Three and out: What we learned from UMass game
What did we learn from South Carolina's 34-28 victory over UMass? Here's a look at three new things that were apparent in the win at Williams-Brice Stadium.
Bentley passed his first test - Sure, it was against a struggling UMass team. And many of Jake Bentley's completions were of the wide receiver screen variety -- a common theme in many schemes in today's college football environment. But what's more impressive to me than any stat, is how the freshman carries himself. On the field, in front of 70,000 people and thousands others watching on TV at home, Bentley looks like the same quarterback, and has the same demeanor, as the freshman who I watched throw dimes during the three open practices.
Bentley is comfortable in the pocket with rushers flying by his feet, and is comfortable putting the football in spaces where only his receiver can catch it, even if the receiver isn't entirely open. Bentley has a knack for dropping the ball in the right spot and a trust in throwing it before his receiver breaks. Those are two good traits. Most importantly, Bentley was cool, calm and collected -- and made smart and accurate throws -- during the final drive of the game after UMass made their push. There will surely be bigger stages and far tougher tests -- and very soon with Tennessee coming to town next week -- but for a freshman making his first career start, Bentley looked very comfortable in the limelight of major college football.
ALSO SEE: Monday recruiting notes from Insider Chris Clark | South Carolina JUCO OL commit discusses official visit | Beyond the stats - Breaking down Jake Bentley's first start
Deebo is a focal point, time for Dowdle to shine? Now that Deebo Samuel is fully healthy, the staff made it a concerted to try and get him the football in space and it paid off as he had a 100-yard day. Samuel was actually this close to having a monster day as he failed to hold onto a couple of passes that would have been difficult to catch, but that he's usually able to make. Credit the staff for moving Samuel around and working him from the outside, from the slot, and getting him the ball in the running game. He needs to touch is as many times as possible and it may be time to give him another shot in the punt return game too.
Freshman running back Rico Dowdle also seems to be finding a groove as the staff continues to increase his workload. While Bentley picked up the headlines, and rightfully so, Dowdle's emergence is just as important for this offense down the stretch. He shows an explosiveness to go along with wiggle and tackle-breaking ability that no one else currently on the roster has and I have a feeling we'll see his true coming out party soon. It could be this weekend against a Tennessee front that has struggled to stop the run.
Defense/special teams still a work in progress - South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp and defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson have been near-miracle workers with the improvement they've coaxed out of the Carolina defense as a whole in less than a year. But the UMass game was a reminder that there's still plenty for this unit to improve on and that there's a reason a large portion of the incoming 2017 class will likely play next season. As Muschamp said, the defense still hasn't given up 30 points in a game, so they did something right -- forcing turnovers and taking advantage of UMass' mistakes being the most obvious -- but this will continue to be a blue collar group that has to play a bend-but-don't-break style.
As for the special teams, issues at the punt return position continue to plague the Gamecocks but new problems also arose with a botched hold no an extra point and a dropped kickoff late in the game that could have been disastrous. We all know the hand that the staff was dealt, but special teams miscues can often be the difference in winning and losing close games (see Kentucky).
