve gotten better in the blocking game. I’ve put a couple of people on their backs that people didn’t expect me to. I feel like I’ve gotten better in the blocking game.”

What do you guys have to do to be more consistent down the stretch this year?

“Just got to focus on (us). We don’t need to look too far ahead. Just talking about that certain week — Like this week — we’ve got Vanderbilt. Get the keys to the game and go execute.”

Offensively, how do you guys have to keep from being frustrated?

“Just stay together. Don’t let people get in groups or packs and talk negatively. We’ve got to all stay in one group and be positive about it and start to move on.”

This story was originally published November 1, 2022 at 1:56 PM.

Ben Portnoy
The State
Ben Portnoy is The State’s South Carolina Gamecocks football beat writer. He’s a 10-time Associated Press Sports Editors award honoree and has earned recognition from the Mississippi Press Association and the National Sports Media Association. Portnoy previously covered Mississippi State for the Columbus Commercial Dispatch and Indiana football for the Journal Gazette in Ft. Wayne, IN.
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