From Jaheim Bell to Spencer Rattler, here are South Carolina football's top questions

COLUMBIA — South Carolina football had its four-game winning streak snapped with a loss against Missouri on homecoming Saturday night at Williams-Brice Stadium.

A week after beating Texas A&M for the first time in program history, the Gamecocks (5-3, 2-3 SEC) fell 23-10 to the Tigers (4-4, 2-3) for the fourth straight season. They are no longer ranked after appearing in the top 25 last week for the first time since 2018, and the Gamecocks have not been ranked two consecutive weeks since 2014.

As South Carolina prepares to travel to Nashville for another SEC matchup against Vanderbilt (3-5, 0-4) this Saturday (7:30 p.m., SEC Network), here are some of the biggest questions about the Gamecocks:

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Why isn't Jaheim Bell getting touches?

It's the question everyone who watched the Missouri game is asking, and a question that no one inside the program seems to have an answer for. Tight end Jaheim Bell's role in the offense has been limited all season, but against the Tigers he logged zero yards rushing or receiving on zero targets. And he wasn't being used in blocking; he was on the sideline for a significant number of snaps.

Coach Shane Beamer was asked if there was a reason for Bell's minimal role. He said Bell is healthy and is not being benched for disciplinary reasons. Quarterback Spencer Rattler was asked if he had an explanation and replied only "I don't know," after a pregnant pause. Just three days before the game, offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield called Bell, "one of the most talented football players I've ever worked with," and said he hoped Bell would touch the ball 20 times.

South Carolina hasn't had a consistent standout receiver, so it's not so much the lack of targets and stats that's concerning. It's inexplicable for Bell to be off the field as much as he is. Even if ball isn't going to him, Bell entered the season as one of the Gamecocks' best weapons, so having him out there forces opposing defenses to account for his potential. Unless someone can offer an explanation soon or something changes dramatically, Bell may be looking for other opportunities — just look at his family's Twitter activity Saturday night.

What is Spencer Rattler's ceiling?

Rattler is not a Heisman candidate, which should be obvious to anyone who has watched him play this season. He is not the instant game-changer that fans hoped he would be, nor even in the top half of the SEC. The Oklahoma transfer has been good-not-great, but the expectations for Rattler coming into the season were somewhat unrealistic.

He's rarely been a detriment outside of turnovers — an issue the Gamecocks knew he had with the Sooners. He's decidedly better than any of the quarterbacks South Carolina rotated through in 2021. Rattler has a higher completion percentage and more average yards per game than anyone who played QB in more than one game last season.

Rattler had arguably his best game was in Week 2 against Arkansas when he passed for 377 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He's had five games below 200 passing yards, and four of those were SEC games. It feels like this is as good as it's going to get. The Gamecocks need to start scheming for the Rattler they have rather than the one they hoped to get, because that's the biggest problem in the offensive play-calling right now.

Where do things stand for bowl eligibility?

With four games remaining, two feel winnable for the Gamecocks. Vanderbilt should be a victory, though the Commodores did come within a field goal of Mizzou two weeks ago. It would get South Carolina to the six-win threshold for bowl eligibility, and if the Gamecocks somehow fail to pick up the sixth in Nashville, the last chance would be at Florida (4-4, 1-4) the following week. No. 3 Tennessee and No. 5 Clemson are almost guaranteed losses to close out the regular season.

At six wins, the Gamecocks' most likely destination is one of three spots: the Birmingham Bowl, the Las Vegas Bowl, or the Gasparilla Bowl. If they pick up a seventh against Florida, there's a chance they end up at the Liberty Bowl or Texas Bowl.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina football's biggest questions including Jaheim Bell