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Jake Bentley shows poise in crisp first half for South Carolina
By Keith Farner
Published:
Coming off a banner second half of the 2016 season, many expected sophomore Jake Bentley to show improvement this season. In the first half against N.C. State and its strong front seven, Bentley exceeded expectations.
Among the highlights were how he scrambled for a first down on third and 12, found running back Rico Dowdle on a touch pass wheel route out of the backfield, and backpedaled to avoid a blitz on a touchdown pass to Deebo Samuel.
He drew plenty of praise on social media, including from a former Clemson quarterback.
Jake Bentley competed that whole series showed grit out there
— Tajh Boyd (@TajhB10) September 2, 2017
By halftime, Bentley was 10-for-17 passing for 131 yards and two touchdowns.
Early in the half, Bentley found preseason sensation Shi Smith on a couple of passes including an out route near the sideline on third down and three.
The Gamecocks’ offense was never a concern entering the season, but given its early performance against a defensive front in N.C. State expected to be among the best in the country, the optimism is rolling for Bentley and company.
While he missed a couple throws, and had others nearly intercepted, Bentley’s first-half performance may take him off of any underrated lists he was on in the preseason.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
