JD Bertrand reveals what stands out about Spencer Rattler

Notre Dame is taking on South Carolina in the Gator Bowl. There, the Irish are going to face a difficult test in containing Spencer Rattler, the Gamecocks quarterback.

Linebacker JD Bertrand explained what stands out about Rattler when the Irish were getting ready to play him.

“I mean, the biggest thing is he’s an athlete, he’s able to make plays with both his feet and in the air,” Bertrand said.

“His ability to extend plays beyond just the usual of being able to stay in the pocket, three on the run, just be able to make those third-and-shorts, that low area red zone, being able to scramble or get those extra yards, convert the first downs, get into the end zone. That obviously has been a big point of emphasis for us.”

Rattler is a former five-star recruit in the Class of 2019, according to the On3 Consensus ratings. He transferred to South Carolina from Oklahoma. This season, he has thrown for 2,766 yards and 16 touchdowns. He has run for an additional three touchdowns.

The Gator Bowl will be played at 3:30 PM EST on Friday, December 30th.

JD Bertrand says South Carolina is hot

South Carolina finished the regular season by beating Tennessee and Clemson, the two teams playing in the Orange Bowl. For Bertrand, this is clearly a team that’s hot coming into bowl season.

“I mean, one of the biggest things is you can see they’re clicking towards the last two games. Things were working really well, especially against two really good opponents. Obviously, they’re hot at this moment,” Bertrand said.

“You know they’re going to come in confident, they’re going to come in with that kind of swagger. At the same time we know that we can look at those kind of clips and those kind of games right there, but know that that kind of is something that they’re looking to enhance and kind of go off of. Also know that with the guys that they’re potentially having in the transfer portal and stuff, we can look back at ourselves and work on improving ourselves.”