QB Spencer Rattler is progressing in his first five games as a Gamecock
Oct. 05, 2022
When South Carolina (3-2) lines up against No. 13 Kentucky on Saturday night, most eyes will be focused on Gamecocks quarterback Spencer Rattler. The junior Oklahoma transfer again will be heavily scrutinized to see if he can deliver against a ranked team. Under 2nd-year head coach Shane Beamer, the Gamecocks are 0-4 and have been outscored 176-64 in those contests. However, maybe Rattler shouldn’t be judged that quickly and harshly.
Spencer Rattler hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire five games into his South Carolina career. He’ll tell you that. Head coach Shane Beamer will tell you that. Offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield will tell you that. But progression isn’t always linear in college football. Rattler’s stats aren’t exactly a tell-all for where the Gamecocks’ prized quarterback transfer feels his game is less than halfway into his first season in Columbia.
“I think he’s got more I don’t want to say confidence but he’s done a great job of being a leader the last few weeks,” Beamer said of how Rattler has progressed since Week 1. “And he continues to get more and more comfortable and confident with what he’s doing and what we’re doing around him as well.” A brief glance at Rattler’s stats might force one to consider sounding an alarm.
Sans a 376-yard explosion at Arkansas, he’s averaging just 186 yards per game over those four other contests. His eight interceptions rank tops among SEC quarterbacks averaging at least 15 throws per contest. He also ranks tied for last in the league among signal-callers who’ve played at least five games with four touchdown passes, along with Florida’s Anthony Richardson. But his flashes of brilliance even if they’ve only come in spurts give reason to think the Gamecocks are still headed in the right direction. Take Rattler’s touchdown pass to Austin Stogner last week as proof of his continued development.
Receiving a shotgun snap, Rattler stepped into the pocket as the S.C. State defense closed in on him. He started to run but kept his eyes downfield. Nearing the line of scrimmage, Rattler slid into a passing motion and flung a 15-yard dart to Stogner for his former Oklahoma teammate’s first touchdown at South Carolina. Beamer lauded the play as one of his best as a Gamecock on his Sunday teleconference. He doubled down on the stance on Tuesday afternoon. Rattler didn’t go as far as to rank his throws in his five-game South Carolina start, but smirked at the thought of the play is up there on his internal list. “It was up there,” Rattler said with a grin. “It wasn’t a difficult throw, but I stepped up (in the pocket) and I knew where he was going. So, I just threw it to him. ... It was a good play. Fun play.”
Rattler, too, has added an explosive element that desperately lacked a season ago in the four-player carousel that made up South Carolina’s quarterback room in 2022. The Gamecocks recorded just 99 passing plays of 10 yards or more in 13 games last fall. They’ve recorded 49 such plays in 2022 which, if extended over a 12-game season, puts USC on pace for 117 passes of 10 or more yards this year. Much of that comes from the Gamecocks' insistence to rely more heavily on a passing game that was retooled with Rattler, Stogner, and transfer receivers Antwane “Juice” Wells Jr. (James Madison) and Corey Rucker (Arkansas State) this past offseason.
Satterfield hasn’t been shy about saying South Carolina is happy to air it out more this year. Beamer, too, has backed up that stance in recent weeks. The numbers bear it out, as well. South Carolina threw 360 passes over 13 games in 2022., the second-lowest mark in the SEC. The Gamecocks are on track to attempt almost 400 throws in the 12-game regular season. “I’d be an idiot to sit up here and tell you we’re going to run the ball 60 times a game,” Beamer said in the days after a 44-30 loss at Arkansas in Week 2. “We’ve got an NFL quarterback, NFL receivers and NFL tight ends. Every week we’re trying to do what gives us the best opportunity to be successful.” Added Satterfield recently: “I mean, I’m not gonna lie, going into every game, we’re gonna spin that thing and throw down the field. And that’s what we said going into the season.
That’s not going to change.” Ire surrounding South Carolina’s offense has continued into the early parts of the 2022 campaign and, in fairness, it’s not completely without merit. Gamecocks' looked stagnant in spells in the season opener against Georgia State a squad that didn’t record its first victory of the year until last week. South Carolina was then utterly dominated in a Week 3 meeting with then-No. 3 Georgia. Still, mature throws like that to Stogner and turning in back-to-back 50-point performances for the first time since 1995 albeit against one of the FBS’s worst defenses and an FCS squad indicate growth. Now, though, comes showing it against SEC competition at Kentucky, a team South Carolina has thrown for 250 yards or less against in eight of their last 10 meetings. “We’re chomping at the bit (to play Kentucky),” Rattler said. “We’re ready to go.”
