South Carolina football's defense forced timely turnovers and showcased an improved pass rush in its 23-19 win over the Old Dominion Monarchs Saturday night.
"(I'm) proud as heck of our team," head coach Shane Beamer said. "I thought we responded to adversity each time. Whenever something bad happened to one phase, the other phase picked them up and responded."
The defense wasted no time gaining momentum when year fifth-year defensive end Kyle Kennard strip-sacked Old Dominion's junior quarterback Grant Wilson on the second play of the game. The fumble was recovered by redshirt senior linebacker Debo Williams, setting up South Carolina's offense at the Monarchs' three-yard line.
"We decided we just had to play as a team and execute every play," Kennard said. "Whatever call coach gave us, we just had to execute it."
But after senior running back Raheim "Rocket" Sanders gave the Gamecocks an early lead, the Monarchs answered with a touchdown of its own. Wilson found senior wide receiver Isiah Paige for a 72-yard score to tie the game at 7 points apiece.
"It was just a little miscommunication," sophomore defensive back Jalon Kilgore said. "We cleaned that up. First game, stuff is going to happen, so we just got to clean those things up and make sure it doesn't happen in other games."
After that touchdown, the Gamecocks held Old Dominion’s offense to just 25 total yards in the rest of the first half. In the second quarter the Monarchs gained just ten yards, good enough for 0.6 yards per play.
The Monarchs struggled to contain South Carolina's pass rush duo of Kennard and freshman edge runner Dylan Stewart throughout the game. The two combined to record four of the Gamecocks' five sacks in the game.
"We thought they were really good," Beamer said. "We have more guys that can rush the passer than what we did last season. We have Kyle, who was a transfer obviously coming in. (Redshirt junior edge rusher) J.T. Geer is back healthy. Dylan Stewart's obviously a true freshman who did a great job. I thought they did a really good job."
In the third quarter, the Monarchs' offense found a spark when Wilson scrambled for a 36-yard touchdown on a fourth-and-seven play. Old Dominion continued piling pressure on the Gamecocks' defense, as it scored twelve consecutive points to make the score 19-16 in favor of the Monarchs.
But South Carolina eventually found a way to slow down the Old Dominion's fast-paced attack in the fourth quarter — by forcing takeaways. The Gamecocks gave up 101 yards in the quarter, but it also caused the Monarchs to punt once and turn the ball over twice.
The two turnovers forced by the Gamecocks defense in the fourth quarter proved crucial in deciding the outcome of the game. With around seven minutes remaining, Stewart stripped the ball away from Wilson, who lost his second fumble of the game. South Carolina's fumble recovery close to the end zone set up a three-yard touchdown run from redshirt freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers, which gave the Gamecocks a 23-19 advantage.
"I knew once the pocket collapsed, he's going to step up," Stewart said. "So, as soon as he stepped up, I punched the ball out."
Heading into this season, Stewart was listed by 247Sports as the No. 2 defensive end and the 19th-best player in the class of 2024. Stewart said he wasn't surprised about his performance on Saturday night.
"Nah, I do it in practice," Stewart said. "Practice how you play."
Kilgore sealed South Carolina's victory by intercepting a pass from Wilson with one minute and 29 seconds remaining in the game. Kilgore said the secondary's experience and chemistry from playing together played a crucial role in the game.
"I just feel like the DB room has built so much chemistry from last year," Kilgore said. "We only lost one person in the secondary ... Marcellas (Dial), and just us building that chemistry and having that love for each other."
The Gamecocks forced four total turnovers against the Monarchs — two fumbles and two interceptions — and showcased its improved pass rush. In 2023, the team accumulated just 21 sacks in twelve games. After one game, the defense already has five sacks to go along with eight tackles for loss.
South Carolina also saw strong individual performances from sixth-year defender DeAndre Jules and Williams. Jules recorded five tackles and routinely disrupted the Monarchs' backfield, while Williams seven total tackles, including five solo stops.
"We came and huddled as a defense and were just like, 'We've been here before ... This game is on us. Let's not depend on anybody else but us. This defense, the eleven men out here now, we've got to stop them,'" Williams said.
Despite South Carolina's defensive prowess, Williams said the unit has much to improve upon. The Gamecocks allowed Wilson to complete 22 of 38 passes for 197 yards and gave up 108 rushing yards on 34 attempts , which amounts to 3.2 yards per carry.
"I want us to be better. I don't want them to score any points at all," Williams said. "I keep saying that, and I'm going to continue to say that. I don't want anything. I don't want them to get field goals, touchdowns, none of that."
The South Carolina Gamecocks will face the Kentucky Wildcats on Sep. 7 at Kroger Field. The game will be at 3:30 p.m. on ABC.