South Carolina Football: Gamecock defender named SEC Player of the Week

Shane Beamer’s South Carolina football team played a competitive game against the #1-ranked Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday, and the first half ended with the Gamecocks ahead 14-3. The ‘Dawgs wound up scoring 21 straight points to complete the comeback victory, moving South Carolina football to a 1-2 record with two losses to top-20 opponents.

The first half of the game was all Gamecocks, and a couple of players were the clear standouts. While some receivers played really well, Spencer Rattler was unbelievable in the first half for the offense, going 16-18 and leading his team to a two-score lead. On the defense, a few players played well early, but defensive lineman TJ Sanders was the story.

Sanders’ second half in Athens was a good follow-up to his elite first half and, for the game, big #90 finished with 9 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 1 pass breakup while getting snaps at both defensive end and defensive tackle. Even when he wasn’t making plays, he was disrupting them.

For his efforts on Saturday against the two-time defending national champions, Sanders was awarded the SEC’s Co-Defensive Lineman of the Week award.

Despite not being a starter for part of the year, Sanders has been the most productive Gamecock up front as he leads the team in tackles for loss and sacks. He had a good showing against Furman last week, as well, as he had a sack and a big tackle for loss to single-handedly blow up a Paladin possession.

Sanders’ versatility and athleticism will allow him to continue seeing the field no matter what type of defensive front the Gamecocks utilize. If the Gamecocks need to run a bigger, run-stopping front, Sanders can play defensive end. If Carolina needs a more well-rounded front that can get after the quarterback, Sanders can play defensive tackle.