Against Kentucky, Rattler will face a stingy pass unit that has given up an average of 183 yards in its first 5 games. The Wildcats allowed 223 yards in a 22-19 loss to Ole Miss last week, which was their biggest allowance of the season. Over its past 3 games, Kentucky has allowed an average of 185 yards and 14.8 points per game. If the Gamecocks’ running game can get into gear, Rattler won’t be forced to make plays and unnecessarily throw the ball into traffic downfield. Instead, Rattler should look to a more controlled approach and spread the ball around like he did when he hit 11 different receivers against South Carolina State. Rattler will need to use his array of receivers and patiently spread the ball around against Kentucky.
Antwane Wells Jr. leads the team with 24 receptions with 1 touchdown, and Jalen Brooks has 17 grabs for 298 yards. In recent weeks, Brooks has emerged as a serious threat. Out of the backfield, Lloyd (13 catches, 118 yards, 2 touchdowns) and Juju McDowell (113 catches, 97 yards) have surfaced as viable options, especially if the downfield options have been limited. Tight end Austin Stogner caught his 1st touchdown pass last week, and his 10 receptions should double quickly. Xavier Legette has been seeing more playing time, and Ahmarean Brown and Josh Vann should be back in the mix after dealing with injuries. Jaheim Bell has been useful in the backfield as a short-yardage choice, but he can easily be in the slot.
Wells, Brooks, and Legette can all make a huge difference with their playmaking skills. It will be a matter of Rattler making timely, selective choices. Over the past few weeks, offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield has been more creative with his passing options as well as the running game. He has to continue to try to tap out the maximum from his unit to keep the Gamecocks in the hunt down the stretch. To his benefit, Rattler has realized all of his possible outlets After Kentucky, the Gamecocks will have a week off before they host Texas A&M on Oct. 22, beginning a pivotal 6-game run to determine their fate. “We have at least 2 consistent guys on the field at any time,” Rattler said. “There are times when we’ll have 4 consistent guys on the field, and 1 of them is a big tight end. As well as running backs who catch. “We’re really deep in our skill positions, so that makes my job a lot easier. Just get the ball in their hands and they’ll make plays. You have seen some of that.” For Rattler and his cast, they will have to see more.
Easily the centerpiece of the program, Rattler will be expected to deliver without any major mistakes, or be ready to be placed back on the rotisserie for the college football world. However, maybe Rattler shouldn’t be judged that quickly and harshly. He has more weapons at his disposal to have the ability to make better choices. Against then-No. 16 Arkansas in the 2nd game of the season, Rattler held his own with a 24-for-39, 377-yard performance with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. It was his biggest yardage output of the season. Rattler saw any chance against then-No. 1 Georgia quickly wither away in sun-splashed Williams Brice Stadium when he threw a bad interception in the opening quarter.
It proved to have a jumpstart effect toward a 48-7 rout for the Bulldogs. Rattler finished the game 13-for-25 with 118 yards and 2 interceptions. That showing lit the fuse for critics to rehash his inconsistencies from the past, and they began to question if he was the quarterback savior the Gamecocks had envisioned. Facing the 2 ranked teams, Rattler was 37-of-64 for 495 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. Against Georgia State in the opener and recently in the routs of Charlotte and South Carolina State, Rattler went 61-for-87 for 626 yards with 3 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.
The 2 against South Carolina State were catchable balls that bounced out of a receiver’s hands. For the season, Rattler has completed 98 of 151 attempts for 1,121 yards with 4 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. His quarterback rating is 126.7. He is within striking distance of his 3,031-yard accumulation in 2020, when he had 28 touchdown passes.
Rattler didn’t have to take a gunslinger approach against Charlotte and South Carolina State mainly due to the revival of the Gamecock running game behind the more cohesive offensive line that has sprung holes for MarShawn Lloyd and his backfield mates. With their recent blowouts, the Gamecocks have inflated their offensive numbers to a 6th-best 35.6 points per game in the SEC, an average of 257 yards through the air and 138.2 via the ground.
