South Carolina football: Most underrated players of the decade

NO. 1 DYLAN THOMPSON

Thompson had the tough task of following one of the Gamecocks’ all-time greatest quarterbacks in Conner Shaw.  He’d play in a reserve role over his first three seasons on campus before becoming a starter as a senior.

Over those first three seasons, the Gamecocks went 33-6, but it was Shaw that garnered most of the attention.  Without Thompson, though, it wouldn’t have been possible.

Shaw was great because he could use both his arm and his feet, but his running tendencies often got him into situations where he’d have to miss a game or two throughout the year with injury.  Thompson, though different in style, was the perfect plug-and-play option.

He played huge roles in regular season wins over East Carolina (’12), Clemson (’12), and Central Florida (’13).  It was his Outback Bowl performance against Michigan, though, that most Gamecock fans remember him for.

With Shaw and Thompson rotating at starter throughout the game, Thompson saw one of his best outings as a Gamecocks, going 7-of-10 for 117 yards and two touchdowns.  His touchdown toss with 11 seconds remaining broke the backs of the Michigan Wolverines, as South Carolina came from behind to earn the 33-28 win in Tampa.

Then as a senior, Thompson started all 13 games, passing for a USC single-season record 3,564 yards and 26 touchdowns  Unfortunately, he’d again be overshadowed, not by another quarterback this time, but by a defense that ranked 92nd in the nation and conceded numerous fourth-quarter comebacks as the Gamecocks finished just 7-6.

The defense allowed 34 or more points in seven contests, and the Gamecocks watched two-score fourth quarter leads disappear on three occasions.  Had South Carolina closed those games out, Thompson and Co. would’ve found themselves in the SEC title game.  Instead, they wound up in the Independence Bowl, tarnishing what could’ve been a memorable legacy for the Gamecock quarterback.