It was arguably the most unexpected performance of the 2022 Southeastern Conference football season.
Entering last November’s game between South Carolina and No. 5 Tennessee in Williams-Brice Stadium, one of the league’s most inefficient quarterbacks had been Spencer Rattler of the Gamecocks. The 6-foot-1, 218-pound transfer from Oklahoma had posted eight touchdowns and nine interceptions through South Carolina’s first 10 contests but erupted against the Volunteers by completing 30 of 37 attempts for 438 yards with six touchdowns in a stunning 63-38 rout.
Following Rattler’s lead, the Gamecocks amassed 606 yards, 35 first downs and went 8-of-11 on third-down conversions and 2-of-2 on fourth-down tries.
“It was a surreal moment,” Rattler said last month at SEC Media Days. “It was just having fun out there. It was like being a kid again in that flow state, just picking and going at them. It was a great night, not just for me but the whole group.
“We played at a high level, and we’re going to try and do that a lot this year.”
Rattler came back the next week and completed 25 of 39 passes for 360 yards with two touchdowns, two interceptions and a rushing score in a 31-30 victory at No. 8 Clemson, eliminating a College Football Playoff hopeful for a second time in as many weeks. The Gamecocks took an 8-4 record into the Gator Bowl against Notre Dame and got another big outing from Rattler, who completed 29 of 46 passes for 246 yards with two scores and a pick, but it wasn’t enough in a 45-38 defeat.
Several days after South Carolina returned from Jacksonville, the former five-star Sooners signee out of Phoenix announced that he would return for a fifth college season and a second in Columbia.
“I’ve known him since 2018, when I got to Oklahoma (as tight ends coach) and we were recruiting him,” Gamecocks third-year coach Shane Beamer said. “He had a fantastic career at Oklahoma, and what a great season he had down the stretch for us last season. We’re so fired up that he’s back as our quarterback for another year.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Last season: 8-5 (4-4 SEC)
Opener: Sept. 2 against North Carolina in Charlotte (7:30 p.m. on ABC)
Fun Fact: Shane Beamer’s 15 wins match the most by a South Carolina coach through his first two seasons, equalling Steve Spurrier, Will Muschamp and the late Joe Morrison, who went 10-2 during his second season in 1984. Morrison’s feat transpired not long after he guided the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to a 25-6-2 record during its first three seasons (1977-79) in the Southern Conference.
Up next: Tennessee
“He’s someone who came in and was voted a captain by his teammates last season as a junior and has an opportunity to be a two-time captain here. He was voted our most outstanding offensive player during spring practice, and we’re excited to see what he’s going to do this upcoming year.”
Rattler went 15-2 as Oklahoma’s starter and will carry a 23-7 career mark into his final college season.
South Carolina’s strong finish to its 2022 regular season was followed by a pair of notable transfer portal departures, with running back MarShawn Lloyd leaving for Southern California and tight end Jaheim Bell heading to Florida State.
“At the end of the day, it’s our love to those guys who left,” Rattler said. “That’s their situation, but I feel like we left a little bit on the table. I’ve got a lot more to prove here.
“We just scratched the surface last year.”
Dowell Loggains is among the 10 new offensive coordinators in the SEC, having previously served as the offensive coordinator for the NFL’s Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins and New York Jets. He has been the Arkansas tight ends coach the past two seasons and is not only inheriting Rattler but also sixth-year senior running back Dakereon Joyner and senior receiver Antwane “Juice” Wells.
Joyner has mostly been a receiver during his Gamecocks career but quarterbacked them to the memorable win at Georgia in 2019 and to the Duke’s Mayo Bowl downing of North Carolina in 2021, earning MVP honors. Wells gave Tennessee plenty of headaches last November as well, amassing 11 catches for 177 yards.
“I love everything that Coach Loggains has done,” Rattler said. “I feel like this offense is tailored perfectly for my game and the others around me. A main emphasis for this year is limiting turnovers. You can’t win games with turnovers, and I take total accountability for that.
“What I see on film is just sometimes me trying to do too much, when I just need to trust the play, trust the offense and protect the ball.”
Beamer is an unexpectedly strong 15-11 through two seasons, but so was predecessor Will Muschamp, who followed up a 9-4 second year by going 7-6 and then 4-8. To avoid any backtracking now, the Gamecocks must navigate September games against North Carolina in Charlotte, Georgia in Athens and Tennessee in Knoxville, and there are also early challenges against Mississippi State, which won nine games a year ago, and Florida, which routed South Carolina 38-6 last season in the Swamp.
The second half of the schedule eases somewhat, but there are still trips to Texas A&M and Clemson, who both will be out for revenge.
“I really like this 2023 team that we have returning,” Beamer said. “It’s a hungry group. They have shown they are not satisfied with just eight wins. They know that we have a higher ceiling here at Carolina, and everything they have done since January embodies that.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.