South Carolina coach Shane Beamer, for the first time, is getting to deploy a strategy around the starting quarterback decision to gain leverage. If it proves to be necessary at East Carolina remains to be seen, and it could be more about the rest of the Gamecocks than about Zeb Noland or Luke Doty.

Doty, who has out since suffering a left foot injury in fall camp, spoke at length with reporters on Tuesday and made a convincing case that he would be 100 percent by Saturday and ready to take the first snap against the Pirates in Greenville, N.C. Noland is coming off a near-flawless game — even if it was against Eastern Illinois — especially considering that he’d been thrust into one of the more unique fall camp circumstances in college football.

It is difficult to know if the coaching staff has made a call on which player will give South Carolina the best chance to beat an SEC opponent. But we’ll soon find out how that factors into the East Carolina calculus.

“We certainly look at what you’ve done in games, what you’ve done in practice, what you’ve done previously,” Beamer said. “But at the end of the day, it’s what gives us the best chance to win this Saturday. Not next week, not in October, what gives us the best chance to, in this situation, beat East Carolina.”

To Beamer’s point, the quarterback it takes to beat Georgia on Sept. 18 could easily be different from the quarterback it takes to beat East Carolina. You don’t have to go back that far to remember when the Gamecocks in 2019 used 2 quarterbacks, Ryan Hilinski and Dakereon Joyner, to win in Athens.

Doty’s running ability is the key variable here.

“To me, it’s that, Can he run out there,” Beamer said. “Luke can throw the football, don’t get me wrong, but Luke’s a weapon with his feet as well. East Carolina, they can fly on defense. One thing they can do is they can run. We don’t need anyone out there that can’t get themselves out of trouble and run around and move, for one.”

Beamer also mentioned the “crispness” that’s needed at that position, and how Doty progressed more in practice on Tuesday than in recent days. However, there’s a difference between throwing in practice and doing it against a live defense in front of 50,000 fans.

Beamer doesn’t strike me as someone who would put Doty out there, even against East Carolina, without being 100 percent sure. While Doty has said there “could have been a slight chance” he could have played against Eastern Illinois, he still has some work to do health-wise. A quarterback who is “pretty close” on a Tuesday is not someone it seems Beamer would endorse, especially with the way Noland played last Saturday. Noland completed 13 of 21 passes for 121 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Noland still has the maturity edge and and the leadership ability to go on the road, even in a 50,000-seat environment, because he has been in those situations before. He has the calming influence that the Gamecocks need when there are so many firsts for Beamer and the rest of the program. Sure, Doty played at Kentucky last season, but putting him out there for his second road game when he may be just getting back to 100 percent is not the safe bet.

For all the factors Beamer cites for deciding on a starter, Noland should be the choice here. Noland’s performance last week, his steady play in practice, his health and experience all lean in his favor.