Cutter Woods didn’t get much time against Kentucky, but South Carolina still made a point with the backup quarterback.
On the Gamecocks’ first snap, Woods was under center with LaNorris Sellers lined up beside him at halfback. Woods took the snap, handed to Sellers, and Sellers flipped the ball to Matt Fuller, who came around the edge for a 9-yard gain. Woods stayed involved on the next play too, lining up at receiver before his day on offense was basically over.
It was only two snaps, but it was enough to show why Shane Beamer and offensive coordinator Kendal Briles wanted Woods on the field in a real quarterback role rather than just as a gadget piece.
“That’s how Kendal (Briles) came to me on Wednesday and said, ‘What do you think about these two plays being the first two plays of the game?’ And I was like, ‘I love it.
Let’s go!’” Beamer said.
“And then we were going to see how the game went, certainly, but I felt like LaNorris was giving us a chance. I thought he played his butt off tonight and made throws.”
Sellers had his moments. He also left plenty on the table.
He fumbled on a fourth-down run - one Beamer said was likely affected by an “off” snap - and he missed on several throws high, low and behind his receivers. The receiving corps didn’t help much either, with multiple drops mixed in.
But Sellers also ripped off a 74-yard run that set up the go-ahead touchdown, a reminder of the kind of threat he brings.
Beamer made clear this wasn’t just about giving Woods a cameo. It was also about South Carolina’s message on competition and accountability.
“You all heard me say it a million times that competition is a core value here, and it’s real, and accountability is a core value, and it’s real. And LaNorris will be the first to tell you that he needed to be better against Alabama with his play.
We all needed to. We stunk it up in Tuscaloosa,” Beamer said.
“Accountability is a real thing, and I can’t sit here and tell the players that I’m holding everybody accountable and competition is not real and then not hold the quarterback accountable.
“So, clearly, LaNorris responded the right way.”
Beamer also said there was a developmental reason behind putting Woods in those spots. South Carolina had used him in garbage time earlier in the season, but not in any meaningful quarterback work. This was different.
“I think just being out there and feeling it, and the crowd’s engaged and it’s electric, and he’s out there on the field,” Beamer described as the long-term benefits. “There’s no substitute for playing, and he got that opportunity last night.”
The only real blemish for Woods was the stat line attached to the result. Because he started the game at quarterback, he was credited with the loss and is now 0-1.
That number doesn’t mean much in the bigger picture. As the source article noted, Connor Shaw owns the most wins by a quarterback in South Carolina history, yet one of his most famous victories - The Miracle at Mizzou in 2013 - was credited to Dylan Thompson because Shaw didn’t start. Shaw also got the win, but Thompson threw the game-winner in the 2013 Outback Bowl while Shaw was hurt on the sideline.
For Woods, the bottom line is simpler: if the Gamecocks win, the record beside his name won’t matter much.
Beamer said South Carolina was prepared to turn to Woods if needed, but never felt forced to make that move.
“That was the plan, certainly, if we felt like LaNorris wasn’t getting it done. We had no hesitation going with Cutter tonight, but I never felt like we were at that point,” Beamer said.
“Cutter’s a heck of a football player. He just happens to be the backup to a really good quarterback right now.”
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