South Carolina football-UNC: Drake Maye, Spencer Rattler, Heisman talk
How soon is too soon to begin the Heisman Trophy conversation? Ah, why not, let’s do it. That will be where ESPN’s attention gravitates anyway when “College GameDay” broadcasts in Week 1 from Charlotte, where South Carolina will play North Carolina.
The game benefits from a weak slate of Sept. 2 games. It also benefits from the presence of North Carolina star Drake Maye.
How long will the “GameDay” broadcast wait before introducing the #Maye4Heisman idea? The temptation is natural after Maye earned ACC Player of the Year honors and passed for more than 4,300 yards as a redshirt freshman. Then, he eschewed transferring to a more traditional football power and stayed loyal to his home-state school. Maye’s family is rooted in UNC athletics. His dad played quarterback for the Tar Heels.
Sound like a Heisman narrative? I expect ESPN will bite, and BetMGM odds list Maye at 14-to-1 to win the Heisman. Only four players have better odds.
But wait, here comes a spoiler in a rattlesnake necklace. With the spotlight fixed on Maye, Spencer Rattler waits in the weeds, primed for a sneak attack.
“I'm excited for the game,” South Carolina’s senior quarterback said last week at SEC Media Days. “I haven't met Drake yet. He kind of blew up on the scene last year, had a great season. Credit to him. I'm excited to get to compete versus them. It will be a fun game. Hopefully, we'll put on a show.”
Rattler is known to do it, especially when he’s cast as the underdog.
Oddsmakers don’t think much of Rattler’s Heisman chances – BetMGM lists him at 66-to-1 – and when you combine his inconsistent play with South Carolina’s yearslong struggle to fortify its offensive line, I understand the skepticism.
Further, since the College Football Playoff launched, the Heisman has been reserved for players on teams that spend the season in CFP contention. Georgia’s looming presence in the SEC East presents an obvious roadblock to the Gamecocks seriously entering the playoff picture.
But, while Rattler is rightly viewed as a Heisman longshot, he and the Gamecocks are familiar to being disruptors.
Tennessee came to Columbia last season positioned to qualify for the CFP, and Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker was in the thick of the Heisman race. The Vols left with their tail between their legs. Rattler whipped them, and although a season-ending injury became the knockout blow to Hooker’s Heisman chances, Rattler had landed a significant jab by outperforming the Tennessee star.
A week later, South Carolina spoiled Clemson’s slim playoff hopes. Clemson’s DJ Uiagalelei fizzled and exited stage. Rattler stayed hot. He threw for 1,044 yards in USC’s final three games.
Coach Shane Beamer gets the Gamecocks up for big games, and, on Rattler's best day, he's good enough to make USC a threat to nearly any opponent. But, this is a streaky team with a streaky quarterback. It cratered in losses to Missouri and Florida before surging to the finish.
I wouldn’t count on Rattler disappearing against UNC, though. Just the opposite.
The Tar Heels’ pass defense ranked as the ACC’s worst last season. That’s a recipe for Rattler to shine.
Heismans are neither won nor lost in Week 1, but UNC dropping its opener would tamp down Maye’s Heisman hype. And if the Gamecocks steal what’s otherwise staged to be Maye’s moment in Charlotte, then the early Heisman chatter might begin to include Rattler by mid-September, ahead of South Carolina’s game against Georgia.
Until then, Maye is the Heisman hopeful, and Rattler is the spoiler. That role suits him.
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