South Carolina football: Stephon Gilmore and Rashad Fenton battle on MNF

Two former South Carolina football players faced off Monday night.

Last night’s Monday Night Football game was a battle of old and new. Perennial power New England faced off against a Kansas City team in what seems to be a changing of the guard among NFL championship contenders.

There was also a battle of former Gamecocks, one a veteran and one a newcomer to the league. And both showed out, providing their respective teams with game-changing plays.

In the first half, reigning defensive player of the year Stephon Gilmore punched a ball out from the hands of former Clemson Tiger Sammy Watkins, which stopped a Kansas City scoring drive.

Gilmore has now tallied two turnovers on the year, after leading the league in interceptions in 2019. He’s been a superstar at every stop in his career, dating back to his time with the Gamecocks. In Columbia, he was a three-year starter and all-SEC performer, before becoming a first-round draft pick and defensive player of the year.

His counterpart on Monday, Rashad Fenton, got to the league with a little less fanfare, but he’s earned a starting role in just his second season for the defending Super Bowl champions. Last night, he had the game-sealing interception, giving his Chiefs yet another win on the NFL’s young season.

Fenton broke up four passes to go along with that pick, and looks to be a staple in the Chiefs secondary moving forward. He was paired up against yet another Gamecock, receiver Damiere Byrd, for most of the night. Byrd hauled in five catches for 80 yards for a Cam Newton-less Patriot offense.

A few other South Carolina football players made some noise this weekend.

Some other former Gamecocks had big days this weekend, too, including a player in last night’s other Monday night game.

Kicker Elliott Fry connected on his first career field goal, a 23-yarder that put the Falcons on the board early Monday night. He looked good, outside of a missed extra point, in his first ever start. We’ll have to track his progression throughout the season.

On Sunday, hometown hero Mike Davis put on a show for the Carolina Panthers, tallying over 100 total yards (84 rush, 27 rec) and a touchdown.

After taking over for an injured Christian McCaffrey, Davis has recorded two starts in the Panther backfield. In those two appearances, he’s notched 130 rushing yards, 72 receiving yards, and two scores. He’s averaging over 100 yards from scrimmage a game.