Oct. 05, 2022
When South Carolina (3-2) lines up against No. 13 Kentucky on Saturday night, most eyes will be focused on Gamecocks quarterback Spencer Rattler. The junior Oklahoma transfer again will be heavily scrutinized to see if he can deliver against a ranked team. Under 2nd-year head coach Shane Beamer, the Gamecocks are 0-4 and have been outscored 176-64 in those contests. However, maybe Rattler shouldn’t be judged that quickly and harshly.
Spencer Rattler hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire five games into his South Carolina career. He’ll tell you that. Head coach Shane Beamer will tell you that. Offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield will tell you that. But progression isn’t always linear in college football. Rattler’s stats aren’t exactly a tell-all for where the Gamecocks’ prized quarterback transfer feels his game is less than halfway into his first season in Columbia.
“I think he’s got more I don’t want to say confidence but he’s done a great job of being a leader the last few weeks,” Beamer said of how Rattler has progressed since Week 1. “And he continues to get more and more comfortable and confident with what he’s doing and what we’re doing around him as well.” A brief glance at Rattler’s stats might force one to consider sounding an alarm.
Sans a 376-yard explosion at Arkansas, he’s averaging just 186 yards per game over those four other contests. His eight interceptions rank tops among SEC quarterbacks averaging at least 15 throws per contest. He also ranks tied for last in the league among signal-callers who’ve played at least five games with four touchdown passes, along with Florida’s Anthony Richardson. But his flashes of brilliance even if they’ve only come in spurts give reason to think the Gamecocks are still headed in the right direction. Take Rattler’s touchdown pass to Austin Stogner last week as proof of his continued development.
Receiving a shotgun snap, Rattler stepped into the pocket as the S.C. State defense closed in on him. He started to run but kept his eyes downfield. Nearing the line of scrimmage, Rattler slid into a passing motion and flung a 15-yard dart to Stogner for his former Oklahoma teammate’s first touchdown at South Carolina. Beamer lauded the play as one of his best as a Gamecock on his Sunday teleconference. He doubled down on the stance on Tuesday afternoon. Rattler didn’t go as far as to rank his throws in his five-game South Carolina start, but smirked at the thought of the play is up there on his internal list. “It was up there,” Rattler said with a grin. “It wasn’t a difficult throw, but I stepped up (in the pocket) and I knew where he was going. So, I just threw it to him. ... It was a good play. Fun play.”
Rattler, too, has added an explosive element that desperately lacked a season ago in the four-player carousel that made up South Carolina’s quarterback room in 2022. The Gamecocks recorded just 99 passing plays of 10 yards or more in 13 games last fall. They’ve recorded 49 such plays in 2022 which, if extended over a 12-game season, puts USC on pace for 117 passes of 10 or more yards this year. Much of that comes from the Gamecocks' insistence to rely more heavily on a passing game that was retooled with Rattler, Stogner, and transfer receivers Antwane “Juice” Wells Jr. (James Madison) and Corey Rucker (Arkansas State) this past offseason.
Satterfield hasn’t been shy about saying South Carolina is happy to air it out more this year. Beamer, too, has backed up that stance in recent weeks. The numbers bear it out, as well. South Carolina threw 360 passes over 13 games in 2022., the second-lowest mark in the SEC. The Gamecocks are on track to attempt almost 400 throws in the 12-game regular season. “I’d be an idiot to sit up here and tell you we’re going to run the ball 60 times a game,” Beamer said in the days after a 44-30 loss at Arkansas in Week 2. “We’ve got an NFL quarterback, NFL receivers and NFL tight ends. Every week we’re trying to do what gives us the best opportunity to be successful.” Added Satterfield recently: “I mean, I’m not gonna lie, going into every game, we’re gonna spin that thing and throw down the field. And that’s what we said going into the season.
That’s not going to change.” Ire surrounding South Carolina’s offense has continued into the early parts of the 2022 campaign and, in fairness, it’s not completely without merit. Gamecocks' looked stagnant in spells in the season opener against Georgia State a squad that didn’t record its first victory of the year until last week. South Carolina was then utterly dominated in a Week 3 meeting with then-No. 3 Georgia. Still, mature throws like that to Stogner and turning in back-to-back 50-point performances for the first time since 1995 albeit against one of the FBS’s worst defenses and an FCS squad indicate growth. Now, though, comes showing it against SEC competition at Kentucky, a team South Carolina has thrown for 250 yards or less against in eight of their last 10 meetings. “We’re chomping at the bit (to play Kentucky),” Rattler said. “We’re ready to go.”
