Dowell Loggains quotes Bear Bryant on playing freshmen early

South Carolina relied on multiple true freshmen during Saturday’s win over Furman.

Offensive linemen Tree Babalade and Trovon Baugh came off the bench and did a solid job, while quarterback LaNorris Sellers continues to play well for the Gamecocks when given opportunities.

South Carolina offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains spoke about those three and shared his philosophy as far as playing freshmen when he met with the media earlier this week.

“I think Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant said it way back – ‘If they’re going to bite, they’re going to bite when they’re puppies,’” Loggains said. “So when you throw them out there as freshmen and they bite, you should be excited about that. Obviously those three guys played well in the game and impacted the game last week. But they do it in practice every day.”

It sounds as if all three should get more and more snaps for South Carolina as the season progresses, particularly Babalade and Baugh.

South Carolina is still working through things on the offensive line, but Spencer Rattler is locked in as the Gamecocks starting quarterback.

“They get it and they understand there are going to be some down moments. There are going to be some hard moments. But they know the process of growth is getting thrown into the fire and going and doing it,” Loggains said.

“So I don’t worry about their confidence, either. You can’t put a value on experience. As a coach, you really don’t know what you have until he gets out there and plays.”

The hype around Sellers starting building after a strong performance in the South Carolina spring game and it hasn’t slowed down.

This past Saturday, he was 4-for-4 passing for 86 yards and two touchdowns. That included a beautiful 60-yard touchdown pass to freshman receiver Tyshawn Russell.

“There was a buzz about him in camp and he works the right way. So when he got out there, we expected him to play well. We expected him to do what he did. I know he clarified, like he did a little bit too much on that touchdown pass. But the throw was amazing. That was an unbelievable throw,” Loggains said.

“You had time in the pocket to do that, because the offensive line protected well for you and Tyshawn [Russell] is streaking down the sideline. So you’ve gotta know when you can and can’t do that stuff, and he chose correctly. You also don’t want players that can only do what the paper says. Those guys are just good enough to get you beat in this conference. You need guys that can take that playbook and make it come to life. And you need guys that can do more than just what they’re coached to do.”

South Carolina freshmen have a tough test this weekend as the Gamecocks play at No. 1 Georgia. With that said, Loggains won’t hesitate to give them opportunities.

“We can’t get these guys ready for every eventuality that will happen in a game,” Loggains said. “So those guys have gotta go out there and play football and see things. It’s like Spencer – the more you see, the more we’ll give you. Those three guys played well last week as young guys.”