South Carolina Football: 5 players who should play more this weekend
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina Football players who could play more against Furman:
Defensive End Drew Tuazama
South Carolina football fans have talked a lot about the offensive line since the poor showing on Saturday, but the defensive line did not have a good day, either. The team had one tackle for loss (linebacker Debo Williams) and zero sacks and seemed to be incapable of getting any push up front against North Carolina’s blockers.
A shakeup seems imminent on the defensive line this week, and the depth chart shows it. Last week’s listing had Tyreek Johnson OR Jatius Geer OR Terrell Dawkins listed at one defensive position and Jordan Strachan OR Bryan Thomas, Jr. OR Desmond Umeozulu at the other.
Both spots are notated differently heading into week 2. New Gamecock transfer Drew Tuazama (who joined the team less than three weeks ago) is listed as an OR starter along with Jatius Geer (unlikely to play with injury) and Tyreek Johnson. Dawkins is no longer listed. Strachan OR Bryan Thomas, Jr. are listed as the starter at the other EDGE spot. Umeozulu is listed as the backup.
Tuazama is an intriguing player for the Gamecocks. He was a very good player for UAB in 2022, leading the team in sacks. That is something Carolina desperately needs as they logged zero sacks against Drake Maye and North Carolina last week and only had a handful of pressures, at all.
At 6’5″ and 275 pounds, Tuazama is also a stouter and stronger run defender than Geer, Strachan, Thomas, or Umeozulu. He is built more like Johnson but has not been battling injuries like Johnson and has more experience on the field. Things need to change on the defensive front for the Gamecocks, and Tuazama, despite being a new addition to the team, might be the best choice on the South Carolina football roster to bring that change.