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South Carolina football: Defense is fueling midseason turnaround
By Jeff Moeller
Published:
Defense.
It can be the calling card for South Carolina in the 2nd half of the season. Fresh off a bye week, the Gamecocks (4-2) will begin the 2nd half when they host Texas A&M on Saturday evening at Brice-Williams Stadium.
They will hope to capitalize on any momentum from a huge 24-14 win in Kentucky 2 weeks ago, as well as their elevated status the past 3 weeks.
With a rigid schedule down the stretch, the play of South Carolina’s defense certainly will be a measuring stick for their team and the state of the program. The unit appears to be surfacing from its depths with a recent aggressive assault. Its depth has proven to be a true asset.
With a 3-game winning streak in the balance, the Gamecocks have begun to resemble a top-25 team, hitting on all cylinders of offense, defense and special teams.
They again will have to raise the bar against Texas A&M, which is desperate for a win at 3-3 and is coming off a gut-wrenching 24-20 to Alabama 2 weeks ago. The Aggies have dropped 2 straight, and their last win was a 23-21 triumph over Arkansas on Sept. 24. A&M also hasn’t won a conference road game since last October at Missouri.
They will be hungry, and South Carolina can’t afford a sluggish start that could lead to a letdown.
The Gamecocks’ offense is ranked 7th in the conference, averaging 33.7 points and 389 yards. They are averaging 244 yards through the air and 145 on the ground, and most of the latter has been generated in the past few weeks.
After a shaky start, USC has tightened the reins on defense, ranking 9th in the SEC with 354 yards per game. It is 2nd in the conference with 8 interceptions, 7 in its past 3 games — all victories. USC has 10 sacks.
The Gamecocks’ secondary, perceived as one of the elite in college football, has battled its way through injuries and has begun to live up to its reputation. It will enter Saturday’s game ranked 5th against the pass in the conference.
USC hasn’t had its starting secondary together since the opener against Georgia State, as Darius Rush. R.J. Roderick and David Spaulding all have missed time with injuries.
The back end has been held together through the play of freshmen Nick Emmanwori and DQ Smith, who have been invaluable with their consistent contributions. Emmanwori leads the team in tackles with 37, recording a remarkable 31 solo stops. Smith has an impressive slate of 19 tackles, 1 interception, 1 touchdown off a blocked punt and 2 pass breakups.
However, the real difference has been along the Gamecocks’ defensive front. Like the secondary, the d-line has had it share of injuries.
It lost edge rusher/defensive end Jordan Strachan with a season-ending injury in Week 2, and fellow edge rusher Terrell Dawkins went down in late September but could return next month. Defensive tackle and plugger Alex Huntley has been bothered by a foot injury. Gilber Edmond, who was viewed as a project, has been a big surprise taking Strachan’s place.
End Zacch Pickens has been playing well, and the Gamecocks have received notable play from Tonka Hemingway and Nick Barrett. Jordan Burch has shown some of his potential with more disruptive play, but he still has only 2.5 sacks.
At linebacker, Debo Williams and Brad Johnson have more than helped to compensate for the loss of Mo Kaba, who went down in Week 2.
Sixth-year senior Sherrod Greene has shown his experience and become a mainstay at linebacker. Greene has been among the team leaders in tackles all season, and he notched 12 in the Gamecocks’ victory over Kentucky.
The defense is in the catbird seat against A&M, who rank 14th on offense in the league, netting 213 yards via the pass and 120 with the run.
A&M quarterback Haynes King threw for 252 yards with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception against Alabama. Overall, he has 5 touchdowns and interceptions each, along with 783 yards.
Running back Devon Achane rushed for 62 yards against the Tide, and he has 528 for the season.
A major threat for the USC secondary will be Aggies wide receiver Evan Stewart, who caught 8 balls for 106 yards 2 weeks ago and has 26 for 303 for the year.
A&M will rely on its 2nd-ranked conference defense, which has held opponents to 18.8 points per game. It allows 365.5 yards per game and has 10 sacks. That will be the challenge for USC quarterback Spencer Rattler and his upstart unit.
As for the USC defense, its time has come.
It can gift-wrap another key conference game Saturday night, and further legitimize the Gamecocks toward a top-25 bid.
