SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS FOOTBALL

As "2001" finished and the smoke started to plume out of the four gigantic towers in the end zone, there was one Gamecock in a full sprint, a few steps ahead of the rest of his teammates.

As the entrance theme finished, it became clear who the guy was that had the entire crowd at Williams-Brice watching him hoof it to midfield and onto the Gamecocks' sideline: Ryan Hilinski.

Hilinski was set to make his first collegiate start Saturday and, just like it started, he finished with all eyes on him as he led the Gamecocks to a 72-10 win.

The true freshman has been in the spotlight for longer than most college athletes; thrust into it due to unfortunate circumstances as his brother Tyler, who played quarterback at Washington State, died by suicide. Ryan has tried to make the most of his platform since then.

“I think there’s a tremendous carryover for something really tragic in your family and it being a very public situation, it makes you grow up very quickly," Will Muschamp said. "It makes you handle criticism, helps you handle negative people and handle the day and age we live in. His family’s been through a tragic situation and he’s lived that public life. He’s handled it tremendously well. I’m very proud of him today.”

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Ryan and his family have turned into incredibly outspoken advocates for mental health, creating their own foundation to keep "Tyler’s memory alive and generating the funding necessary to support programs that will help destigmatize mental illness."

Ryan committed to South Carolina and quickly became a fan favorite in the 2019 recruiting class, and that fondness from the fans only grew once he arrived on campus in January.

As he took the field for his first few plays, it had to be cathartic for his family to see another son back on the football field and have some of the spotlight shift from his off-the-field work to what he moved to South Carolina to do: play football.

“We recruited him from day one and Mark and Kym and the entire family have been outstanding in the entire process," Muschamp said.

And if there was a better way to start his career as a Gamecock, you'd be hard pressed to find it.

He was a star in his first-ever appearance, throwing for 282 yards on 24 completions as the Gamecocks put up 72 points, a Muschamp-era record on 775 yards, a school record.

Hilinski started hot, leading the Gamecocks on a nine-play, 70-yard touchdown drive capped by a Rico Dowdle touchdown run.

He'd lead another scoring drive, punching it in himself for a four-yard rushing touchdown as his first-career score as a Gamecock.

His first passing touchdown was to Bryan Edwards with Hilinski connecting on a 10-yard scoring play. He'd find Edwards again for a touchdown, this time for a 60-yard bomb.

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His only misstep came in the third quarter when he threw off his back foot for an interception, and he didn't play a snap in the fourth quarter.

Take his play with a grain of salt—the Gamecocks played an inferior FCS team going through a coaching change—but he certainly looked the part of a quarterback, embracing everything the moment had to offer.

He lead the team out to "2001" and began pumping up the student section before he took the first snap of his career.

Wearing the Gamecocks' throwback uniforms from the 1980s, he certainly gave off the vibe at times of a Steve Taneyhill, swaggering around after touchdowns in a black jersey dotted with "GAMECOCKS" across the chest and a garnet helmet with the iconic white circle in the middle.

As the clock hit zero and the Gamecocks celebrated their 62-point win, Hilinski went around hugging anyone and everyone he could as he walked towards the band to sing his first alma mater at home at the front of the team.

The band finished and Hilinski threw up the Spurs Up sign and began to thank the fans for staying until the end.

He passed the first challenge as QB1 and moves on now to the biggest test of his young career against No. 2 Alabama.

"Ryan’s always been real calm, real cool," Bryan Edwards said. "He’s always been outspoken and never been afraid. I knew he wasn’t going to be rattled.”