South Carolina football: Grading the Gamecocks position by position
By Jacob Elsey
The defense was one of the worst in the conference, allowing 36 points a game to its opponents. The Gamecocks allowed more than 30 points in seven of ten contests, with its opposition reaching at least 40 points on five occasions.
DL
The defensive line was average this season, but did have a few bright spots. End JJ Enagbare was one of the SEC’s leaders in sacks, and was part of a group that totaled 12.5 sacks through ten games. Freshmen Jordan Burch and Tonka Hemingway showed flashes in their first years on campus, while Zacch Pickens built upon an All-SEC campaign in 2019.
South Carolina struggled to hold up against the run, though. The Gamecocks were often pushed around at the point of attack, and finished ranked 13th in the league in rushing yards allowed.
Grade: C-
LB
Ernest Jones was the team’s leader once again, tallying a team high 86 tackles through nine games of action. He missed the season finale with an injury. Outside linebacker Damani Staley was inserted into the lineup for most of the year and finished with 51 takedowns.
Again, the defense struggled to stop the run, which partially falls on this group.
Grade: C-
DB
The secondary came in as the team’s most talented position, but it failed to meet those expectations. South Carolina looked to turn a corner with an upset of Auburn, where the defensive backfield picked off Bo Nix three times, but after that matchup, they allowed 200-yard performances to five of six opposing passers. That includes a 513-yard game from Ole Miss’s Matt Corral in a loss that ended the Will Muschamp era.
By season’s end, a number of secondary members had opted to not finish the year out, with another group announcing plans to transfer following the final game. All in all, six starters in the defensive backfield will be gone in 2021, none of which are members of the senior class.
This group was absolutely the most disappointing after being talked up so much throughout the offseason.
Grade: D+
P
Freshman Kai Kroeger was a great asset on special teams. He averaged 43.3 yards a punt and booted a long of 53. After struggling a bit in his first career action, the Illinois native averaged at least 40 yards per punt in the season’s final nine games.
Grade: B+