'I knew he was going to find me': Spencer Rattler, Xavier Legette break down game-winning play in fourth quarter
Heading into the fourth quarter on Saturday, South Carolina hadn’t played its best game offensively. After racking up 125 yards in the first quarter, the Gamecocks had to punt on their next six possessions.
But with 15 minutes to play and only down by four points, they knew they had a chance to make things right and turn the game around.
After getting a stop to start the quarter, South Carolina slowly drove down the field. It got inside the Kentucky 20-yard line when the referees flagged O’Mega Blake for an illegal block, pushing the offense back 15 yards.
In the moment, there was no sense of panic. Despite being in a 2nd and 26 situation, the leaders on offense knew they could find a way to get the job done.
“When you’re backed up like that, you’re going to want to get the ball out quick,” Spencer Rattler said. “They can press you up and we needed to get the ball out quick. Knowing (Xavier Legette), he’s going to get a chunk of the yards back. We’ve just got to convert on third.”
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On that first play after the penalty, Rattler dumped a pass off to Legette, who scrambled down the sideline for a 17-yard gain. Just like that, the Gamecocks were in a more manageable spot with third down upcoming.
But even after the big gain, it was still going to take another great play to get the first down or more. South Carolina faced 3rd and 9 at the Kentucky 17-yard line. The offense hadn’t been great on third downs for most of the night but needed to have this one to survive.
“On that play, they were bringing a pressure. I was trying to let Nick (Gargiulo) know we needed to change the protection here. And then I looked up, there was three seconds left (on the play clock). So I was like, ‘Oh, crap,'” Rattler said.
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Rattler couldn’t change the protection in time and had to take the snap. Just like Rattler had foreseen, the Wildcats brought heavy pressure on a blitz. But Djay Braswell provided a great block against a crashing linebacker to keep his quarterback safe.
“Shoutout to Djay Braswell. He stepped up and made a big time block that won that game for us,” Rattler said. “Linebacker came free, he stepped up and made a huge block so I could make a little movement in the pocket.”
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With enough protection, Rattler had his chance to make something happen. And he did.
In one-on-one coverage, Legette ran a skinny post route and had some space. Rattler said he knew where his receiver was going to be, but he didn’t fully see him. However, he made a perfect throw right to Legette into the end zone for a go-ahead touchdown with seven minutes left to play.
“I knew he was going to find me,” Legette said. “I had seen how the DB was playing me…I knew I was going to get it.”
South Carolina escaped with a 17-14 win over Kentucky to move one win away from bowl eligibility.
Despite the struggles, it was a play that made the night feel a whole lot better. And when in doubt, the Rattler-Legette connection never fails.
“I put it in the spot where he needed to be and he made the catch,” Rattler said. “That’s what we’ve been doing this whole year. And that’s the trust I’ve got in him.”
