Spencer Rattler emphasizing aggression while protecting the ball
The two words South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler said the most in his media availability this week were polar opposites.
Rattler harped on both themes—aggression and protecting the ball—which don’t typically go hand in hand.
For him, and South Carolina in general, it’s a fine line to toe during a game.
Game Week Special: Get one year of Gamecock Central for $10 or one month for $1!
“You definitely want to be decisive,” he said. “You want to be aggressive but be smart at the same time. That’s with every offense. It’s a fine line but you have to naturally play it.”
South Carolina ranked near the bottom in explosive pass plays and completion percentage. The Gamecocks were middle of the pack in interceptions per game, averaging just below one per game.
Rattler was the leader of one of the most explosive offenses in 2020, averaging 9.6 yards per attempt on 67.5 percent completion. He threw 28 touchdowns to seven interceptions.
Last year he completed nearly 75 percent of his passes for an average of 7.9 yards per attempt. His interception numbers ticked up through nine games to five with 11 touchdowns.
South Carolina will charge him with trying to get an offense back on track after a rough regular season in Shane Beamer’s first year.
“He has to be smart and we have to be smart of playing the play,” Marcus Satterfield said. “If the play gives it to you, take it. If it doesn’t, take care of the ball. He’s—knock on wood—been really good at that.”
The Gamecocks spent the offseason trying to retool the skill positions while bringing in a horde of transfer portal talent to pair with the returning players.
Rattler also headlines a group of newcomers that Satterfield feels can revitalize the downfield passing attack.
Click here to subscribe to the Gamecock Central YouTube page for FREE!
“We want to push the ball down the field,” Satterfield said. “We have some wideouts that can stretch the field and go up and get it and we have some tight ends that can stretch the middle of the field. One of our strengths has toe be pushing the ball down the field.”
South Carolina’s new-look offense gets unveiled to the world Saturday night in the season opener.
The Gamecocks welcome in Georgia State (7:30 p.m. ESPN Plus), a scrappy opponent who is fully capable of winning Saturday night.
Rattler, though, isn’t putting any added pressure on himself or the offense, he just wants to get out and learn with the Gamecocks have this season.
“It should tell a lot. I’ll be live for the first time in a long time. I’m ready for hat, ready to get hit once or twice. I’m ready to go against something different,” he said. “We’re getting great looks from them every single day but it’ll be nice to go against someone else.”
