Can South Carolina get more from Spencer Rattler? Changing QBs isn’t the answer

South Carolina is one win away from bowl eligibility — in October.

USC downed Texas A&M on Saturday for the first time in school history and, with that, sets itself up for a chance to make some noise down the stretch, starting with Missouri at home this weekend (4 p.m. Saturday, SEC Network).

You’ve got questions. I’ve got answers. Let’s get to it.

I’m gonna use the dirtiest, nastiest word and observation a Gamecocks fan can say: Clemson benched their starter because he wasn’t getting the job done. Why will we not do that ? It may be just what needs to happen if Spencer Rattler has a hard time grasping the plays. Guarantee he will study and learn the plays real quick to get the job back. Just my opinion — Dwayne C.

I’ve been quick to defend Spencer Rattler through seven games this year. There’s been flashes of brilliance. There’s also been moments that make you scratch your head.

At this point, though, he hasn’t been good enough.

Let’s call Rattler’s numbers against Texas A&M what they were — bad. He completed a season-low 48% of his passes. It felt as if he was leaving the pocket at the slightest bit of pressure.

There was some good. Five of Rattler’s 12 completions went for 20-plus yards. His 14 yards per completion, four throw aways and two drops, too, are numbers worth circling. He also avoided any completely boneheaded interceptions that have plagued him throughout his career.

Still, South Carolina absolutely needs more out of Rattler.

It’s as the old saying goes: The most popular player on a struggling football team is the backup quarterback. Well, South Carolina is 5-2 and has won its last four games. Why mess with that?

Rattler is far and away the most talented quarterback on USC’s roster right now. I agree, he hasn’t been nearly good enough for South Carolina to beat the likes of Georgia, Arkansas, etc. However, he hasn’t been losing the Gamecocks any games and he’s largely avoided mistakes, even if he is bailing on the pocket early.

I like Luke Doty. I think he’s going to be a great player when all’s said and done. It’s probably fair to believe he’s the starter at this point next year, assuming Rattler bolts to the NFL. But this isn’t a Kelly Bryant-Trevor Lawrence situation. It’s just not.

I don’t see a world where South Carolina makes a change at quarterback right now. Not unless the brakes really fall off.

One question, we have the ball 4th-and-1 on their 6-yard line, we go for it and don’t make it. Why not kick a chip-shot field goal and go up by 12? Now they need two touchdowns with 4 minutes to go to beat us! — Herschel P.

Shane Beamer actually addressed this in his postgame press conference.

His thinking: If you get the first down, the game is over. By that point, A&M was out of timeouts or close to it. A first down would’ve allowed the Gamecocks to run out the clock. The worst-case scenario, per Beamer, was handing the ball to Aggies freshman quarterback Connor Weigman with a mile to go and still needing two scores.

South Carolina was stopped on fourth down and A&M marched down the field, kicked a field goal and got the ensuing onside kick. So, yeah, the ending was a little nervy along the Gamecocks’ sideline.

I actually don’t hate the decision. Too many coaches play to lose games they, on paper, aren’t supposed to win. Kicking the field goal there wasn’t a surrender by any stretch, but you should be able to pick up one yard in a crucial moment.

Beamer has been aggressive in his coaching decisions through 20 games. South Carolina ranked fifth in the Southeastern Conference in fourth-down attempts last year (28). The Gamecocks are on pace for roughly that same number again this year with 12 through seven games.

It didn’t work, but putting the ball in your players’ hands and saying, “Go make a play,” was the right call.

We just beat a team we’ve never beaten and fans are nitpicking the victory? Good grief. Sure the team isn’t perfect but good lord, they’re light years better than five years of Muschamp garbage. Lighten up and enjoy the ride. Beamer is taking us where we want to go and he’s doing it FAST.

I think it’s easy to get bogged down in the minutiae of every game. Frankly, some of that is what my job necessitates.

That said, what Beamer has South Carolina doing right now is worth taking a breath and enjoying.

It’s not that far gone the Gamecocks won a combined six games between the 2019 and 2020 seasons. The program was in a disastrous place following Will Muschamp’s ousting and Beamer had some detractors when he was hired.

I’ll own it. I thought South Carolina last year was destined for a 3-9 season. I really had zero belief that 2021 roster was going to be competitive with anyone sans some Group of Five opponents. The Gamecocks overachieved en route to a 7-6 season, and Beamer has them on pace for a similar finish this fall.

I think there’s a lot to be resolved. South Carolina is winning in spite of its offense. Spencer Rattler’s play — as I said above — hasn’t been good enough to really tip the scales against the best opponents on the schedule. But the Gamecocks are 5-2, could be bowl-eligible in October for just the second time since 2012 and has their first Associated Press Top 25 ranking in four years.

Take a second and enjoy the ride.