Grad assistant-turned-starting quarterback impresses in Gamecocks win

South Carolina had to start a former grad assistant at quarterback on Saturday night. But Zeb Noland did not disappoint. The former North Dakota State and Iowa State quarterback threw for four touchdowns in the first half as the Gamecocks picked up a 46-0 season-opening victory against Eastern Illinois.

Noland traded in his whistle for a helmet when expected starter Luke Doty injured his left foot earlier in the preseason. And while the Gamecocks had backup Jason Brown available, Nolan got the nod.

Doty could realistically be close to 100% by South Carolina’s game next week against East Carolina. But Noland showed the last few weeks he was the most reliable quarterback for the Gamecocks, with his maturity playing a large role.

But on Saturday night, it was Noland’s time to shine. The quarterback took North Dakota State to the FCS playoffs and thought his playing career was over back in May. But he was back playing at the FBS level on Saturday and delivered South Carolina its first win of the Shane Beamer era. Along with his four first-half touchdown passes, he was 13-of-22 for 121 yards.

Zeb Noland before arrival at South Carolina

Noland played three seasons at Iowa State before transferring to North Dakota State last season. There, he was expected to back up third-overall pick Trey Lance. COVID-19, however, postponed the FCS season to the spring, prompting Lance to leave in order to prepare for the NFL Draft. Noland stepped up to the starting job and threw for 721 yards with five touchdowns and six interceptions in the spring.

“We’ve got a lot of confidence in Zeb being able to go out there and operate at a high level on Saturday night,” Beamer said earlier this week. “We’re not asking him to go out there and win the football game, we’ll never ask our quarterbacks to do that. We’re going to ask him to get us in and out of the huddle cleanly and efficiently, without pre-snap penalties.”

Due to Covid-19 rules, Noland still has one season of eligibility remaining. With South Carolina dealing with Doty’s injury just days remaining until the regular season, they turn to a quarterback with experience in Noland. The Gamecocks will utilize his final season of eligibility, and Noland now has a big role right away.

“We have a ton of confidence in all of our quarterbacks, no matter who’s out there: Colton, Connor, Jason or Luke, if he were able to really come along in the next few days and be 100 percent,” Beamer said. “Having said that, I told Luke this morning, I’m telling you guys now: I’m never going to put a player out there when he’s not ready to play.”