Report card from South Carolina football's thrashing of rival Kentucky Wildcats

The South Carolina defensive line was the best unit on the field against Kentucky. Their only "weakness" on the day came in the 2nd quarter when they allowed the Wildcats to drive down the field on nothing but run plays, but the group was dominant the rest of the game. Dylan Stewart is a freak of all freaks despite being a true freshman, and Kyle Kennard and Gilber Edmond flashed at EDGE, as well. The team's top-5 defensive tackles all looked good as TJ Sanders was unblockable at times and DeAndre Jules had a strong game after taking a drive or two to get going. Whether in 3-man fronts or 4-man fronts, the Gamecock defensive line was awesome in this one.. DEFENSIVE LINE. DEFENSIVE LINE. A. South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Kentucky Wildcats

B+. South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Kentucky Wildcats. Debo Williams, Demetrius Knight, Bam Martin-Scott, and Bangally Kamara are probably the best 4-man linebacker group that South Carolina football fans have gotten to see in some time. Despite Kentucky only running 52 total plays in which a tackle was made and the defensive line gobbling up stops, those four 'backers logged 20 tackles. Both Williams and Martin-Scott flew into the backfield for stops on multiple occasions, and Bangally Kamara was the best defender on the field on one drive, single-handedly holding UK to a field goal with three tackles in a row when the Wildcats were threatening. The group missed out on an A for dropping a would-be pick-6 that could have put the game away a little earlier.. LINEBACKERS. LINEBACKERS

South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Kentucky Wildcats. The Gamecock secondary had a great showing in Lexington. Obviously aided by the dominant defensive line play in front of them, the Carolina corners surrendered virtually nothing other than a 32-yard catch to Dane Key (and O'Donnell Fortune had good coverage on that play) as the Wildcats TOTALED just 44 yards passing. Safety Nick Emmanwori and nickel Jalon Kilgore each had interceptions, and Emmanwori took his back for a touchdown. Redshirt freshman Vicari Swain looked really good, especially playing near the line of scrimmage, and true freshman safety/nickel Kelvin Hunter picked up his first career tackle for loss. The defensive line was the best unit in this game for having the biggest impact on winning, the secondary earned the highest grade because there was nothing in this game that should cause their grade to dip. It truly was a flawless performance.. SECONDARY. SECONDARY. A+

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