South Carolina Football: Ranking the top-10 defensive performances in Gamecock history

Throughout the history of South Carolina football, virtually every good Gamecock team has been united by one consistent factor: a good defense. No Carolina team has ever had much sustained success without a defense that made life difficult for opponents.

Putting up good defensive seasons starts with good defensive games, and the Gamecocks have delivered plenty of those in their history to the delight of the Carolina faithful. But which Carolina defensive performances were the best in Gamecock history?

Honorable Mention:

Jadeveon Clowney vs. Vanderbilt: The 2011 game against Vanderbilt was ugly. South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia threw 4 interceptions, and the running game averaged less than four yards per carry. Thankfully, the defense was dominant.

True freshman Jadeveon Clowney had 4 tackles, all for a loss in the contest. 2 of those were sacks, and on both sacks, #7 forced a fumble. The first strip-sack actually gave Carolina an early lead as Clowney knocked the ball away, Antonio Allen recovered it, then fumbled it, Melvin Ingram recovered the loose ball, and Ingram scored a touchdown.

Brad Edwards vs. Clemson: Brad Edwards was an All-American in 1987, and his final regular season game as a Gamecock proved it was a deserving honor. The Carolina safety racked up 9 tackles on the day and knocked one pass away. However, he also intercepted Clemson quarterback Rodney Williams twice, including one that he returned for a touchdown in the closing minutes of the game that secured the Gamecock victory.

Darius Rush vs. North Carolina: #1 cornerback Cam Smith was out for the 2021 Duke’s Mayo Bowl against rival North Carolina, but his secondary mate Darius Rush stepped up in a huge way. Rush locked down some talented North Carolina receivers as he surrendered zero catches on the day and made a couple of spectacular plays to knock balls away in coverage. South Carolina pulled off the victory, and Rush was the player of the game on defense.

Javon Kinlaw vs. Vanderbilt: Defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw had his coming out party in 2018 against a Vanderbilt Commodore team that had no answers for the big fella in the middle. Rocking a brand new #3 on his jersey, Kinlaw forced two fumbles, racked up five tackles for loss, and picked up two sacks. When he wasn’t taking people down in the backfield, he was able to knock down passes at the line of scrimmage, doing so twice in the Carolina blowout victory.

Kenny Harney vs. Arkansas: In 2001, linebacker Kenny Harney had a huge day against the Razorbacks of Arkansas. #44 tallied 14 tackles, including a tackle for loss. His hit behind the line of scrimmage on Arkansas running back Rod Talley was the hardest hit by a Gamecock since the season prior when Gamecock linebacker Shannon Wadley also smacked Talley behind the line.

Skai Moore vs. North Carolina: An underachieving South Carolina football team started the 2015 season with a victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels in Charlotte, but the win would not have been possible without the play of one of the best linebackers in school history.

Skai Moore racked up 10 tackles on the day, but it was his work in the coverage game that made the difference. In a game that the “real” Carolina won 17-13, #10 picked off UNC quarterback Marquise Williams in the end zone twice to stop Tar Heel scoring drives. The second pick came at the end of the game, allowing the Gamecocks to kneel out the clock to secure the opening game victory over their border rivals.

Bayard Pickett vs. The Citadel: Way back in 1949, offenses did not throw the ball very much. However, against the Gamecocks, The Citadel Bulldogs tried the passing game to no avail. Carolina defensive back Bayard Pickett made them pay for their poor playcalling by picking off 4 passes in the Gamecock victory.

Antonio Allen vs. Tennessee: Antonio Allen was an All-American in 2011, but his best single-game performance came the previous season. Against Tennessee, the Spur linebacker was all over the field. Allen racked up an incredible five tackles for loss, two sacks, and forced a fumble in the Gamecock victory. South Carolina would go on to win the SEC East that season.

Chris Major vs. Clemson: The Black Magic Gamecocks of 1984 played a closer-than-expected game against the rival Clemson Tigers. Defensive back Chris Major was a…major…reason why Carolina was able to hold on for a 22-21 victory.

Major broke up six passes from Tiger quarterback Mike Eppley and saved a touchdown on Eppley’s longest run of the day, bringing down the open-field runner with no one else around to prevent the score. Those six deflections went a long way toward Major eventually becoming the Gamecocks’ all-time leader in passes defended.

Darian Stewart vs. Ole Miss: Darien Stewart doesn’t get remembered as often as some of his star defensive teammates (though he should; he spent a decade in the NFL), but #24 was a stud in garnet and black. His best game came against Ole Miss in 2009 when the Gamecocks upset the 4th-ranked Rebels at Williams-Brice.

Specifically, his best-ever drive came on the game’s final drive. Carolina led the Rebels by 6, and the Ole Miss offense had the ball with a chance to score for the win. In the last five plays of the game, Stewart logged a sack, a huge hit on a tackle for loss, and knocked away the 4th down pass to end the game.

Kalimba Edwards vs. Ohio State: Gamecock All-American EDGE player Kalimba Edwards was a force against the Buckeyes. If not for a superhuman effort from Ohio native Ryan Brewer for the Carolina offense, Edwards would have surely been the game’s MVP.

Edwards tallied six tackles, four of them behind the line of scrimmage, and three sacks. On one of his sacks, he knocked the ball away from Ohio State quarterback Steve Bellisarri, and the ball was recovered by Gamecock defensive lineman Cleveland Pinkney. The strip-sack set up Carolina’s first touchdown of the day, and the route was on. Carolina picked up the victory 24-7.

Melvin Ingram vs. Auburn: The versatile Melvin Ingram had a career day against Auburn in 2011. #6 logged 10 tackles, including 3.5 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss. Unfortunately for the Gamecocks, it still wasn’t enough as Carolina fell at home to the Tigers. The loss kept USC from representing the SEC East in the SEC Championship Game.

DJ Swearinger vs. Arkansas: One of the most famous defensive efforts in Carolina history is DJ Swearinger’s game against Arkansas in 2012. The Gamecock safety heard his name called over and over again against the Razorbacks for a variety of reasons. His 13 tackles were impressive (several of them were enormous hits, as well), but the moments that came with those plays made them more special.

With Arkansas driving and looking to make things a one-score game, Swearinger was flagged twice in a row, once for a horsecollar and once for a controversial helmet-to-helmet hit. Then, with boos raining down on the officials, Swearinger picked off the next pass and returned it 70 yards for a touchdown and threw the ball in the stands drawing another penalty. The score, realistically, put the game away and secured another 11-win season for the Gamecocks.