Two Gamecocks turned down the NFL. Now they’re playing like men on a mission
South Carolina football is trying to work through a rough patch of sorts. It’s lost two of the toss-up games on the schedule, and it probably needed to win all of them to make a bowl.
In that spot teams can find themselves in a malaise, but two of the team’s stars, Bryan Edwards and Javon Kinlaw, have impressed by not falling into a different kind of stagnation.
Both had chances to leave for the NFL last season but returned. Players in that spot sometimes have that feeling — not exactly regret — that they could be doing something other than attending class and going through the college football process.
That hasn’t afflicted this pair of Gamecocks.
“Two guys that had decisions to make a year ago,” South Carolina coach Will Muschamp said, “handled the offseason the right way, handled the summer the right way. And they’re both playing their best football.”
Kinlaw is seventh on the team with 13 tackles. He’s also leading the SEC with four sacks, despite playing an interior defensive line spot. He’s also blocked a kick and broken up a pass.
The 6-foot-6, 305-pounder has been plenty disruptive beyond those stats, drawing some praise from former Georgia Bulldog and SEC Legend David Pollack on ESPN College GameDay.
Edwards started the season slowly, with only one catch against UNC. Since then, he’s been a man possessed.
He posted 112 yards in a blowout of Charleston Southern, then 79 hard-fought yards against No. 2 Alabama. Then he posted 113 yards against Missouri, including a meandering 75-yard screen pass touchdown that momentarily got the Gamecocks back into the game.
And it’s not even the yards as much as how they’re being gained. Edwards was always known as a jump ball player, but now he’s showing off his power, fighting through tackles and getting extra yards downfield.
After last Saturday, he stands second in program history with 184 catches, one ahead of Alshon Jeffery and 23 short of Kenny McKinley. He’s third on the all-time yardage list, 502 behind Jeffery.
“Bryan is playing at a high level,” Muschamp said. “He is determined when he’s running the football, yards after catch have been outstanding.
“Really pleased with his play and his blocking and his determination. He’s doing all the little things.”
NEXT
Who: Kentucky at South Carolina
When: 7:30 pm Saturday, Sept. 28
Where: Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia
TV: SEC Network
Line: South Carolina by 3
This story was originally published September 26, 2019 at 4:01 PM.
