Rattler, Stogner connect on first touchdown in over a year
In three years with the Oklahoma Sooners, Austin Stogner totaled 654 receiving yards and eight touchdown receptions.
Fellow Oklahoma transfer Spencer Rattler was Stogner’s quarterback for parts of his last two seasons in Norman.
But, despite connecting for four scores in the Big 12 together, they had yet to do so since both arrived in Columbia to play for Shane Beamer.
That all changed Thursday night. The duo finally connected for a touchdown in South Carolina’s 50-10 win over S.C. State
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The 15-yard touchdown pass from Rattler to Stogner capped off the Gamecocks’ first scoring drive of the second half and helped extend the lead to 29-7.
“Yeah, that’s happened a few times before – Stog on that route,” Rattler said. “I had some deja vu with that one, but it’s happy to see him get in the endzone. It was a fun play.”
On the play Rattler appeared to be set to roll out to find Stogner, but he pumped the brakes, stepped up in the pocket, and delivered a strike for the score.
“I started to feel and they covered it pretty well and then we had some leakage on the right side,” Rattler said. “So I stepped up just to kind of slightly run but kept my eyes downfield.”
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Beamer praised Rattler for the way he’s played the last two weeks, saying he can see an increased level of comfortability in the pocket for the quarterback.
“I thought he’s done a really good job of stepping up in the pocket…what I was referring to early on was just when he was, you know, feeling the rush a little bit maybe backing up as opposed to just trusting it and stepping up into it,” Beamer said.
It had been over a year since Stogner waltzed into the endzone holding a ball that Rattler had thrown to him. The last time came in a tight game last September where Oklahoma beat West Virginia.
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Rattler and Stogner’s journey together since that game has been a long one. Rattler was eventually benched in favor of Caleb Williams and Stogner only caught the ball eight more times that season.
Both players eventually wound up in the portal and – as Gamecocks fans know well by now – committed to South Carolina within minutes of each other.
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“It’s definitely been a journey,” Rattler said. “It’s crazy because we made it to the first destination together in high school sophomore year, and then both get in the portal and come here together. So it’s been fun with him and he’s a great addition to the team and we’re just happy to be here with these guys.”
The touchdown on Thursday was Stogner’s only target and catch of the night. So far this season he’s been targeted 12 times by Rattler and has brought in 10 catches for 94 yards.
While he may not have any eye-popping stats through the air so far, Stogner has seen most of his work come in the run game, especially in the last two weeks.
Stogner has played 226 snaps through five games, 87 of those he has been in a run-blocking situation. In the last two weeks, his run-blocking snaps have outweighed his passing snaps 42 to 31.
His PFF grade average for run blocking has also increased from 41.6 in the first three games to 75.45 in the last two games.