Against Kentucky, Rattler will face a stingy pass unit that has given up an average of 183 yards in its first 5 games. The Wildcats allowed 223 yards in a 22-19 loss to Ole Miss last week, which was their biggest allowance of the season. Over its past 3 games, Kentucky has allowed an average of 185 yards and 14.8 points per game. If the Gamecocks’ running game can get into gear, Rattler won’t be forced to make plays and unnecessarily throw the ball into traffic downfield. Instead, Rattler should look to a more controlled approach and spread the ball around like he did when he hit 11 different receivers against South Carolina State. Rattler will need to use his array of receivers and patiently spread the ball around against Kentucky.
Antwane Wells Jr. leads the team with 24 receptions with 1 touchdown, and Jalen Brooks has 17 grabs for 298 yards. In recent weeks, Brooks has emerged as a serious threat. Out of the backfield, Lloyd (13 catches, 118 yards, 2 touchdowns) and Juju McDowell (113 catches, 97 yards) have surfaced as viable options, especially if the downfield options have been limited. Tight end Austin Stogner caught his 1st touchdown pass last week, and his 10 receptions should double quickly. Xavier Legette has been seeing more playing time, and Ahmarean Brown and Josh Vann should be back in the mix after dealing with injuries. Jaheim Bell has been useful in the backfield as a short-yardage choice, but he can easily be in the slot.
Wells, Brooks, and Legette can all make a huge difference with their playmaking skills. It will be a matter of Rattler making timely, selective choices. Over the past few weeks, offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield has been more creative with his passing options as well as the running game. He has to continue to try to tap out the maximum from his unit to keep the Gamecocks in the hunt down the stretch. To his benefit, Rattler has realized all of his possible outlets After Kentucky, the Gamecocks will have a week off before they host Texas A&M on Oct. 22, beginning a pivotal 6-game run to determine their fate. “We have at least 2 consistent guys on the field at any time,” Rattler said. “There are times when we’ll have 4 consistent guys on the field, and 1 of them is a big tight end. As well as running backs who catch. “We’re really deep in our skill positions, so that makes my job a lot easier. Just get the ball in their hands and they’ll make plays. You have seen some of that.” For Rattler and his cast, they will have to see more.
Easily the centerpiece of the program, Rattler will be expected to deliver without any major mistakes, or be ready to be placed back on the rotisserie for the college football world. However, maybe Rattler shouldn’t be judged that quickly and harshly. He has more weapons at his disposal to have the ability to make better choices. Against then-No. 16 Arkansas in the 2nd game of the season, Rattler held his own with a 24-for-39, 377-yard performance with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. It was his biggest yardage output of the season. Rattler saw any chance against then-No. 1 Georgia quickly wither away in sun-splashed Williams Brice Stadium when he threw a bad interception in the opening quarter.
It proved to have a jumpstart effect toward a 48-7 rout for the Bulldogs. Rattler finished the game 13-for-25 with 118 yards and 2 interceptions. That showing lit the fuse for critics to rehash his inconsistencies from the past, and they began to question if he was the quarterback savior the Gamecocks had envisioned. Facing the 2 ranked teams, Rattler was 37-of-64 for 495 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. Against Georgia State in the opener and recently in the routs of Charlotte and South Carolina State, Rattler went 61-for-87 for 626 yards with 3 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.
The 2 against South Carolina State were catchable balls that bounced out of a receiver’s hands. For the season, Rattler has completed 98 of 151 attempts for 1,121 yards with 4 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. His quarterback rating is 126.7. He is within striking distance of his 3,031-yard accumulation in 2020, when he had 28 touchdown passes.
Rattler didn’t have to take a gunslinger approach against Charlotte and South Carolina State mainly due to the revival of the Gamecock running game behind the more cohesive offensive line that has sprung holes for MarShawn Lloyd and his backfield mates. With their recent blowouts, the Gamecocks have inflated their offensive numbers to a 6th-best 35.6 points per game in the SEC, an average of 257 yards through the air and 138.2 via the ground.
