Spencer Rattler reminisces about favorite moment at South Carolina
South Carolina senior quarterback Spencer Rattler is looking to take advantage of the opportunity laid at his feet courtesy of the Reese’s Senior Bowl to help boost his stock for the 2024 NFL Draft. However, that’s not the only thing on his mind while preparing for the event.
Rattler is one of the top quarterback prospects at this year’s Senior Bowl and is widely believed to be a Day-2 pick, being selected in the second or third round. But when On3’s very own Andy Staples caught up to him recently, the former South Carolina star took a moment to reflect on his fondest memories and the program.
“Definitely the 2022 season,” said Rattler. “That Tennessee win and then beating Clemson the next week; it was special.”
Rattler joined the program in the summer of 2022 with a chip on his shoulder after losing his starting position to Caleb Williams the season prior at Oklahoma. The then-redshirt junior quarterback and the Gamecocks didn’t get off to the best start. Still, they had one of the most exciting finishes to the year in recent program history.
The atmosphere surrounding the game was a bit uneasy for South Carolina and their fans after taking a beating on the road to the Florida Gators the week before facing off against the Tennessee volunteers who were in the hunt for a College Football Playoff spot at the time ranked No. 5 in the nation. However, the Gamecocks channeled some of that Beamer-Ball magic and lit up the Tennessee defense, scoring 63 points in the contest. Rattler finished the game completing 30-37 of his pass attempts for 338 yards with six passing touchdowns and 0 interceptions to upset the Volunteers 63-38.
The following week, South Carolina doubled up, taking out another top 10-ranked rival in Clemson. Overcame a nine-point halftime deficit, 23-14, to stun the Tigers, beating them 31-30, and also ending their chances at capturing one of the four spots in the 2022 college football playoffs.
As Rattler continued, the South Carolina quarterback shared the key to the team’s two big wins to end the regular season.
“We just started playing to our strengths. We had a lot of weapons. I felt like we had one of the best rosters in the country, we just had to use it properly,” Rattler stated. “And starting that Tennessee week, we got the ball in our playmakers’ hands and pushed the ball down the field and just had fun.
“You never know if it’s gonna work every time, but you have a high confidence that it will. Yeah, everything was clicking that game, and obviously, it was a home game for us; we got a great environment at Willie B. And we were just hitting on all cylinders, and that was a fun night.”
South Carolina finished 2022 with an 8-5 record and 4-4 in SEC conference play. They had a chance to finish the year with three straight wins over ranked opponents as they faced off against No. 21 Notre Dame in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl but ultimately came up short. The Fighting Irish took down the Gamecocks 45-38, overcoming a 14-point first-half deficit.