Final thoughts, prediction for South Carolina vs. Notre Dame today in Gator Bowl
Shane Beamer didn’t exactly pack his sunglasses and board shorts, but No. 19 South Carolina is hoping for some fun in the sun come Friday’s Gator Bowl against No. 21 Notre Dame.
“I‘m a bowl game guy,” Beamer said on Thursday. “Love bowl games, what they mean to college football, for sure. I’ve been a part of a lot of different bowl games. This bowl is first class with the way they do things, the excitement level here.”
South Carolina’s offense will get a new-ish look come Friday. MarShawn Lloyd and Jaheim Bell are both gone. That leaves the Gamecocks having to replace two of their four most dynamic playmakers.
Quarterback Spencer Rattler has looked the part of the five-star passer he was perceived to be coming out of high school in wins over No. 5 Tennessee and No. 8 Clemson. He finished the year throwing for 798 yards and eight touchdowns to just two interceptions in the upset victories.
Rattler will also be joined in Jacksonville by his top target Antwane “Juice” Wells Jr. The former James Madison receiver has been as good as any player on the roster this fall, finishing second in the Southeastern Conference in receiving behind only Belitnikoff Award winner Jalin Hyatt.
How the Gamecocks replace Lloyd and Bell in the rushing attack, though, remains to be seen. Juju McDowell and Christian Beal-Smith both ought to get plenty of touches. The latter teased the idea South Carolina could come out in some kind of two-back set with both players on the field at the same time.
“I feel like it’s going to be great complementary football,” McDowell said on Wednesday. “We’ve still got a great stable of backs, missing a couple, but yeah. It’s going to be a great 1-2, (or) 1-2-3 punch. We didn’t lose too much from the run game.”
The South Carolina defense will have its hands full enough, albeit without having to see Notre Dame All-American tight end Michael Mayer, who opted out of the game to prepare for the NFL Draft.
Mayer’s absence may be as crucial as any in Jacksonville this week. The potential first-round pick accounted for 33.7% of Notre Dame’s almost 2,400 receiving yards this year. He also caught 37 more passes than anyone on the roster and was the only Fighting Irish player to record more than three receiving touchdowns.
Quarterback Tyler Buchner is back in the fold after suffering an AC sprain in his non-throwing shoulder that saw him miss 10 of 12 regular-season games this year. Named the starter coming out of camp, Buchner was up and down when he did play. He completed just 38 of his 52 passes for 378 yards in season-opening losses to Ohio State and Marshall. It’s unclear how healthy he’ll be Friday.
“I think he’s ready to roll,” Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said Thursday. “You talk about a guy that hasn’t played football for probably Week 2 to Week 12. He had some time where he wasn’t on the practice field. After 14 practices, I think he’s ready to roll.”
That Beamer and South Carolina head into Friday’s matchup with Notre Dame at 8-4 with back-to-back wins over top 10 teams is a minor miracle considering where the program resided just two years ago.
Reeling from the tail end of the Will Muschamp era, the Gamecocks went 2-8 his final season. South Carolina for 2021 was picked to finish ahead of only Vanderbilt in the SEC East.
Fast-forward to present day, and Beamer has a chance to become the first coach in program history to win bowl games his first two seasons at the helm. That’s no small feat.
This South Carolina team is certainly different than the one that beat Tennessee and Clemson to close the year, but in what’s expected to be a sea of garnet and black along the St. Johns River, I like the Gamecocks to win a second bowl game in as many years.
There’s no mayo bath on deck, but perhaps Beamer will be willing to wrestle a few alligators in celebration.
— Prediction: South Carolina 24, Notre Dame 18 —
