More blitzing from South Carolina’s defense? Why Muschamp wants to avoid it
It ended with Will Muschamp talking about cake and getting sick.
It started with a subject South Carolina football fans grew sick of talking about across a few seasons.
In two seasons with the Gamecocks, Will Muschamp and his staff have shored up a lot of areas on USC’s defense. Against the pass, USC has evolved into a solid bend-don’t-break unit, despite a limited secondary. Against the run, the group went from pretty bad in 2016 to at least good in 2017.
But one thing still gnaws at Muschamp.
“What’s the one thing we need to take a step forward in defensively?” Muschamp said. “We need to rush four guys better. We need to affect the quarterback by rushing four guys. Because you can’t get in a pressure all the time and play man coverage. Too much chocolate cake will make you sick.”
It might be a bit of a poke at the traditional fan logic that all defensive woes can be solved with more blitzes and tight press coverage. Muschamp has long preached the importance of not allowing explosive plays, and sending extra pressures every down is a recipe for those.
USC ranked 81st in the country in how often it got to opposing quarterbacks, up from 92nd in 2016. Only six of the team’s 26 sacks came from nondefensive linemen (five came from linebackers who also spent time at Buck).
Perhaps the good news for USC is there will be options on the defensive front, especially when it comes to pass rushers.
“This year, we’ll have the ability to do that,” starting Buck D.J. Wonnum said. “Having guys like Keir Thomas, Javon Kinlaw, Aaron Sterling, Bryson (Allen-Williams), Shameik Blackshear, those guys, we’ll be able to do that.”
Wonnum, Kinlaw and Thomas are back as starters, with Thomas moving from being primarily a big defensive end to a quicker tackle. Both Wonnum and Kinlaw could be contenders for all-conference honors this season.
Sterling, a sophomore who had two sacks in 188 snaps last season, likely will be a bookend, unless Blackshear finally makes good on his status as a decorated recruit.
Brad Johnson came on late at the end of his freshman season, and people around the program buzzed about his potential. The defensive tackle group offers a range of options, including former ends moving inside (Kingsley Enagbare, Tyreek Johnson) or bigger guys with some quickness (Jabari Ellis, Rick Sandidge, M.J. Webb, Jesus Gibbs). Allen-Williams and fellow hybrid linebacker/Buck Daniel Fennell will also factor in.
The coming weeks will be about sorting through the group, figuring out which ones will be able to contribute in the fall and keep the team from needing to dial up too many pressures.
So, as Muschamp hopes, they won’t find themselves getting sick.
“It motivates me a lot,” Wonnum said of his coach’s words. “Just working on my craft, all the D-line guys, getting it outside practice. Just building that chemistry, it’s going to be pretty good.”
This story was originally published July 27, 2018 at 12:46 AM.