ZaQuandre White paces Gamecocks' offense in opener

It's unlikely that many South Carolina football fans had ZaQuandre White leading the team in receiving and rushing yards on their 2021 season opener bingo card.

Yet with Kevin Harris out due to an illness, White did just that.

White finished the game with 172 total yards and two total touchdowns in the Gamecocks' 46-0 rout of the Eastern Illinois Panthers.

"As a team we've been grinding for each day for six to seven months," White said. "Do it felt good going out there and executing."

Coming into week one there was no definite starter at the running back position, Head football coach Shane Beamer had previously said that with four solid running backs on the roster, the starter depended on what formation was being run on the first play.

"A lot of it was going to depend on what the first play of the game was," Beamer said post game. "So if we had called something else that we wanted JuJu in especially for or MarShawn then they would've been out there."

Sure enough, White was on the field for the first play of the game and he more than took advantage of it. On the ground, White finished with 12 carries and 133 rushing yards, with his longest rush coming on a 63 yarder in the fourth quarter for a touchdown.

Beamer said that it was White's progress from the spring that ended up earning him that starting spot.

"I mean he was a warrior throughout spring practice," Beamer said. "And has been throughout the summer and has even through preseason camp so that's why he went out there first."

White accredited a lot of his success in the running game to the offensive line on Saturday night.

"It all starts up front with those guys," he said. "Without those guys I really couldn't do anything."

Not only did White lead the team in rushing yards but he also led the team in receiving yards. He caught all four passes thrown in his direction for a total of 39 yards and one touchdown.

"I've been doubted and counted out so much," White said, "so it's a day-to-day thing with me, just making sure I do everything I need to do as a teammate and as a player, off the field and on the field."

White was among three running backs that got double digit carries in the game, including Marshawn Lloyd and JuJu McDowell.

"We've got four really really good ones," Beamer said of the running back room, adding that White "will continue to be a critical piece of that going forward."

White said that it felt good to watch all of the running backs getting solid playing time and making an impact on the offense during the game.

"All of us playing and contributing to the team is just good so you can see we're on the rise to something great," White said postgame.

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