Gamecocks’ secondary, linebackers bringing physical presence to USC defense
South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer has a way with words.
Since his hiring in December, Beamer has trotted out varying messages and ideologies on graphics, the stadium, social media and around the Gamecocks’ football facilities.
Just shy of the exit to the locker room sits one that’s resonated in recent weeks: “Be the most physical team in the nation.”
South Carolina’s defense is aiming to be just that.
“It’s just (about) how consistent are you with the physicality,” senior linebacker Brad Johnson said Wednesday. “.... On the days that you’re tired, on the days that you’re not feeling as good as you were feeling the day before, are you still bringing that physicality? That’s one of the main things.”
The Gamecocks’ defensive philosophy boils down to two words: “controlled aggressiveness.” Rule changes in the college game have sought to limit some of the bone-crunching hits of decades past, but South Carolina is still working toward a hard-hitting makeup in its linebacking corps and secondary.
Take linebacker Debo Williams as a case study. Williams, who transferred to USC after a year at Delaware, told reporters Wednesday he came to South Carolina with an inclination to lead with his head more than needed.
Working to establish the muscle memory in keeping his head up when flying around the middle of a defense, he explained how he visualizes his space on the field like the circle that appears around a player in the “Madden” NFL video games. Inside that circle, Williams tries to keep a strong base and his head up.
“You’ve got to stay in that circle — don’t get too wide out and don’t come in too close,” he explained. “That’s how you’re able to move fast and still be able to be able to correctly move and do what you’ve got to do.”
Washington State transfer safety Tyrese Ross echoed similar sentiments. Ross made a living in the Pac-12 as a hard-hitting defender on the back end of the Cougar defense. Now in Columbia, he suited up in full pads for the first time Wednesday after missing a handful of practices in COVID protocol.
Ross said he’s found a balance between control and physicality by gaining a deeper understanding of defensive coordinator Clayton White’s 4-2-5 scheme. The less you have to think, the more you can just move around the field.
“That’s one thing we do in practice is we look at the film and ways to tackle and stuff like that,” Ross explained. “So I just take that teaching and apply it to my game.”
South Carolina’s defense has been maligned throughout the offseason. The Gamecocks lost game-changing defensive backs Israel Mukuamu and Jaycee Horn — the No. 9 pick in the 2021 NFL draft — on top of losing other contributors to the transfer portal. USC has since largely pieced together the secondary with transfers.
But in the brief glimpses that reporters have had during team sessions this fall, the Gamecocks seem to have enough disruptive forces to create some problems.
During Tuesday’s practice, White’s unit forced a pair of fumbles, the latter of which was scooped up by freshman linebacker Kolbe Fields.
“Just about every period it’s a turnover, whether it be a forced fumble or an interception,” senior safety R.J. Roderick said. “Just to see the defense flying, getting in places to make good plays — there’s no better feeling, honestly, being a defensive player.”
Asked Wednesday who the hardest hitter on the 2021 Gamecocks defense is, each player took varying tones.
Ross, through an ear-to-ear grin, said he’d notched a handful of big hits during camp. Roderick told reporters he’d side with himself. Williams, too, added he’d like to lay claim to the title.
Regardless of who might take home top honors there, there’s a general swagger among South Carolina’s linebackers and defensive backs. They’ve heard the jeers and jokes about what the 2021 defense might be. It’s a rebuilding process, sure. But physicality can make up for plenty of shortcomings.
“We don’t have to take heads off every practice to be the most physical,” Williams explained. “It’s just knowing what you’ve got to do and showing it on Saturdays. I think we definitely want to show it this season and I think it’s very attainable.”
