If you are in the stands at a South Carolina game about 90 minutes before kickoff, you might notice the crossbar rattling a few times.

No, it is not the kickers coming up just short on their long-distance field goal attempts, or a stadium employee testing the structure’s sturdiness.

It all stems from midfield, where the backup quarterbacks — and punter Kai Kroeger — converge for their weekly crossbar challenge. The competitors will usually gather at or a few yards in front of midfield and take turns uncorking deep balls until somebody hits the crossbar on the fly from 55-60 yards out.

“It started last year,” redshirt freshman quarterback Colten Gauthier remembered. “I think it was when [2021 quarterback] Zeb [Noland] started to play. He was just back there messing around. It started out when we were trying to hit the Allstate hands in the net. We were trying to hit the hands, and then it turned into before every game, I’ve got my routine, Spencer [Rattler] will be doing something, and then Luke [Doty] will be waving at us to come over. And before we go in, we’ve got to hit it.”

It is the most visible of a series of challenges activities the tight-knit backup quarterback room engages in to sharpen each other on and off the field. Gauthier described another challenge where the quarterbacks will stand in the side of the end zone and try to hit the crossbar by bending the ball around the goalpost, and golf outings are a fixture for the group.

After a 2021 season where four different quarterbacks started games and the depth chart fluctuated, this season has carved out more established roles. Rattler transferring into the program has made Doty — who started five games last season — the backup. Behind him is the youth on the roster, led by Gauthier, Tanner Bailey, Braden Davis and Jalen Daniels.

Being QB2 on the depth chart comes with a delicate balance for Doty. Looking in front of him, he has to be ready to command the offense at a moment’s notice if Rattler is unable to go. Standing over his shoulder is a quartet of young quarterbacks eager to eventually make an impact, and Doty takes his role of developing them and fostering relationships with his own backups seriously.

“It is different coming from a coach and coming from a player, and I feel like one of the things I’m good at is kind of having those on-the-field conversations,” Doty said. “Just kind of taking those guys and talking them through the different looks and different schemes, and really just kind of helping them put themselves in the role of whoever is out there on the field.”

He is doing such a strong job of helping build the relationships between the quarterbacks, other members of the team are noticing. Specifically Kroeger, the high school quarterback turned punter who had to get in on the fun.

While going through his usual warm-ups before the week three game against Georgia, he noticed Doty nail the crossbar. The two locked eyes for a second, and it was all the invitation Kroeger needed.

“I’m pretty sure I was just like, ‘alright, I’m going to throw one too,’” Kroeger remembered about the exchange. “And he was like, ‘go for it’, and I hit it on the first try. It was kind of good luck for the game when I threw the fake punt. That was kind of when I started getting into it was the Georgia game, and I’ve been doing it ever since.”

Once the challenge starts, it is pretty simple. Everyone takes turns throwing until either someone hits it, or it is time to go inside at the end of the early portion of warm-ups. Nothing tangible is on the line, except for another week of bragging rights and in Kroeger’s case, the knowledge he took out a group of quarterbacks at a passing competition as a punter.

As of right now, there are no standings or records of the challenge, although Doty joked it is “probably something we need to do a better job of keeping up with.” If the standings did exist, his teammates think they might break favorably for him.

“Luke’s normally pretty good because he gets a lot of height on it and seems pretty consistent,” Kroeger said. “I think we both hit it against Georgia, and then I won it on Saturday before the A&M game. But I think Luke normally hits it the majority of the time or gets it the closest.”

On the surface, the crossbar challenge is one small component of gameday. It takes about five minutes, and everyone involved has far more important responsibilities once it ends. Taking it down to its base level though, it is just a window into the chemistry and connectivity of this 2022 team, something Shane Beamer has made an emphasis on as he builds his program.

“When we play those little games, those things are definitely important,” Gauthier said. “We’re there for each other. We pick each other up if somebody has a bad rep or something like that. It’s a really tight room in that quarterback room, and we’re all there for each other and we’re all fighting for each other. It’s really cool to be a part of.”

To stay up to date on the latest news and stories with South Carolina football, Join us on the Insider's Forum for live threads, tidbits, and a platform for you to shine your Gamecock football knowledge.