The overall question of the spring was how much development the young Gamecocks saw in Will Muschamp’s second season, most notably quarterback Jake Bentley.

Mission accomplished. Bentley, receiver Bryan Edwards and running back Ty’Son Williams were easily the stars in the Black team’s 35-24 victory over the Garnet sun-splashed scrimmage Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium.

Bentley led an impressive turnaround last season in the final seven games, and some of the work he focused on was learning how to read the defense at the line of scrimmage and make decisions on the play and defensive alignment. Some skepticism remains, though, as the Gamecocks were 109th in the country on third-down conversions.

This spring game served as an appetizer for a big campus weekend with women’s basketball and men’s basketball both in the Final Four.

The scrimmage was a mostly conventional format with four quarters and a 15-minute halftime. There was a running clock in the fourth quarter. It was starters versus starters, and backups versus backups on a warm and sunny 70-degree afternoon in Columbia.

It didn’t take any time to be optimistic about the Gamecocks in 2017 as Bentley found Edwards darting down the right side line and connected a 68-yard touchdown pass less than four minutes into the first quarter. That followed a solid run from Rico Dowdle, and Gamecock fans had plenty to be excited about early on. Bentley also found Edwards on a 21-yard TD in the corner of the end zone.

Edwards offers a nice complement to receiver Deebo Samuel, who was dressed, but in a baseball cap on the sideline.

The team had an injury scare when defensive back Jamarcus King, one of the top leaders on defense, absorbed a hard hit in the first half on a play over the middle with Edwards. Medical personnel pulled out an air cast, but King walked off the field with his right arm in a sling. He missed the rest of the scrimmage.

Another injury came in the third quarter when Steven Montac walked off looking doozy after a hit on K.C. Crosby.

One of the more overlooked stories of the spring was the change in kicker from all-time program leading scorer Elliot Fry, to redshirt freshman Alexander Woznick of Greenville, S.C. The new kicker missed a 52-yarder, but only minutes later connected on a 47-yard field goal. He later missed a 33-yarder, but hit a 50-yarder to close the first half. Fry made a cameo late in the third quarter with a fake extra point attempt when Fry caught a pass in the end zone.

Williams, a UNC transfer at running back, looked as advertised with a 17-yard catch on his first touch in the game. He then had 54 yards on seven rushes. At halftime, he had 11 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown. He adds an element to the running back depth, especially as a receiver. Rod Talley, another running back option, had several solid runs.

Williams was the MVP of the first half, but both units of the offensive line excelled against a soft defensive front. It’s an offensive line that projects to return four starters, though they have juggled some positions. The lineup appears to look like Alan Knott at center, Zack Bailey at right tackle, Malik Young or Sadarius Hutcherson at left tackle, and Donell Stanley and Cory Helms at guard. Bailey looks to be the leader with 15 straight starts.

Another newcomer, mid-year enrollee OrTre Smith, a wide receiver, made an appearance, but didn’t have an impact in the scrimmage.

Backup quarterback Michael Scarnecchia struggled to find a rhythm early as his unit couldn’t convert a first down on its first several possessions. Though he had an impressive touchdown pass over the middle to Jerad Washington, who caught the ball easily in stride and left the defense in his wake. Scarnecchia looks to be in a tight competition with incoming freshman Jay Urich this summer for the backup position. Danny Gordon, the third QB in the scrimmage, could also be in the mix.

The defenses looked largely pedestrian, but still made two interceptions. Linebacker Hassan Belton picked off Scarnecchia late in the first half. Earlier, Rashad Fenton picked off Bentley in the end zone as the pass was thrown with three defenders in the area.

While the offense excelled, the defense didn’t offer much of a pass rush. The likes of Dante Sawyer, Ulric Jones, D.J. Wonnum started for the first-team defense, while Bryson Allen-Williams, T.J. Brunson and Skai Moore were at linebacker. Moore received a small reaction to his first tackle after he missed last season following neck surgery.

Muschamp gave awards to several players at halftime of the game. Bentley received the offensive player of the spring, Wonnum got the defensive award, and D.J. Smith and Allen-Williams received special teams awards.

One player to watch for an early season depth chart surprise is freshman safety Jaylin Dickerson, an early enrollee, who broke up a pass early and had eight tackles by early in the second half.