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Deebo Samuel extended his left arm on Saturday for an acrobatic stunt drawn from one of the best moments in South Carolina football history.
That was the type of heightened reception that the Chapman High graduate performed regularly during a five-game sequence before a broken leg derailed a stellar series of performances and a serious consideration. for the Heisman Trophy.
The day before Saturday's session with 10 112-yard touchdowns against Coastal Carolina, Samuel, a senior, was eager to return.
"I could not really sleep," he said. "I slept all night and did not sleep. … It's been 11 months that I can not play against another opponent. I was just happy to have come back and played.
The acrobatic, but more and more common, social media shootings that afternoon seemed to be a reflection of a play Samuel played in a three-pass performance against the N.C.
"It was a little similar, but it was not intentional," said Samuel, smiling, whose arm was seized by the defender. "I had no choice but to get my hands on it and try to catch it."
USC coach Will Muschamp has seen a lot of games like this, but one also has to wonder what could have been, given the 13 games Samuel has missed in the last two years because of injury.
"It was a frustrating time," Muschamp said Saturday. "As a parent or coach, it's sometimes hard to say it will be better. They are tired of hearing that after a while. You need results and you have provided results today. He had a big smile at the end of the game and I am extremely happy for him. He deserves it."
Samuel battled a thigh injury and missed three games as a sophomore, but credited inter-season yoga for launching last season. He scored six touchdowns in 11 quarters before an injury to Kentucky. In just five and a half games between 2016 and the start of last season, Samuel set the record for touchdowns (three), scoring nine times three times (including one overtime) and totaling 1,180 yards.
"The challenges he has faced have made him an outstanding teammate and friend who really likes to be there with the guys," quarterback Jake Bentley said. "He understands that he will never take a match for granted. It was great to see him touch again and be right there with us.
Former Union County forward Shi Smith, whose role in the attack grew after Samuel's injury, was delighted to see his teammate again on Saturday.
"We missed him last year. I have failed to play with him, "Smith said. "It's a good feeling to know that Deebo is on your side."
The USC will need all of its playmakers on the field against defending SEC champion Georgia on Saturday for Gamecocks to make claims to SEC East. Samuel did not participate in last year's Athens game and had four passes for 90 yards in the 2016 meeting before Bentley returned to play two weeks later.
"He is probably the most underrated player in the country," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said Monday at his weekly press conference. "I do not know everyone in the country knows what the SEC knows about Deebo Samuel.
"Two years ago, he gave us a place in that game, and then we said he had a difficult injury to overcome, but before he suffered that injury, he had one of the most electric returns in the country. … He will be a key character for us. You have to put it on the ground when he gets the ball. "
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