5 things we learned about South Carolina football from Week 2 win over Furman
Returning home for the first time since early November 2022, South Carolina lit up the scoreboard and evened its record with a 47-21 win Saturday over Furman.
The win was much-needed by the Gamecocks, who now head into Southeastern Conference play at 1-1. More importantly, USC had a chance to show off its all its assets, both regular starters and plenty of fresh faces.
Here are five takeaways from the win:
Spencer Rattler really is comfortable with this offense
Spencer Rattler and head coach Shane Beamer both said during preseason and over these first two weeks the starting QB is more comfortable with this year’s offensive scheme. Three passing touchdowns, a rushing touchdown, nearly 350 yards and a 93% completion rate capped off a high-quality performance Saturday from Rattler.
Rattler threw his three touchdown passes on consecutive drives, two of which came 40 seconds apart. His 36-yard pass to fellow QB and wide receiver Luke Doty was followed by a 7-yard connection to O’Mega Blake with three seconds to go in the first half. Those scores were among Beamer’s noted highlights from the game.
“A lot of times you watch games like that, the quarterback’s not aware, the team runs out without getting to kick a field goal or score a touchdown,” Beamer said of Rattler’s clock management. “And we scored a touchdown there, so that was huge for us.”
Injury woes carry on
While not as dramatic as Week 1 (for now), the Gamecocks still had a few players leave the game with injuries. While players like Ahmarean Brown and Keenan Nelson Jr. are “fine,” according to Beamer, there are still questions around running back Bradley Dunn and offensive lineman JonDarius Morgan’s status.
This carries over with the multitude of injuries from Week 1, including Mo Kaba’s season-ending knee ailment announced Monday. Once again, it’s forcing the Gamecocks to continue relying on the next-man-up mentality to fill the voids for those unable to play.
Still missing consistency in the run game
While not perfect, the Gamecocks had some improvement in the run game from Week 1 to Week 2. South Carolina had six different players rush for at least six yards Saturday, with two rushing touchdowns. However, an average 2.8 yards per carry and 108 total yards isn’t a sure-fire sign things are perfect with the running back room just yet.
There were improvements with the offensive line, too, that benefited the run game. Dakereon Joyner scored a rushing touchdown for the second-straight game, but it’s becoming more evident the Gamecocks are continuing to rely on their pass-focused offense.
Young QBs have potential
Once the Gamecocks established a significant lead, Beamer made the choice to send in the young players. It was sporadic at first, but eventually USC used all five quarterbacks available. Freshman LaNorris Sellers entered the game as the third QB of the evening, after Doty.
“I thought he looked pretty dang good,” Beamer said of Sellers postgame. “He was awesome. He’s a tough kid. He’s a load to bring down, so he’s a weapon running the ball, and then that throw he had was pretty dang impressive.”
Sellers had one of the most explosive plays of the entire night, launching the ball 60 yards for his first career touchdown pass in the third quarter. He was 4-of-4 passing with 86 yards and two touchdowns.
Confidence gained before SEC play
The next six games are all in conference play, starting with a trip to Athens to face the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs (3:30 p.m., CBS). A lot of this game was about getting the Gamecocks comfortable and overcoming the mishaps against UNC last week, and they did that.
Things are going to move quickly now, going from facing an FCS program to the reigning national champions, and Beamer acknowledged that.
“It’s going to ramp up a lot here starting next week, the speed of the game,” He said.
This story was originally published September 10, 2023 at 6:15 AM.
