South Carolina names starting quarterback for Week 8
South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer has named a new starting quarterback, he announced on Sunday night.
“Luke Doty, he re-injured his foot last night,” Beamer said, during his Sunday night teleconference. “He’s got a sprain. Right now, I’d say he’s iffy for this week. Zeb Noland will be our starting quarterback Saturday in College Station and we’re hopeful that Luke will get back healthy and be able to go this week.”
In its last possession of the game last week against Vandy, South Carolina trailed Vanderbilt, 20-14, and first-year head coach Shane Beamer opted to pull starting quarterback Luke Doty, for Noland, the backup. In one drive, Noland trekked down the field rather quickly, stringing together an eight-play, 75-yard drive in just under a minute.
Noland completed five of his eight passes, gaining all 75 yards and a touchdown. The final play, a nine-yard touchdown pass on second-and-goal, went to Xavier Leggette for six.
The ensuing point after by South Carolina place-kicker Parker White made it 21-20 in favor of the Gamecocks, and South Carolina managed to force a fumble, cutting Vanderbilt’s last-ditch attempt at a game-winning drive short.
Watch below as Noland connects with Xavier Legette for the go-ahead touchdown with 0:37 left.
Doty finished the game with 17 completions in 27 attempts before he was pulled, gaining 242 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and two interceptions. South Carolina’s offense outgained Vanderbilt, going for 434 yards of total offense — 317 through the air, and 117 on the ground.
The turnovers, however, kept Vanderbilt within striking distance, as the Gamecocks threw two interceptions. Furthermore, South Carolina had trouble with penalties, which gave Vanderbilt chance after chance to convert. In the end, Beamer’s South Carolina team committed ten penalties for 78 yards, whereas Vanderbilt committed just three for 15 yards.
Zeb Noland’s journey to South Carolina
Zeb Noland joined the Gamecock coaching staff in late May as a grad assistant under first-year head coach Shane Beamer. However, his role switched three weeks into the season, and South Carolina decided to put him at quarterback.
The 6-foot-2 quarterback spent three seasons at Iowa State before transferring to North Dakota State, where he backed up Trey Lance. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic postponed the FCS season. When Lance left to prepare for the 2020 NFL Draft, Noland stepped into the starting role. Noland threw for 721 yards with five touchdowns and six interceptions in the spring season for the Bison.
South Carolina faces off against Texas A&M on Saturday. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. EST.
On3’s Simon Gibbs and James Fletcher III also contributed to this report.