As soon as the ball left his hands, time seemed to slow down. Williams-Brice seemed to grow silent. The ball floated, yes floated, towards the right corner of the end zone. Jake Bentley watched, Will Muschamp watched, Gamecock Nation as a whole watched. And then the ball fell perfectly into the outstretched arms of a diving KC Crosby.
The stadium exploded. This was no ordinary touchdown celebration, with fans just clapping because points were being added to the scoreboard for their beloved Gamecocks. No, this was an acknowledgment that Jake Bentley had arrived, and that South Carolina finally had the quarterback of its future.
As much as Gamecock fans went crazy in the stands, the excitement from South Carolina players on the field might have been even greater. Jake Bentley just started running, arms swinging erratically, seemingly so overcome by emotion that he didn’t know who to celebrate with, or even how to celebrate. Finally though, in his frantic celebration, he was able to find Brandon McIlwain.
McIlwain, the quarterback displaced from his starting job to make room for Bentley, was the first player on the field. Upon the signal of touchdown, he started running from the sidelines in the direction of Bentley, and was the first player to congratulate him on his touchdown throw. For all that will and can be said about Bentley’s throw, it is just as important to praise McIlwain for his own reaction. He could have pouted, realizing that Bentley had all but sealed the starting job with that throw, but he did not. Instead, he rejoiced.
Many will try and discount the significance of Bentley’s throw or even the impressiveness of it. They will say, “Oh, it was just UMass, that doesn’t count.” But what they will forget to tell you, or just forget altogether, is that this was the first passing touchdown by a South Carolina player at home this season. So in the three prior home games, one of which being against ECU, South Carolina had zero passing touchdowns, while in just one game, Bentley had two. Let that sink in for a second.
Furthermore, Bentley’s two throws weren’t just any other throws. They were not screen passes, or short slant routes. They were fade routes, where he stood tall in the pocket, and delivered two perfect throws. If you ask any Gamecock fan the last time they saw a throw like that from a quarterback wearing the Garnet and Black, they would be hard pressed to name a quarterback from any of the last three seasons.
In the arm, touch and excitement of Jake Bentley, South Carolina might have found its future quarterback. And three years from now, as they listen to him give his Heisman speech, they may think back and remember the throw against Massachusetts that signaled his arrival.