The Gamecocks are now 4-5 after another disappointing loss and although many people are blaming the senior quarterback, Dylan Thompson’s on the way to the top of record books, like it or not. Saturday night, fans were very frustrated by many of the plays that involved the fifth year qb, and regardless of what else may have gone wrong, it was all too easy to blame Thompson. However, Dylan’s numbers put him even closer to the top of the all-time single season record books.
After the defense stopped the Volunteers on 4th and 1 at the Gamecock 1 yard line, the crowd was on fire about a rare stop. Unfortunately on the next play, instead of a run out of the endzone to give the offense a little more room to work, Dylan was asked to make a deep throw with little time. With pressure closing in quickly, he threw the ball to about the 40 yard line, but the only player there was wearing a Tennessee uniform. Play calling was suspect, and the route may be wrong, but fans only saw Dylan throwing an interception after a big stop on defense, killing momentum.
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On a third down option play, Dylan chose not to pitch to an open Mike Davis out in the flat, and was immediately stopped as the Volunteer defense quickly closed in on him. Late in the fourth, Dylan rolled right and under pressure took a sack instead of throwing it away. Again both of these fans were very frustrated with what they felt like were mistakes.
Unfortunately some of these moments are the ones fans are going to remember the most. How many have already forgotten 3rd and 18 from their own 10 yard line, Thompson ran 20 yards to pick up the first down. But what about the lightning strike on a 3rd and 11 from their own 15 to Pharoh Cooper on an inside slant route that couldn’t have been thrown any better and ended up being an 85 yard touchdown pass? Being quarterback means being the hero or the goat, and sometimes not just because of what you’ve done either way. In this rare case, Dylan Thompson may end up being both – the hero for setting all-time records and the goat for being the leader of an underperforming team.
In less than a month though, Dylan Thompson will most likely go down as the most prolific passer for a single season in the history of the South Carolina Gamecocks. Saturday night, Thompson picked up 347 yards and 2 TD passes to move up to 5th all-time in yardage and 3rd all-time in touchdowns.
| Year | Quarterback | Yards | Year | Quarterback | TDs |
| 1987 | Todd Ellis | 3,206 | 1995 | Steve Tanneyhill | 29 |
| 1995 | Steve Tannethill | 3,094 | 2013 | Connor Shaw | 24 |
| 2010 | Stephen Garcia | 3,054 | 2014 | Dylan Thompson | 22 |
| 2009 | Stephen Garcia | 2,862 | 1986 | Todd Ellis | 20 |
| 2014 | Dylan Thompson | 2,588 | 2010 | Stephen Garcia | 20 |
So with 3 games left this season, Thompson needs only 619 to pass Todd Ellis to become the top of the record books for single season passing yards. That’s barely over 206 yards per game, an amount hasn’t thrown less than all season. Also, Thompson needs 8 more touchdowns in those same games to pass Steve Tanneyhill for the touchdown record.
When you think of this season, which Dylan Thompson do you think of? The one who makes questionable decisions under pressure? Or the one who will possibly break two of the biggest records in South Carolina history for a quarterback?