South Carolina set a season-high for points … before halftime. Aided by forcing four turnovers, the Jake Bentley era began Saturday with plenty of excitement, enthusiasm and a 34-28 victory over UMass before 73,428 at Williams-Brice Stadium.

What it means: The future appears bright for the South Carolina offense with several young players around Bentley, most notably on the offensive line. While there were mistakes, it was the best overall outing for the Gamecocks, who have struggled to find consistency. But that’s the question now for Bentley, with three more SEC games and at Clemson remaining, how we he adjust to defenses as they build more video to prepare for him?

What I liked: The South Carolina offense didn’t waste any time with a nine-play, 76-yard drive to open the game that was fueled by 41 yards from running back David Williams. On his first drive as starter, Bentley went just 1-for-2 for 14 yards for the Gamecocks to reach the end zone.

Williams’ start might have been more of a surprise to some given his up-and-down season. He began the season in the coaching staff’s dog house, and missed games against Mississippi State and Georgia. Just two drives into the game, Williams had seven carries for 53 yards and a touchdown.

Punt returns — and field position in general — have been another issue for South Carolina. But in his new role, Chris Lammons had a 42-yard return, which was another in a Saturday trend of “where’s that been this season?”

T.J. Holloman then added an interception midway through the second quarter for the third turnover of the first half.

Early in the second half, Bryson Allen-Williams went unblocked to stuff a fourth down and one play by UMass.

Bentley’s first touchdown pass came midway through the second quarter. It was South Carolina’s first touchdown pass since Week 2.

Bentley finished 17-for-26 for 201 yards passing and two touchdown throws.

What I didn’t like: A bad pass interference penalty in the first half against the Gamecocks’ Chris Moody kept a UMass drive alive from the Minutemen’s 8-yard line on third down. The scoring drive covered 14 plays and 92 yards. It erased a solid start by the Gamecocks’ defense that had two turnovers in the first quarter after they entered the game with just a plus-one turnover margin so far this season.

UMass answered South Carolina’s fourth touchdown with a 74-yard busted coverage touchdown from Andrew Ford to Jalen Williams late in the first half.

Lammons took a step back with a fumbled punt in the fourth quarter that setup a UMass touchdown. A.J. Turner fumbled a kickoff in the end zone after UMass closed within 34-28. Bentley bailed them out of that hole with a nice run and long throw to Deebo Samuel seal the victory.

Who’s the man: Jake Bentley. The third quarterback to start for the Gamecocks after his well-documented early enrollment, he showed plenty of poise for a would-be high school senior.

South Carolina had only thrown two touchdown passes in the first six games, but Bentley threw his first with just over seven minutes left in the first half. That gave the Gamecocks 20 points, six more than their season average, which was the nation’s worst. The touchdown went to K.C. Crosby for 16 yards, but he often hit others, including Deebo Samuel, to start 8-for-12 for 114 yards.

Key play: Bentley’s first touchdown pass to Crosby with 7:18 left in the first half came after UMass’ defense adjusted to his short passes. It came on third down and seven from the UMass 16 as Crosby made a diving catch in the end zone and gave the Gamecocks a two-touchdown lead. It was just the second third down on the eight-play scoring drive where Bentley was 3-for-3 for 29 yards.

What’s next: The Gamecocks (3-4) play host to Tennessee at 7:15 p.m. on Oct. 29.