With the injury of wide receiver Deebo Samuel in Week 2 weighing on the South Carolina football team's receiving corps, the next man was up.
The freshman wide receiver duo of Shi Smith and OrTre Smith didn’t disappoint Saturday night in the Gamecocks' 24-17 loss to Texas A&M.
Shi Smith was already a starter and a key part of the offense when Samuel was playing, but his workload picked up after Samuel’s injury, and his skill set was on display Saturday night. Shi Smith was the leading receiver for the Gamecocks on Saturday. He recorded three receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown. His one touchdown catch was a 45-yard bomb from Jake Bentley. A former four-star receiver from Union, South Carolina, Shi Smith showed off his speed and may be the fastest receiver for the Gamecocks.
OrTre Smith also impressed with three receptions for 28 yards and a touchdown. Similar to Shi Smith, OrTre Smith graduated Wando High School as a four-star receiver from Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Both receivers stepped up for the injured Samuel. Despite the poor offensive line play, the trio of Shi Smith, OrTre Smith and Bryan Edwards was good enough to give the Gamecocks some explosiveness in the first three quarters against Texas A&M.
This wasn’t the first time the dynamic duo made an impression on the field. Although this was Shi Smith’s best game, he still recorded a total of nine receptions and 84 yards before the Texas A&M game. OrTre Smith has only played in three games this season, but in those games he recorded six receptions for 73 yards and three touchdowns. OrTre Smith is tied with Samuel for the team lead in receiving touchdowns, with three this season. Shi Smith is fourth in receiving leader South Carolina.
Head coach Will Muschamp credited Shi Smith and Jake Bentley on the 45-yard touchdown pass.
"The scrambled pass to Shi, they busted the coverage and didn't cover the guy down the middle," Muschamp said. "That was a good job on Jake just escaping in that situation. I thought we had an explosive play to Shi on a pressure situation where we cited the ball. Bryan had a couple of explosive plays in the passing game."
For the Gamecocks to improve their offensive production, the Smith duo and the offensive line have to step up — especially given the injuries taking players off the field. Although the Samuel injury was a devastating blow to the offense, it opened the door for new faces to show their potential.
The Gamecock offense ranks 82nd in the nation in terms of total yards, but the talented freshman receiver duo of Shi Smith and OrTre Smith could help move that ranking up throughout the season.