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Doty stands out in first career start

Luke Doty’s first start for South Carolina didn’t yield a good result on the scoreboard, but the Gamecocks' freshman showed flashes and did enough to impress his head coach against a top 15 team.

Doty was handcuffed for a lot of reasons—offensive line struggles, facing an elite Georgia defense, Shi Smith being out—but still managed to stitch together an efficient performance in his first career start.

Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports
Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports
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“I said I’m proud of the way he fought. You don’t lack confidence and that’s a part of being a great player, is you believe in yourself, you believe in guys around you,” interim head coach Mike Bobo said on his conversation with Doty postgame. “You made some mistakes but you’re gonna learn from those things and you’re gonna be a damn good football player ‘cause you’re not scared.”

Also see: Instant analysis from the Georgia loss

Doty finished going 18-for-22 for 180 yards, averaging 5.5 yards per attempt, tossing one touchdown and throwing one interception. He fumbled once, which was recovered by a Gamecock offensive lineman.

He'd piece together a touchdown drive in the first half—thanks in part to a flea flicker resulting in a 35-yard gain—before leading another touchdown drive late in the game.

With the Gamecocks trailing 45-10 and pinned at the two yard-line, Doty put together an 11-play, 98-yard drive capped by a seven-yard touchdown pass to Nick Muse, both players' first touchdown at South Carolina.

“I think that just shows the type of character that we have on this team. Guys never gave up, guys never stopped fighting and that drive right there just kind of showed it,” Doty said. “We all believed and knew that we were gonna be able to execute the plan to just go down there and score no matter what was going on, no matter what the scoreboard said, no matter what the other team was doing. We just had the mindset to go down there and put points up on the board.”

Also see: Instant analysis from the Liberty loss

Muse has quickly become Doty’s favorite target in his first two games seeing action, having caught 14 passes for 198 yards and the only touchdown of his South Carolina career in the past two games.

“Out here on the football field, I think he just trusts me, I can be one of his go-to guys as I think I’ve proven the last two games and when he gives me the opportunity, I’ve just gotta make the plays and luckily that’s what I’ve been doing the past two games,” Muse said.

Doty has even taken on a leadership role in the locker room despite his limited action.

“Luke’s the one that grabbed them together and broke it down, which was good to see, taking ownership of his play and this team and that’s what this team needs, is leadership,” Bobo said. “For a freshman to step up and be vocal, it was good to see.”

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