Final thoughts as South Carolina heads to UGA for first SEC game of Beamer era

The first road trip of the Shane Beamer era was a bumpy one.

Escaping East Carolina with a 20-17 victory a week ago courtesy of a Parker White game-winning field goal, USC heads to No. 2 Georgia on Saturday (7 p.m., ESPN) for the first SEC game of Beamer’s tenure.

The Gamecocks have shown flashes of a team that might be a bit ahead of schedule from what we anticipated in the preseason. South Carolina’s defensive line — which, to be fair, projected as a strength — ranks No. 1 nationally in pass rushing, according to Pro Football Focus. USC has also only allowed two touchdowns through matchups with ECU and Eastern Illinois.

While the defense has been stout, South Carolina’s offense has been hit or miss. The Gamecocks offensive line ranks among the SEC’s worst in pass protection, though some of that’s been brought on by missed assignments and poor protection calls from quarterback Zeb Noland.

Speaking of Noland, the Watkinsville, Georgia native heads back to his roots this weekend when South Carolina takes the field at Sanford Stadium. The former Iowa State and North Dakota State quarterback starred at nearby Oconee County High School during his prep career and his father, Travis, remains the head coach.

Noland has been largely efficient through two games, completing 26-of-46 passes for 335 yards, five touchdowns and just one interception. If South Carolina hopes to spring another surprising upset in back-to-back trips to Athens, a chunk of the responsibility will fall on the Georgia-born graduate assistant-turned-quarterback.

Sticking with quarterbacks, it’s not altogether clear whether Noland will actually get the start Saturday. Beamer told listeners during his weekly radio show Thursday that Luke Doty, who was penciled in as QB1 ahead of the year before suffering a sprained foot in preseason, continues to progress. South Carolina’s first-year head coach didn’t go so far as to say he’d play, but there’s a chance we could see Doty for the first time all season in Athens.

Offensively, the Gamecocks found a spark last week with freshman running back Juju McDowell. McDowell notched 11 touches for 71 yards — all of which came in the second half — as he paced a mostly anemic South Carolina rushing attack in Greenville, North Carolina. His 63-yard fourth quarter kick return also set up White for a game-tying kick with just under seven minutes remaining.