Dowell Loggains Discusses How Spencer Rattler Earned His Trust
When Spencer Rattler announced in January that he would return for another season in Columbia, he was taking an inherent risk. Part of the reason he was willing to take that risk was the Gamecocks' new offensive coordinator, Dowell Loggains, and his vision for Rattler in his offense.
As the offseason progressed, the two built a stronger rapport and, thus, began to trust one another to a much higher degree. On Wednesday, Loggains explained to the media how Rattler's football acumen led to him expanding South Carolina's offense.
"When you see him be able to handle the burden sometimes of a bad play or playcall that's not ideal for a coverage for him be able to check that or get through a progression. When you start to feel that as a coach, you're in scrimmages, and you're like, 'He just got to [the third read] there.' Like the long touchdown to [Xavier] Legette [the other night], he [was third] in the progression - There are very few [quarterbacks] who can get through three in the progression," Loggains explained. "When they start seeing that stuff and they know where to go [and] they start understanding defenses so well, it's like, 'Wow, he's starting to see things really well.' That's where the trust is built."
That ability to compartmentalize everything happening around him during a play and make the right decision has led to Rattler's tremendous start, statistically speaking, having completed 74.2 percent of his passes for 1,242 yards and seven touchdowns. His ability to extend plays and maintain his poise has also led to Rattler spreading the ball around a considerable amount, as fourteen different Gamecocks have caught a pass this season. Rattler's ability to distribute the football effectively has led to other guys in the offense stepping up in terms of their effort, as Dowell explained.
"The other thing it does is it gives everyone else on the field [the sense that] 'Hey, there's five viable options on this play.' - Smart receivers know where they're at in the progression, and all of the sudden, you're at four, and you're like 'Whoa, I'm catching the ball,' they run a little bit harder because they know that 'Hey, Spencer will throw it to me.'"
Trust between a starting quarterback and his play-caller is key, and with continued trust, Rattler could achieve even greater success this season.
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