Bentley back as starter for A&M game
Quarterback Jake Bentley likely will start Saturday when South Carolina entertains Texas A&M, but coach Will Muschamp still has confidence in senior Mike Scarnecchia, who led the Gamecocks (3-2, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) to last week’s win over Missouri when Bentley was out injured.
“We felt like he was going to play well, and certainly in the circumstances, he played extremely well,” Muschamp said of Scarnecchia’s performance. “Going through the weather and all of the issues that we had coming down to a one-minute drive to win the game.
“You don’t ever know until you see a guy do it. You either feel really comfortable about the situation, or you may be a little unsure, but I was never unsure about how Mike was going to perform.”
Bentley was out with a knee injury sustained the week before, but Muschamp is confident the junior will be ready against the 22nd-ranked Aggies (4-2, 2-1 SEC). He returned to practice this week.
“I thought he looked good,” Muschamp said. “If he’s healthy for Saturday, he’ll be the starter, but I’ve told both Jake and Mike that they need to be ready to go play/ We’ve got two guys we can win with, and that’s good to have.”
Scarnecchia is 27-of-47 passing for 338 yards and four touchdowns and no interceptions in three games. He passed for 249 yards and three touchdowns against Missouri and led a 51-yard drive for the game-deciding field goal.
A starter since his freshman year, Bentley has completed 63.6 percent of his passes for an average of 186 yards a game this season with seven touchdowns against six interceptions.
“He’s played a lot of football for us,” Muschamp said. “He’s got a lot of experience, and I think he’s played really well for us. Obviously, Mike has a smaller sample set and played well with his opportunity.
“I’m making the decision that I think helps us win. At the end of the day, that’s what we are going to do, but we have two guys I have confidence that we can win with. I feel comfortable with both guys.”
Texas A&M will be the third ranked team in six games for South Carolina.
The Gamecocks lost to then-No. 3 Georgia 41-17 at home and to then-No. 17 Kentucky 24-10 on the road in September. The Aggies beat Kentucky at home 20-14 in overtime last week.
Muschamp said it is important that the Gamecocks get their running game going against the Aggies, who held Kentucky to just 70 yards rushing last week. The running game has been an up-and-down issue for the Gamecocks, who have rushed for only 256 yards the last two outings combined against Kentucky and Missouri.
“We can’t get ourselves in a situation where we become a drop-back team,” Muschamp said. “They’re very active up front. You’ve got to keep them off-balance.”