True freshman and double-sport athlete Brandon McIlwain. Former walk-on Perry Orth. Reclassified former 2017 commit and coach’s son Jake Bentley. These are the options for head coach Will Muschamp at quarterback heading into Thursday’s game against Vanderbilt. Nobody really knows who will be out on the field to start the game, but each candidate has his own selling point for seeing playing time.
Orth probably has the best pitch for being on the field for the Gamecocks’ first snap of the season: He’s the only one who has even touched a game day football. Last season, he did his best after being called on when Connor Mitch went down with injury against Kentucky, almost leading a complete 17-point comeback. However, he ended the season with less than impressive stats, finishing 1-7 with 1929 total passing yards (10th in the SEC), 12 touchdowns (8th in the SEC) and nine interceptions (4th in the SEC). All of that might not matter, though, if he can convince the coaching staff that his experience mitigates last year’s woes.
For Brandon McIlwain, his versatility under center helps his case. Out of the three, he’s the one that is a true running threat, but unlike featured quarterback Lorenzo Nunez whose real only weapon was his running ability, McIlwain has shown he isn’t a run-first kind of player. In the Garnet-Black spring scrimmage last spring, only a couple months after arriving on campus, he made some professional-difficulty throws that were really impressive. If Orth starts and doesn’t perform well Thursday, McIlwain will be the next guy called upon.
And then there’s Jake Bentley, a player who wasn’t expected to join the team until 2017. As a more pro-style, pocket-passer quarterback, Bentley seems to fit the mold that offensive coordinator Kurt Roper is looking for (think Eli Manning at Ole Miss or Thad Lewis at Duke, both who played under Roper’s supervision). He’s 6-foot-3, 223 pounds and has a cannon for an arm. With that said, Bentley probably is the least physically and mentally prepared for the demands of Division 1 football, much less the physicality required for the SEC, considering he’s only been with the program for
Even so, nobody has given any leads as to who will start.
One major problem the Gamecocks had last season was red zone efficiency. Too many times did they trade six points for three. It seemed as though Orth and his offense could get to the 20-yard line, but would stall all momentum once inside. Of the 36 times they entered the red zone, 47.2 percent of the time they would score a touchdown compared to the 38.9 percent they would be forced to score off a field goal.
To counter this deficit, coach Roper and the offensive staff will probably design red zone packages with Orth and McIlwain and perhaps a Wildcat formation with Nunez in the backfield. McIlwain’s speed will allow him to utilize zone-read plays and be a danger to score with his feet. Orth has the ability to roll out of the pocket and throw on the run, though it would ideal to see McIlwain execute some of those types of plays.
Overall, expect Perry Orth and Brandon McIlwain to see action against the Commodores with Bentley staying out of the contest unless absolutely necessary. McIlwain will have specific packages built around his talents, but Perry Orth will use his veteran knowledge to springboard himself to more playing time than his arguably more talented cohorts.