Tonka Hemingway says run defense 'starts with us' on defensive line

South Carolina managed to win eight games last year despite sporting one of the nation’s worst run defenses. The Gamecocks were a sieve for most of the season, though injuries certainly contributed to that.

Fixing the run defense is a major point of emphasis this offseason.

“Like everyone says, it starts with us,” South Carolina defensive tackle Tonka Hemingway said. “In the room, like, we don’t mind it right now. If it needs to be us, we’ll start it. We working on the run defense techniques, learning to be precise with everything, staying in our gaps.”

South Carolina’s run defense finished ranked 117th nationally a year ago, allowing an average of 198 yards per game on the ground. Opponents averaged an impressive 4.93 yards per carry.

That’s simply not going to get it done if South Carolina wants to improve on its eight-win mark in 2022 and build off wins over Clemson and Tennessee.

Most of the players seem to recognize that.

Still, there’s a growing confidence in the South Carolina locker room that the players on the roster will be up to the task.

“Well, I feel real confident in our guys, like Boogie, T.J. (Sanders), Nate, our young guys,” Hemingway said. “Even them, I feel real confident. We’re working on staying in our gaps. That’s probably like one of our biggest problems, trying to make plays.”

If South Carolina run defense can plug the gaps a little better in 2023, it could alleviate some of the pressure on starting quarterback Spencer Rattler as he settles in with a new group of skill players around him.

Running back depth concerns Shane Beamer

Though there’s growing confidence the run defense can improve in 2023, coach Shane Beamer is worried a little bit about his depth at running back.

The program lost top back MarShawn Lloyd to USC this offseason, and while Beamer isn’t concerned about the top end talent in his group, he is worried about just how much of it he has.

“I’m concerned or was concerned about the depth at the running back position,” Beamer said at SEC Media Days. “I’m not concerned about it from a talent level. We’ve got plenty of good backs. That’s a wear-and-tear position. You need more than one or two running backs to get through a season.”

South Carolina opens the season with a tough game against North Carolina at a neutral site in Charlotte.