Juju McDowell, Christian-Beal Smith will anchor Gamecocks run game in Gator bowl
Dec. 29, 2022
There’s an ease about South Carolina running back Christian Beal-Smith. He comes off as an old soul, soft-spoken and thoughtful. He intently thinks through his answers to reporters. He gives off a vibe befitting of a player in his fifth year with just one game remaining in his career. Compare that with his boisterous, always outspoken running mate Juju McDowell, and you can see why their two personalities complement one another in a way their running styles should, too, on the field in this week’s Gator Bowl.
“Speed and power,” Beal-Smith said of how the two’s rushing approaches work with one another. “I’m used to being in the tackles and Juju is really good in space. I feel like we can switch it up.” South Carolina’s running back room certainly looks different than it did a month ago when USC fans stormed the field in Death Valley following an upset win over No. 8 Clemson. Leading rusher MarShawn Lloyd and do-it-all tight end Jaheim Bell have since both entered the transfer portal, the latter already landing at Florida State. That duo alone combined for 56% of the Gamecocks’ 1,480 rushing yards this year.
That leaves the tandem of Beal-Smith and McDowell to shoulder the rushing load in Friday’s bowl matchup against No. 21 Notre Dame “I feel like it’s going to be great complementary football,” McDowell said. “We’ve still got a great stable of backs, missing a couple, but yeah. It’s going to be a great 1-2, (or) 1-2-3 punch. We didn’t lose too much from the run game.” That Beal-Smith ought to be a key cog in the game plan is a welcome sight for Gamecocks fans. The Wake Forest transfer hasn’t been able to fully get his feet under him this season, as injuries have limited his availability. Still, there have been flashes. Beal-Smith physically looks the part of the running back who led the Demon Deacons each of the last two years in rushing before he arrived in Columbia. He’s a bruising, downhill runner at 5-foot-9, 205 pounds with more open-field burst than one might expect.
Dec. 29, 2022
There’s an ease about South Carolina running back Christian Beal-Smith. He comes off as an old soul, soft-spoken and thoughtful. He intently thinks through his answers to reporters. He gives off a vibe befitting of a player in his fifth year with just one game remaining in his career. Compare that with his boisterous, always outspoken running mate Juju McDowell, and you can see why their two personalities complement one another in a way their running styles should, too, on the field in this week’s Gator Bowl.
“Speed and power,” Beal-Smith said of how the two’s rushing approaches work with one another. “I’m used to being in the tackles and Juju is really good in space. I feel like we can switch it up.” South Carolina’s running back room certainly looks different than it did a month ago when USC fans stormed the field in Death Valley following an upset win over No. 8 Clemson. Leading rusher MarShawn Lloyd and do-it-all tight end Jaheim Bell have since both entered the transfer portal, the latter already landing at Florida State. That duo alone combined for 56% of the Gamecocks’ 1,480 rushing yards this year.
That leaves the tandem of Beal-Smith and McDowell to shoulder the rushing load in Friday’s bowl matchup against No. 21 Notre Dame “I feel like it’s going to be great complementary football,” McDowell said. “We’ve still got a great stable of backs, missing a couple, but yeah. It’s going to be a great 1-2, (or) 1-2-3 punch. We didn’t lose too much from the run game.” That Beal-Smith ought to be a key cog in the game plan is a welcome sight for Gamecocks fans. The Wake Forest transfer hasn’t been able to fully get his feet under him this season, as injuries have limited his availability. Still, there have been flashes. Beal-Smith physically looks the part of the running back who led the Demon Deacons each of the last two years in rushing before he arrived in Columbia. He’s a bruising, downhill runner at 5-foot-9, 205 pounds with more open-field burst than one might expect.
