South Carolina running back Juju McDowell was a popular figure in the postgame reaction to the Gamecocks’ thrilling last-second 20-17 victory over East Carolina on Saturday.

Josh Vann, who has emerged as South Carolina’s likely top receiver, was asked how tall McDowell is after the running back churned into a starring role in the second half.

“My dude Juju’s 6-5, that’s how he plays,” Vann told reporters. “He really showed up for us. You’re not going to play every snap of the game. You may get in 3 snaps of the game, 5 snaps, but whenever your number is called, you just got to go out there and make a play. Coach Satt (offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield) says it’s not the play, it’s the player that makes the play, and he stepped in and got us down the field for the game-winning field-goal kick, and that’s all that matters.”

Asked in his own press conference about his height, McDowell, a freshman, laughed and said he is 5-foot-9 and about 180 pounds.

On the final drive, McDowell had carries of 8, 15, 5, 16, 0 and 1 yard as the Gamecocks drove 54 yards on 10 plays to set up Parker White’s field goal.

Quarterback Zeb Noland was not surprised by McDowell’s performance, and he shared what he told him in the huddle to start the final drive.

“I said, ‘Look, dude, you’re made for this,'” Noland said. “I know he played in the state championship last year at Lee County, and I said, ‘Just don’t fumble it and hang on to it, and let’s roll.’ He had a good return that set up the kick. The return was huge, too. Juju’s a good kid, he’s smart as anything to be a freshman, and I just appreciate him.”

Noland added that McDowell told him “my bad” when he missed a block and Noland was forced to throw the ball away.

“It’s whatever for me to throw a ball away to save a sack, but for him to come up to me and say, ‘My bad,’ and take one on the chin says a lot,” Noland said.

McDowell himself admitted that he is proud of the position he’s in, and noted that he didn’t want to get complacent. He praised his fellow running backs, too.

“I take it as quite a bit of an accomplishment to be able to step on the field with those guys,” McDowell said.

To be on the field for the game-winning drive was not surprising to him because McDowell said the coaching staff prepares each back to contribute all the time while not focusing on specific drive scenarios. Teammates, though, said McDowell’s energy sets him apart, while he said teammates have helped him keep his spirit.

McDowell said he’s motivated by his upbringing. He was often told that he was too small to play running back, so he’s fueled by that. And he’s thankful to South Carolina coach Shane Beamer for giving him an opportunity.

“The energy I bring to the field, it helps me out a lot,” McDowell said. “I feel like it builds us, our character as a team. So coming in as a freshman, of course you’re going to get hit with struggles and obstacles and things like that. But one thing I was always told is when you go to the next level, the only way you’ll be successful is if you maintain your fun and love for the game. I have to thank my brothers ZaQuandre White and J.J. for instilling that in me, because when I first got here, I kind of lost that edge. But they brought that back to me. … ‘We got to have fun little bro, so whenever we get on the field, we’ve got to bring that out in you, so you can bring it out in us as well,’ and that’s what I have to do.”