Grading South Carolina’s defense, special teams halfway through the 2022 season
South Carolina is sitting in the driver’s seat.
After a 1-2 start, USC has ripped off three consecutive victories — including a 24-14 win over Kentucky last weekend in Lexington. The Gamecocks return home to face Texas A&M at 7:30 p.m. this Saturday (SEC Network).
Let’s take a look at how the defense and special teams units have fared halfway through the season:
Secondary
Grade: A-
South Carolina’s secondary has been as banged up as any position group this fall.
Darius Rush, David Spaulding and R.J. Roderick have all missed time this fall. Clayton White’s Gamecocks haven’t even had their initial group of starters healthy all at once since the first drive of the season opener against Georgia State.
Still, this group has performed admirably.
Freshmen Nick Emmanwori and DQ Smith have been stars filling in for those injured upperclassmen. Emmanwori leads the team in tackles (37) and has more than double as many solo stops (31) as any other player on the roster. Smith, too, has been a stud — notching 19 tackles, two pass breakups an interception and a touchdown off a punt block.
Cam Smith has continued to look the part of an NFL defensive back so far, splitting time between nickel and cornerback. His play alongside Rush and Spaulding — when they’ve been healthy — has boosted a defense in need of some help.
South Carolina currently ranks fifth in the Southeastern Conference against the pass and is tied for the league lead in interceptions (8) with Mississippi State. The most impressive part? Seven of those picks have come in the last three games.
Injuries have led to some explosive plays, but the Gamecocks seem to be turning a corner in the secondary. Given all the missed time between this group, it’s hard to say they could’ve played much better in the first half of the year.
Linebacker
Grade: B
The loss of Mo Kaba to a season-ending injury Week 2 at Arkansas stung, but South Carolina has managed to mitigate his absence to varying degrees.
Debo Williams and Brad Johnson have largely held onto the starting roles in place of Kaba, combining for 30 tackles through six games. Johnson also added an interception and two quarterback hurries this fall.
Sherrod Greene arguably has been the biggest surprise of the group. The sixth-year senior lost his starting job to Kaba, but was thrust back into the rotation when Kaba went down. He’s responded resoundingly, ranking second on the team in tackles — including a team-high 12-tackle outing against Kentucky.
Freshman Stone Blanton and ex-junior college import Bam Martin-Scott have also shown some poise and promise in spurts this year.
South Carolina has taken its lumps against the run. However, this group has largely buckled down with a few games figuring out the right rotation.
Defensive line
Grade: B
Like linebacker, South Carolina was behind the eight ball almost immediately along its defensive line.
Defensive end Jordan Strachan went down with a season-ending injury at Arkansas. Edge rusher Terrell Dawkins underwent knee surgery in late September and USC is hopeful he can return by November, though that timeline isn’t altogether clear. Defensive tackle Alex “Boogie” Huntley has also been in and out of the lineup with a foot injury.
That said, those who have played offered a glimpse at what this group can be at full health.
Zacch Pickens continues to be a monster up front, eating space and plugging gaps like he was expected to. South Carolina has also gotten ample production from M.J. Webb, Nick Barrett and Tonka Hemingway — who’s played inside and out of late.
Former five-star recruit Jordan Burch has become increasingly disruptive on the edge, but has just 2.5 sacks so far this year. He’s come close, notching five quarterback hurries and a pass breakup.
Defensive end Gilber Edmond has also shined in place of Strachan. Edmond was a project who had played mostly receiver in high school when he landed at South Carolina. Two-plus years of work and another offseason, and he’s become a disruptive force in recent weeks.
South Carolina’s defensive line is hard to completely handicap because of the injuries. After a few productive weeks, though, the group has started to look closer to what we expected in the preseason.
Special teams
Grade: A+
Whatever special teams coordinator Pete Lembo is being paid isn’t enough.
South Carolina has quickly become one of the most exciting teams in America to watch on special teams given its propensity for wacky and weird trick plays. The Gamecocks have muddle huddle two-point conversions, surprise onside kicks and fake-punt passes all just in six games this year.
That’s not to mention that USC is currently tied for the national lead in blocked kicks (5), almost doubling up the next closest SEC school in Ole Miss (3).
Kicker Mitch Jeter has also quickly become a weapon for the Gamecocks. Replacing all-time leading scorer Parker White was always going to be a chore. Jeter has done so with ease, cashing in on 15 of 16 extra points and all six of his field goal attempts — including a pair of 50-plus-yarders in the season opener.
Receiver Josh Vann has been another pleasant surprise on this side of things. Though his receiving numbers have dropped off a cliff, Vann is averaging almost four yards more per punt return than he did a year ago. That also doesn’t include the 70-yard touchdown return he had called back due to a flag against Charlotte.
Shane Beamer’s father, Frank, developed a storied reputation on special teams play during his almost 30 years as the head coach at Virginia Tech. The younger Beamer has certainly taken a page out of his dad’s playbook this year — and he’s passing the test with flying colors.
This story was originally published October 14, 2022 at 6:50 AM.
