Two weeks in but there are positive signs on the offense
Sept. 15, 2022
South Carolina, on paper, is more talented than it was a year ago offensively. It added transfers in Antwane “Juice” Wells and Corey Rucker (who hasn’t played due to injury) at receiver. Wake Forest import Christian Beal-Smith figured to boost the backfield. Quarterback Spencer Rattler and tight end Austin Stogner both came in from Oklahoma with sights set on rewriting their respective careers to this point. Moves like that led to efforts like Saturday.
Rattler recorded the 10th-highest single-game passing total for a South Carolina quarterback with his 23-of-38, 371-yard, one-touchdown effort at Arkansas. Wells earned Breakout Offensive Player of the Week from the East-West Shrine Bowl following his eight-catch, 189-yard performance against the Razorbacks.
Stogner, too, had his moments notching two key blocks to spring MarShawn Lloyd for a pair of long runs early in the contest while receiver Ahmarean Brown has four catches on six targets through two weeks. “There are flashes everywhere good flashes and bad flashes,” Stogner said Tuesday of how the offense has improved week to week. “This is our second week. It’s Spencer’s second week as the quarterback.
It’s gonna take time, but we were better than last week and took a huge step. Hopefully, we can take the same step (this week).” That those transfers and Brown, who was added from Georgia Tech in 2021, have taken on key roles leaves some of the faces of last year’s offense with seemingly down numbers at least so far.
Josh Vann led the Gamecocks in receiving a year ago. His 52.2 yards per game were almost 14 more yards than any other player on the roster. His encore? One catch for nine yards over two games. Receiver Dakereon Joyner and tight end Jaheim Bell have also seen their numbers dip a smidge, albeit for vastly different reasons. Joyner has battled injury through fall camp and into the season. He played just one snap in the season opener against Georgia State and his 19 snaps at Arkansas ranked 14 of 18 among players who saw time one spot ahead of Vann.
Bell’s usage has necessitated a bit of a shift, given the Gamecocks’ insistence on using his varying skill sets in the run game. He’s recorded 11 carries for 44 yards so far this fall, but only four receptions for 18 yards. That said, it’s early. It may all be an anomaly. Let Beamer explain.
“Spencer doesn’t look at that wristband and read the play and then in parentheses, it says, ‘Throw to Jaheim,’ or, ‘Throw to (Brown),’ ” he said, half-joking. “The play may go to Jaheim. The play may go to (Brown), it may go to Vann, whoever. It’s just kind of how the defense plays it. “Don’t get me wrong, there are plays to where we are trying to get the ball to certain people. We had a couple of plays specifically for Josh Vann last week that we put in.
But we have options on every play and that’s a good thing to have.” South Carolina hasn’t scored more than 30 points in consecutive SEC games since notching a combined 71 points in wins over Vanderbilt and Auburn in 2020.
It hadn’t happened before that prior to a two-week stretch of shootouts against Ole Miss and Florida in 2018. Taking on a Georgia team on Saturday that looks the part of its dominant 2021-self, South Carolina is going to need all the offense it can get
whether it comes from newcomers or returners. Beamer hasn’t been shy about his willingness to add players if it boosts the roster’s overall talent level. Coming off a 2-8 campaign that got Will Muschamp canned and a 2021 season that saw the offense sputter far more than it thrived, it’s no surprise the Gamecocks looked for reinforcements. So far, those players are making an impact.
Sept. 15, 2022
South Carolina, on paper, is more talented than it was a year ago offensively. It added transfers in Antwane “Juice” Wells and Corey Rucker (who hasn’t played due to injury) at receiver. Wake Forest import Christian Beal-Smith figured to boost the backfield. Quarterback Spencer Rattler and tight end Austin Stogner both came in from Oklahoma with sights set on rewriting their respective careers to this point. Moves like that led to efforts like Saturday.
Rattler recorded the 10th-highest single-game passing total for a South Carolina quarterback with his 23-of-38, 371-yard, one-touchdown effort at Arkansas. Wells earned Breakout Offensive Player of the Week from the East-West Shrine Bowl following his eight-catch, 189-yard performance against the Razorbacks.
Stogner, too, had his moments notching two key blocks to spring MarShawn Lloyd for a pair of long runs early in the contest while receiver Ahmarean Brown has four catches on six targets through two weeks. “There are flashes everywhere good flashes and bad flashes,” Stogner said Tuesday of how the offense has improved week to week. “This is our second week. It’s Spencer’s second week as the quarterback.
It’s gonna take time, but we were better than last week and took a huge step. Hopefully, we can take the same step (this week).” That those transfers and Brown, who was added from Georgia Tech in 2021, have taken on key roles leaves some of the faces of last year’s offense with seemingly down numbers at least so far.
Josh Vann led the Gamecocks in receiving a year ago. His 52.2 yards per game were almost 14 more yards than any other player on the roster. His encore? One catch for nine yards over two games. Receiver Dakereon Joyner and tight end Jaheim Bell have also seen their numbers dip a smidge, albeit for vastly different reasons. Joyner has battled injury through fall camp and into the season. He played just one snap in the season opener against Georgia State and his 19 snaps at Arkansas ranked 14 of 18 among players who saw time one spot ahead of Vann.
Bell’s usage has necessitated a bit of a shift, given the Gamecocks’ insistence on using his varying skill sets in the run game. He’s recorded 11 carries for 44 yards so far this fall, but only four receptions for 18 yards. That said, it’s early. It may all be an anomaly. Let Beamer explain.
“Spencer doesn’t look at that wristband and read the play and then in parentheses, it says, ‘Throw to Jaheim,’ or, ‘Throw to (Brown),’ ” he said, half-joking. “The play may go to Jaheim. The play may go to (Brown), it may go to Vann, whoever. It’s just kind of how the defense plays it. “Don’t get me wrong, there are plays to where we are trying to get the ball to certain people. We had a couple of plays specifically for Josh Vann last week that we put in.
But we have options on every play and that’s a good thing to have.” South Carolina hasn’t scored more than 30 points in consecutive SEC games since notching a combined 71 points in wins over Vanderbilt and Auburn in 2020.
It hadn’t happened before that prior to a two-week stretch of shootouts against Ole Miss and Florida in 2018. Taking on a Georgia team on Saturday that looks the part of its dominant 2021-self, South Carolina is going to need all the offense it can get
whether it comes from newcomers or returners. Beamer hasn’t been shy about his willingness to add players if it boosts the roster’s overall talent level. Coming off a 2-8 campaign that got Will Muschamp canned and a 2021 season that saw the offense sputter far more than it thrived, it’s no surprise the Gamecocks looked for reinforcements. So far, those players are making an impact.