The debut of Jake Bentley went about as well as any South Carolina fan could have hoped. The true freshman, who should be a senior in high school had he not decided to forgo his senior season, made the first appearance of his career in the Gamecocks win over UMass.
Bentley finished the game with 17 completions on 26 pass attempts, with two of those receptions going for touchdowns. Bentley’s performance solidified his place in the starting lineup for at least another week and, for the time being, justified the coaching staff’s decision to take off his redshirt and allow him to play this season.
Muschamp said the decision to play Bentley was not a difficult one, but that he had to check with Bentley and his family to make sure they were comfortable with him playing this season. From there, it was game on.
Despite the coaching staff keeping their cards close to the vest about the quarterback situation, sophomore tight end Hayden Hurst said that Bentley started taking first team reps the first day of the bye week, adding, “We just kind of looked over and were like, 'All right, here we go.'"
Hurst, who as a former walk-on knows a bit about having to earn his way onto the playing field, praised Bentley’s work ethic despite being labeled the third-string quarterback to start the season. “He just stays ready,” said Hurst.
“He doesn’t have an ego. He plays his role. He’s just a calm, cool, collected type dude,” said junior running back David Williams.
Sophomore receiver Deebo Samuel was one of the players who benefitted the most from Bentley’s play, finishing the day with eight receptions for 106 yards.“We just really opened the playbook when Jake was back there because we know he can throw the ball very well,” said Samuel.
The highlights of Bentley’s day came in the second quarter when he threw touchdowns on back-to-back drives and extended the Gamecocks' lead to 27-7. Bentley lofted passes of 16 and 24 yards to the back right corner of the end zone, where sophomore tight end KC Crosby and freshman receiver Bryan Edwards hauled them in, respectively. Both throws required arm strength and accuracy that has been lacking in the passing game for South Carolina. Bentley gave his receivers a chance to make plays and was rewarded by Crosby making a diving catch and Edwards elevating over a defender to snare the ball.
The most telling drive of the game might have been their last, when the Gamecocks took over deep in their own territory and needed to run out the clock to protect a 34-28 lead. Bentley was able to take shots down the field without turning the ball over and even had the presence of mind on one attempt to evade a sack, tuck the ball and slide down in bounds for a short gain. If Bentley can continue to limit turnovers and throw the ball downfield with accuracy, South Carolina fans have plenty to look forward to.