Published Oct 3, 2021
Passing game shows signs of life in Troy victory
Michael Sauls  •  GamecockScoop
Staff Writer

On Carolina Calls Thursday night Todd Ellis said that Luke Doty was a guy that could throw for 250+ yards in a game, despite never throwing for more than 200 in a game in four game career as a starter.

It wasn't perfect Saturday, but the passing game showed signs of life for the Gamecocks against Troy with Doty finishing the game with three new career highs while he was at it.

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"We talked about it all week and on Friday night into this morning," Doty said. "Coach Satt just talked about dialing things up and pushing the ball down the field and that's what we did."

Doty finished going 20-for-34 for 255 yards—career bests in completions, attempts and yards with his previous career high in yards 190 last season against Georgia. Doty would pass for 202 yards alone in the first half.

Shane Beamer said that a good passing game, which struggled to get much going against Kentucky, would be needed for the Gamecocks tonight who were facing yet another solid defensive opponent.

"We gotta be able to take shots down the field," Beamer said. "Defenses are too good nowadays in college football and we have to be able to create explosive plays, we've gotta be able to create shot plays."

In his four career starts Doty had never attempted more than 26 passes in a game. In the first half Doty had 24 attempts and ended up with 34.

He joked during the post game press conference that the last time he threw that many passes in one game was during his time in high school at Myrtle Beach.

Doty secured his third career high in the game with throw to Josh Vann in the fourth quarter for his 19th completion of the game, finding one of the team's go-to receivers this season.

"Luke is a baller," Vann said of his teammate. "This is nothing new for Luke."

If Doty had thrown another touchdown during the game he would've secured his fourth career high stat of the game. He did have one, finding EJ Jenkins for a 16-yard catch and run for the Gamecocks' lone offensive touchdown Saturday.

Beamer said post-game that he's noticed Doty has gotten more comfortable as the season has progressed and that it played a big role in his performance tonight.

"He's just continuing to get more and more comfortable," Beamer said. "Today was his second start of the year and his fourth start ever as a college quarterback so he's continuing to get better."

All three tight ends on the depth chart saw increased production during the game, likely due to four-star reecruit Oscar Delp's presence at the game.

Bell led the tight ends with with 41 receiving yards and was third on the team in receiving yards behind Josh Vann and Kevin Harris.

Harris led the team with 49 receiving yards on two catches, making it the second time through five games that a running back has led the South Carolina offense in receiving yards this season.

Behind Harris was Vann with 45 yards. Vann was limited in action tonight due to a minor oblique injury he got in practice this week.

The Gamecocks still struggled in the run game, averaging 3.6 yards per carry, and in protecting Doty consistently, but Beamer said post-game that the pass game opening up Saturday night can help lead the offense to more success in the run game as well, something they'll need as they begin a six-game SEC stretch next week.

"We've got good coaches, we've got weapons on offense and we've gotta be able to protect and throw the ball down the field," Beamer said.

The Goings Law Firm will serve as the official sponsor of our 2021 Football Coverage. The attorneys at the Goings Law Firm are proud South Carolinians and avid Gamecock fans. The Goings Law Firm has earned a reputation as one of the preeminent litigation firms in South Carolina in the fields of personal injury, wrongful death, and workers compensation.

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