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South Carolina football: Shane Beamer and Spencer Rattler might be turning the tide
By Jeff Moeller
Published:
Maybe Spencer Rattler had fate with him all along. It just needed some time to make its presence felt.
His perseverance certainly helped.
On Oct. 9, 2021, Rattler lost his starting job at Oklahoma in a 55-48 win over Texas, and he subsequently transferred to South Carolina.
A year later on nearly the exact same date, Texas routed Oklahoma 49-0 — the Sooners’ worst loss in the history of the Red River Rivalry — and Rattler’s determination paid huge dividends for him and his team in their 24-14 upset of host and No. 13 Kentucky on Saturday night.
The football gods finally shined down on Rattler and South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer.
Sometimes, you win a game with some luck combined with skill that builds the necessary momentum. It was a combination the Gamecocks didn’t have in previous contests against ranked Georgia and Arkansas teams.
When luck and fate work and combine with skill in your favor, you take it and don’t question it. The Gamecocks looked like the ranked team, while Kentucky didn’t look like one.
Rattler and Beamer deserved a break, and Rattler officially legitimized his presence. The oft-lambasted quarterback temporarily lifted himself out of the media oven.
“You call it fate, karma, whatever,” said Beamer afterwards about his quarterback. “That’s pretty freaking cool that one year later, the same day that OU plays Texas, he comes up here and leads us to this.”
Beamer also realized and felt the significance of the triumph. He and Rattler felt the pressure lifted off their shoulders. Their frustrations –- both on the surface and below the surface –- have been relieved.
The Gamecocks finally answered the bell and beat a ranked team for the 1st time since 2019. They have a 3-game winning streak for the first time in 5 years.
Beamer literally jumped for joy after the game because it was temporarily confirmed that his team has a gamechanger at quarterback, and his team had moved up a tier.
At 4-2, the Gamecocks can begin to strut because they took the first step to again becoming a credible team for the first time in a few years. The firebrand quarterback and the head coach will be linked closely together through this year and the next.
Rattler had his 3rd consecutive efficient game, going 14-for-19 for 177 yards with a touchdown and an interception. In the 2nd half, he went 8-for-10 and engineered 3 scoring drives.
The junior fired a laser to frequent target Antwane Wells Jr. in the right flat, and Wells outraced the Kentucky defense with a 42-yard sideline sprint to end a nifty 6-play, 75-yard drive early in the 3rd quarter that put South Carolina ahead to stay at 14-7. Mitch Jeter booted a 32-yard field goal later in the 3rd quarter for some breathing room, making it 17-7.
Yet, the naysayers quickly will jump at the chance to state that Kentucky starting quarterback Will Levis wasn’t in the lineup and in a boot before the game. They will scream that this wasn’t a true victory over a ranked team.
They will also point the finger at Rattler, who struggled to find his rhythm and consistency in the opening half and threw an interception, his 7th of the season. Rattler’s faults and inconsistencies have been trending in a positive direction though.
However, Kentucky lost a fumble deep in its own territory that South Carolina quickly turned into points on its first play from scrimmage when running back MarShawn Lloyd squirted into the end zone from 2 yards out.
Lloyd has been finding his niche, and he ran for 110 yards against Kentucky. He now has 359 of his 434 total rushing yards in his past 3 games.
The Gamecocks later blocked a punt, but they couldn’t convert and turn the momentum into a tidal wave.
Putting it all aside, this was the 3rd consecutive game — and win — for South Carolina in which it turned in an overall solid team effort, this time in all 3 phases of the game.
This one was particularly redeeming to Rattler as well as the Gamecocks’ defense, which has been highly scrutinized despite all of its injuries. The unit, maligned over its pass rush, which had produced just 4 sacks — ranked last in the SEC — coming in, left the field on Saturday with 6 in 1 night.
It was an inevitable result with the Gamecocks defense having 24 quarterback hurries over the past 3 weeks. The unit has endured despite the loss of defensive end Jordan Strachan for the season.
The defense recovered a fumble and added an interception. It also held Kentucky wide receiver Tayvion Robinson to 1 catch for 27 yards after he had 23 catches for 338 yards with 3 touchdowns coming into the game. The Gamecocks secondary still isn’t at full strength, as it didn’t dress safeties Devonni Reed and RJ Roderick because of injuries.
Defensive lineman Tonka Hemingway nearly scored when he scooped up a fumble on Kentucky’s first play and rambled to the 2-yard line, setting up his team’s first score on its first play.
Was it all good?
No.
The Gamecocks’ run defense allowed Kentucky running back Chris Rodriguez to accumulate 126 yards for a 5.7 yards-per-carry clip.
Yes, this is 1 win over a ranked team. There is still plenty of season ahead, beginning after a bye week with a tilt against Texas A&M on Oct. 22 at Williams-Brice Stadium.
The Aggies are just 3-3 but nearly upset top-ranked Alabama on Saturday night, losing 24-20 to a Crimson Tide team that played without Bryce Young. A&M backup quarterback Haynes King threw for 253 yards and 2 touchdowns. But on a negative note, Alabama’s Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 154 of the Tide’s 288 rushing yards.
The timing here seems right for the Gamecocks, but they will need another win to keep their legitimacy.
And, for the time being, it again appears some fate and luck might be shifting their way.
