South Carolina, QB Rattler Peaking Ahead of Matchup with Notre Dame in Gator Bowl
Notre Dame had won at least 10 games every year since 2017. At 8-4, the program’s streak of double-digit victories ends at five seasons, but the Irish still have plenty to play for in Marcus Freeman’s first full season as head coach.
The No. 21 Fighting Irish will head to Jacksonville on Dec. 30 to face 19th-ranked South Carolina in the Gator Bowl. It’ll be a battle between two programs who rebounded from early season setbacks only to finish the season ranked inside the top 25.
Just like Notre Dame, the Gamecocks started 1-2 but managed to finish 8-4 and ranked inside the top 25.
South Carolina opened with Georgia State (4-8) and picked up a comfortable win over the Panthers, 35-14. But the Gamecocks followed that up with losses of 14 and 41 points to Arkansas and Georgia.
“It didn't start off the way we wanted, losing to Georgia and Arkansas in the first three weeks,” South Carolina coach Shane Beamer said. “We weren't competitive against Georgia, but our guys kept working and kept getting better.”
The Gamecocks then beat up on weaker opponents in Charlotte and South Carolina State before a 24-14 win over Kentucky, which began South Carolina’s in-season turnaround.
“That was a pivotal point for us. South Carolina hadn't won in Lexington in, I believe, ten years, and we went up there against a nationally-ranked Kentucky team that was coming off a tough loss to Ole Miss,” Beamer said. “To win that night and the way that we did was huge for us.”
South Carolina 2022-23 Schedule
Sept. 3 vs. Georgia State, W, 35-14
Sept. 1o at No. 16 Arkansas, L, 30-44
Sept. 17 vs. No. 1 Georgia, L, 7-48
Sept. 24 vs. Charlotte, W, 56-20
Oct. 8 vs. South Carolina State, W, 51-10
Oct. 15 at No. 13 Kentucky, W, 24-14
Oct. 22 vs. Texas A&M, W, 30-24
Oct. 29 vs. Missouri, L, 10-23
Nov. 5 at Vanderbilt, W, 38-27
Nov. 12 at Florida, L, 6-38
Nov. 19 vs No. 5 Tennessee, W, 63-38
No. 26 at No. 7 Clemson, W, 31-30
The Gamecocks stumbled later in the season, dropping games to two SEC opponents in Missouri and Florida, but South Carolina came roaring back with two top-10 wins to wrap up the season.
“We certainly had some setbacks as the year went on,” Beamer said, “but our guys always continued to work and responded. The way we finished was fantastic the last two games, but a lot of that to me goes back to that night against Kentucky.”
This fall, South Carolina has often lived or died on the performance of senior signal-caller Spencer Rattler.
The former five-star quarterback prospect began his career at Oklahoma before he was replaced as a junior by Caleb Williams in 2021.
He transferred to South Carolina this past offseason and threw for 2,780 yards, 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions
On Nov. 19, Rattler played the game of his career against No. 5 Tennessee, completing 30 of his 37 passes for 438 yards and six touchdowns. In the season finale against No. 8 Clemson the following week, he connected on 64.1% of his throws for 360 yards, three total touchdowns and a pair of picks.
“It all starts with their quarterback,” Freeman said. “Spencer is an extremely talented individual. I've seen him extend some plays with his legs, the ability to throw the ball into tight spaces, and make good decisions. He is a talented quarterback.
“We have faced some talented quarterbacks this season, and he will be just as good as any of those talented quarterbacks we've faced.”
He has also nearly disappeared at times during the season, similar to Irish quarterback Drew Pyne, who recently entered the transfer portal.
Rattler failed to throw for a touchdown or eclipse 175 yards passing in losses to Georgia, Florida and Missouri.
South Carolina’s almost lost to 4-8 Texas A&M after he completed 48% of his passes for just 168 yards.
Overall, the Gamecock offense is inconsistent like Notre Dame’s. It ranks 76th with 381.1 total yards per game, less than two yards behind the Irish.
The defense actually performs a little worse, giving up 391.9 yards per contest, but as Tennessee and Clemson just saw, when South Carolina is clicking, the Gamecocks can beat anyone in the country.
“For them to beat a common opponent like Clemson, that's an extremely talented team that just won the ACC yesterday,” Freeman said. “You know you are facing an extremely talented opponent. Again, we're competitors. We want that. We want a chance to play a great opponent to see how good this football program is.”
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