Cole Cubelic reveals why Spencer Rattler takes South Carolina to another level

SEC Network and ESPN college football analyst Cole Cubelic made a recent appearance on The Hard Count with JD PicKell. PicKell asked Cubelic what team in the SEC does he think is not being talked about enough that may turn some heads come October and November. Cubelic’s answer was South Carolina, highlighting their typical tough schedule and the severity of last years struggles.

“But the South Carolina schedule is not very forgiving, but I think if you go back and look at what that team was a year ago, they were almost incapable of the forward pass at times last year. And I’m not trying to really just bang on any individuals, let’s be real you had a guy who was coaching, not working, not really throwing, who all of a sudden you toss in as a GA to be your starting quarterback. And you also have Jason Brown, who was an FCS guy who you tried to put in that spot and make your quarterback,” Cubelic said. “I asked Shane Beamer at media days I said after the bowl game, how much of you was wishing you would’ve just put Dakereon Joyner at quarterback and sort of made that thing work and he said hey, it’s on me and you’re right, I kick myself every morning for it because we probably could’ve won a few more games if we would’ve done that.”

Thankfully for the Gamecocks this year, they have a sure-fire starting quarterback in Spencer Rattler, who combined with a formidable supporting cast may overachieve this upcoming season.

“But now you insert elite quarterback talent into a group that found ways to move the ball last year. They manufactured some offense, you’ve got MarShawn Lloyd at tailback, if you get a little bit out of the receiver from JMU along with Josh Vann who comes back, I think you’re okay there. And I think they have the most underrated player in the SEC in Jaheim Bell, this is a kid, kind of like what I talked about with Robby Ashford at Auburn a little bit earlier, that has legit wheels and you can line him up at tailback, you can put him at tight end, slot receiver, I even think he’ll take some snaps at quarterback this year. He is just the ultimate jumbo, athletic, swiss army knife in that South Carolina offense,” Cubelic said.

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Cubelic also believes that the Gamecock offensive line will take a step in the right direction this year as well, and that they almost have no choice but do so after last year’s showing.

“And I think the offensive line takes a step, they have to first and foremost, they can’t be as bad as they were last year. Outside of the Florida and North Carolina games, that group just didn’t play good football and it was weird because the same cast of characters as the year before, but they went to a lot more pin and pull, a lot more gap scheme stuff, it was a very different system than what they were running the year before,” Cubelic said. “Now year two, I think they’ll be a little bit more acclimated, Jovaughn Gwyn and those guys I think have a little bit of a bounce back season. Austin Stogner comes in at tight end, I think he fills in nicely for the loss of Nick Muse, very similar players there.”

Moving to the other side of the ball, South Carolina’s defense may not be their strength, but Cubelic believes they can lean on elite play up front to carry the unit as a whole.

“And then defensively you at least have a solid defensive line, I think that group with Jordan Burch and Bentley and couple of those guys, they’re going to be just fine. They might not have the edge presence that they had a year ago, but I think that defensive line can be a strength of the team. Secondary, linebackers, not a strength, but if you get enough up front that can offset it and I just give that coaching staff a ton of credit with what coach Beamer’s doing, what he’s building. I love the way Satterfield called that offense last, I think South Carolina’s a team that sort of similar to Arkansas last year, that we get to the end of October early November and we’re saying man, where did this come from? This is not what I expected from this football team,” Cubelic said.