Part of a family that has bred two other Division I quarterbacks, South Carolina freshman Jake Bentley has been groomed for his collegiate debut for a long time. In his first career game at South Carolina, Bentley ignited the Gamecocks' offense in a 34-28 victory over Massachusetts.
Whispers about a potential Bentley start persisted in the week leading up to the game, yet coach Will Muschamp neither denied or confirmed those rumors.
With his start, the Alabama native became the fifth player to start at quarterback for the Gamecocks since the beginning of the 2015 season.
While Bentley earned the start, the Gamecocks also deployed fellow freshman quarterback Brandon McIlwain in short-yardage situations. The two-quarterback tandem enabled the Gamecocks to use Bentley to stretch the the field vertically while still utilizing Mcilwain's speed in short bursts.
In South Carolina's opening drive the running back duo of redshirt junior David Williams and freshman Rico Dowdle propelled the Gamecocks downfield. The drive culminated in a 1-yard rushing touchdown from Dowdle.
After redshirt senior linebacker T.J. Holloman forced a fumble on Massachusetts' opening possession, a 47-yard reception on a screen by sophomore Deebo Samuel established another scoring opportunity for the Gamecocks. Williams was able to punch a 1-yard run across the goal line to put the Gamecocks up 14-0 after the extra point.
While initially relying on a blend of screen passes and rushing plays, South Carolina eventually loosened their harness around their young quarterback.
In the second quarter Bentley used his arm strength to test the Minutemen’s secondary downfield, and was able to pick up a pair of passing touchdowns. Sophomore tight end K.C. Crosby made an acrobatic catch off a fade to reel in a well-place ball deep in the end zone. Bentley also connected with freshman Bryan Edwards on South Carolina’s final drive before the half.
The Gamecocks went to the locker room with a 27-14 lead.
Bentley finished with 201 yards on 17 completions in 26 attempts. Improved production in the passing game also reduced pressure for the ground game. On Bentley's overall impact on the offense, Coach Muschamp said, "When your drop-back passing game is effective and your play-action passing game is effective, it helps the run game a lot."
Despite the differential on the scoreboard, Massachusetts' offense nearly matched South Carolina's in total yardage with a ratio of 389 to 395. Two interceptions and two fumbles crippled the Minutemen's scoring attempts.
Holloman recorded an interception in addition to his forced fumble. Junior cornerback Chris Lammons also picked up his third interception of the season.
While South Carolina's offense plateaued in the second half compared to their first half outburst, David Williams was able to record his second rushing touchdown of the game in the third quarter.
Massachusetts quarterback Andrew Ford passed for three touchdowns on the day and compiled 247 yards. The Minutemen nearly staged a late comeback with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The Minutemen benefited from two recovered fumbles. Miscues in the punt return game also continued to haunt the Gamecocks.
"It certainly made it interesting with the 20-point lead there midway through the third quarter -- obviously we haven't been in that position before," said Muschamp. "Obviously we didn't handle it very well. We just have to continue to clean some things up."
With the win South Carolina will improve to 3-4 on the season. They will host Tennessee on Oct. 29 a 7:15 p.m.