Former Gamecock QB Spencer Rattler throws first NFL TD for Saints

Spencer Rattler threw his first NFL regular-season touchdown pass Sunday in his first career start.

The former South Carolina Gamecock found Bub Means for the 10-yard score in the second quarter during the New Orleans Saints game against Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The TD gave the Saints a 20-17 lead.

The Buccaneers blew the Saints out in the second half on their way to a 51-27 victory.

“I thought the first half was really good for all of us,” Rattler told reporters after the game. “We were sloppy as a group the whole second half. We couldn’t get anything going. We shot ourselves in the foot a few times, made a few mistakes. It starts with myself. I got to play better. We fought, we battled, we learned and will get better from it.”

Rattler finished 22-of-40 passing for 243 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. He also carried it four times for 27 yards.

Rattler looked comfortable early on in the game despite the Saints falling behind 17-0. He completed his first pass attempt, a 27-yarder to Juwan Johnson.

Rattler got the start in place of injured starter David Carr, who missed the game with an oblique injury and is expected to be out three to four weeks.

The Arizona native was selected with the 150th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Saints. NFL analysts and mock drafts generally had Rattler slotted as a second- or third-round selection as the draft neared.

Rattler was the first Gamecock quarterback to be selected in the NFL Draft since Todd Ellis, USC’s career passing leader, in 1990. Ellis was the 247th pick in the ninth round and was taken by the Denver Broncos, coached by fellow South Carolina alum Dan Reeves.

“It is something you work your whole life for,” Rattler told reporters this week. “... It sucks that Derek got hurt. He is the leader of our team and one of the best dudes in the building. But I have a job to do and have to execute on a high level.”