Darius Rush proving valuable in talented secondary
South Carolina’s secondary spent some time in the early part of the season biding its time while waiting for injuries to heal up.
The Gamecocks have slowly gotten those players back, one of the biggest ones being Darius Rush, who is part of a trio of what Shane Beamer called NFL-caliber corners.
“Darius Rush, he was awesome,” Beamer said. “We’ve got two, three if you talk about (Marcellas Dial), three really really big-time SEC corners that allow us to do a lot of things defensively,” Beamer said.
Rush is also a perfect example of culture and chemistry. He can be used as a barometer of how the team is doing and how the culture is taking shape.
“Darius is a big-time player and excited to see him getting healthy,” Beamer said.
Rush has been through all of the ups and downs that the past years have brought on. Yet, Rush stayed home and is launching his name into the national conversation.
Rush was also named SEC defensive player of the week for his performance Saturday. He had the lone interception for the South Carolina defense and eight tackles. Fellow defensive back Cam Smith said that honor is everything that Rush has been working at.
“Him getting that, that’s just big,” Smith said. “That just shows what he’s done and what he’s put in since he’s been here.”
Texas A&M targeted Rush four times and he allowed one completion for a mere five yards. The interception blew the roof off an already amped-up Williams-Brice Stadium.
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“Rush was on an island by himself on that interception and had no help anywhere and he was out there one-on-one and made a big-time play,” Beamer said.
Rush earned an 82.3 PFF defensive grade and also an 86.4 coverage grade for his performance Saturday. He and fellow defensive back Smith also give the South Carolina defense a sense of security when they’re out there.
“Those guys are dogs, man. They’re masters of their craft and they perfect it every single day. We have confidence in those guys the same way they have confidence in us to fit those gaps and stop those runs,” Johnson said.
Everything is finally starting to come together for Rush and this defense. It definitely helps when you can have three “big-time SEC” cornerbacks out in coverage. Also knowing that everyone is good and can do their jobs is a big plus.
“As linebackers, it feels good having those guys on the out on the side, it doesn’t matter if we have Cam or Rush on an island, we’re good,” Johnson said.
