Mazeo Bennett steps up big in the absence of Jared Brown
With Jared Brown and LaNorris Sellers both out, the Gamecock offense needed a spark from a playmaker to step up against Akron on Saturday night. Mazeo Bennett Jr. did just that.
On his second catch of the game, Bennett got open on a post route and hauled in a 30-yard pass from Robby Ashford in the end zone. This was Bennett’s second touchdown of the season and the Gamecocks’ second of the night in the first quarter.
“Catching the ball, that’s something that I try to pride myself on. If I got the ball, I did what I’m supposed to do,” Bennett said. “The yards after the catch, that’s something that comes after the catch, so I’ve got to get the catch first.”
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Bennett, who led the team with five catches, caught all of his targets in a 50-7 win over Akron. The last game a true freshman led the Gamecocks in receptions? Nyck Harbor did so with six receptions against Texas A&M last year.
In addition to his touchdown catch in front of the student section, Bennett also picked up a huge conversion on third down in the third quarter. He created separation on a corner route en route to a 28-yard gain all the way inside the five-yard line. Bennett was about 15 feet away from his second score of the night. For the game, Bennett was second on the Gamecocks with 71 receiving yards, trailing just Gage Larvadain’s 79.
Being one of the young guys in the receiver room has benefited Bennett from a learning standpoint in his time at campus. In the past several months, both coaches and teammates have allowed him to grow his game.
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“There’s so much knowledge in our room, starting with Coach (Mike) Furrey. We got a coach that played in the league, been a top receiver in the league,” Bennett said. “The knowledge that I can gain from Coach Furrey, along with the players that’s in my room, it’s not a ‘little bro’ in our room. It’s always like, ‘Hey, you’re in this, so this is what you’ve got to do’ … everybody want to see everybody eat in that room.”
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Whether he’s catching passes from Sellers or Ashford, Bennett has the same mindset, just doing his job as a wide receiver. He’s proven he can work well with whoever’s out there throwing the ball, being the only player on the team to catch a touchdown pass from both quarterbacks.
“All these years that I’ve been training to play wide receiver, I just feel like trusting in what I’ve been taught all these years. Just going out there and being myself, not trying to be something I’m not,” Bennett said.
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With a bye week coming up, Brown is expected to be back in time for Ole Miss on Oct. 5. However, Bennett will likely be a large part of the passing game, regardless. Along with Joshua Simon, the true freshman receiver is one of just two Gamecocks to catch a pass in every game this season through four contests.
