3 sensational stats for South Carolina football.
5 sacks from defensive line
It can’t be stated enough how well the defense has played thus far. After allowing a 75-yard touchdown on the game’s opening play, the Gamecocks held East Carolina to just 193 yards on 63 snaps. That’s an average of just 3.1 yards per play. The performance has boosted the Gamecocks into the top five nationally in total yards allowed at 186 yards per game, while ranking in the top 10 by allowing just 8.5 points per contest.
The defense was put in some bad situations early, allowing a score on a trick play and having the Pirates’ second scoring drive set up by a fumble inside the 15-yard line. Still, South Carolina held their foe nearly scoreless in the second half, with East Carolina mustering just one sustainable drive in the fourth quarter that resulted in a field goal.
The Gamecocks held senior quarterback Holton Ahlers to just 77 total passing yards, and they allowed just 3.1 yards a rush to Pirate ball carriers. Pressure from the front five was a big reason why.
Kingsley Enagbare, Jordan Strachan, Aaron Sterling, and Brad Johnson combined for five sacks, while the defensive front pressure Pirate passers into mistake after mistake. One of those poor tosses resulted in a defensive score, which we’ll get to later.
In all, the Gamecocks have tallied seven sacks over their first two matchups. Continuing to get that kind of pressure next week against the Bulldogs will be key.