College GameDay crew shares thoughts on South Carolina ahead of kickoff

For the first time in awhile, South Carolina football is back in the national spotlight.

The Gamecocks are set to face North Carolina in Charlotte Saturday night. ESPN’s College GameDay will also be on-site to preview the season-opening matchup.

On Friday, GameDay host Rece Davis and analyst Desmond Howard met with the media to discuss the matchup.

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For Davis, he’s excited to see what the Gamecocks offense can do to build off last year’s late success. After losing 38-6 to Florida, they scored 132 points in their final three games. They picked up wins over then-No. 5 Tennessee and No. 8 Clemson.

“I think they saw what was possible. They saw that they can take that next step,” Davis said. “Tennessee was thinking playoff. Clemson, for all of the talk about the demise of poor, old Clemson, they won the ACC and didn’t lose a conference game last year if memory serves. So those were two really good teams that they beat.

“You have to see some success against high-level opponents before you truly get there. I think that’s the biggest thing, and I’m looking forward to seeing how they take that next step, even with having to fill a couple holes with guys that took off and maybe they hoped wouldn’t.”

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If there is going to be any success, it will start at quarterback. Luckily for South Carolina, it will have Spencer Rattler to helm those duties. After getting off to a shaky start last year, he finished the season on fire and is looking to build off that this year.

“He’s the type of kid that once he gets going, he catches fire quick. But you have to get him going,” Howard said. “It’s like a shooter in basketball. He may have missed his first eight or nine shots, but once he sees that ball go through the net, then it’s lights out; He’s going to catch fire. So it’s like Spencer, too, where he’s throwing balls. Once he gets into the rhythm, starts completing passes, it’s like, okay, it’s going to be a long day for the defense at this point.”

But for Rattler to really get going, Howard believes it will come down to his confidence level.

“When he’s confident, he’s out there just enjoying himself and just playing within his skill set, then he’s incredible. We’ve seen it,” he said. “I don’t care if it’s a tight end, wide receiver or running back, whoever he’s throwing the ball to, I mean, they’re going to eat that day because he’s cooking.”

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Much like South Carolina, the Tar Heels also have a solid, if not better, quarterback of their own. Drake Maye returns under center after he won the ACC Player of the Year a year ago. He threw for 4,321 yards with 38 touchdowns to seven interceptions.

From Davis’ perspective, the Gamecocks “better find a way” to not let Maye “just go wild” on the field. Maye is not only a great passer but also can move around well with his legs.

“In my nearly 25 years covering college football at ESPN, I think he’s one of the five or six best prospects, not finished product, prospects I’ve ever seen…He’s the dude to me, and I think he’s spectacular. Everything you could want in a quarterback,” Davis said.

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“You can’t let him dominate the game. He may or may not have his best receiver, you know he’s a running threat. You have to get some stops against him from time to time because their defense has a lot to prove with the way they can get stops. You have to find a way to get a few stops so you can find a way to outscore them. I think we’re going to see a lot of points in this game.”

When it comes down to who the crew will be picking, it’s unknown. Since Davis is the show’s host, he doesn’t have the luxury of making picks. But Howard does.

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While Howard wouldn’t give his pick, rather deferring to what time he’ll make his pick on Saturday, he did share how the Gamecocks can win this game.

“By scoring more points than North Carolina. That’s the sure fire way to win the game,” Howard said, laughing hysterically.

GameDay will be live from Romare Bearden Park in Charlotte starting at 9 a.m.

Later that night, South Carolina will face the Tar Heels in the Duke’s Mayo Classic at 7:30 p.m. at Bank of America Stadium. The game will be televised on ABC, with Sean McDonough and Greg McElroy on the call.

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