Game-winning pick-six a 'surreal moment' for Stone Blanton

Stone Blanton does not typically find himself in positions where he is able to pick off passes. Early in South Carolina’s 38-28 victory over Jacksonville State, Blanton had an opportunity to force such a turnover.

Facing third and four deep in his own territory, Jacksonville State quarterback Zion Webb dropped back to throw a pass to Malik Jackson. The ball was underthrown, and Blanton jumped into the air to bat the ball down. As a result, Jacksonville State was forced to punt.

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Blanton narrowly missed the opportunity to give South Carolina its first turnover in 14 quarters of football on that play. But he would eventually pick of a pass when his team needed a big play most late in the game.

With less than three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Jacksonville State was deep in South Carolina territory. A touchdown would give the visiting Gamecocks the lead with little time left on the clock.

Webb stepped back again and, facing immense pressure from South Carolina’s defensive line, threw a pass in the direction of Anwar Lewis. Just as the ball was set to fall in Lewis’ hands, Blanton stepped in front of him to make the grab. Blanton then ran 88 yards to the opposing end zone, giving South Carolina the breathing room it needed to clinch an important win.

“I thought he made a really instinctive play,” Shane Beamer said. “I don’t know if the quarterback thought the guy for Jacksonville State was going to look back. I’m not sure what was going on… Now, if the quarterback had thrown it deep and the guy kept going, maybe we’d have a different story right here. But I think Stone certainly was in the right place and saw the ball and made a great play.”

Blanton said Jacksonville State’s offensive setup was what he expected in that situation. But after the game, Blanton described the moment and feelings he experienced as anything but routine.

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“That was pretty special. We had studied that play a lot during the week. We’d seen it before. It was FSL. Back was looking over there, so I knew we were about to get the wheel route. Threw it, and caught it, and just took off,” Blanton said. “It was just surreal.”

The moment was a long time coming for Blanton, who has seen an increased role on South Carolina’s defense this season. The sophomore linebacker appeared in 12 of 13 games last year but made just seven total tackles.

This year, he has started alongside Debo Williams in the majority of the Gamecocks’ games. Through eight contests, Blanton has accumulated 41 tackles, one tackle for loss and one sack. He also has defended three passes, including two against Jacksonville State on Saturday.

Beamer said Blanton’s production this season is a testament to the hard work he puts in outside of practice.

“That’s the thing about Stone is he’s such a gym rat. He’s always in the building. Anytime that I go by the linebacker meeting room, even when the players don’t have to be there, he’s typically in there watching tape on his own,” Beamer said. “And it starts on Mondays, which is the off day for the players, he’s always in there.”

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Beamer added that these skill have helped him become a leader for the Gamecocks’ defense.

“He studies video. He’s so smart, so instinctive,” Beamer said. “We made him a captain today for that reason – the way he’s been playing, the leader he is.”

Blanton acknowledged that South Carolina’s defensive performance against Jacksonville State left much to be desired. South Carolina’s defense allowed 421 total yards to the visiting Gamecocks, including 225 on the ground. Jacksonville State was also efficient on third down, converting 10 times on 19 attempts.

Despite this, Blanton remains confident that the defense can make South Carolina’s upcoming stretch of games a “November to remember.”

“It wasn’t our best game, but just being able to get out there and put the ball down was good,” Stanton said. “I think we forced four turnovers by the end of it. We still got a lot to clean up, but we’re going to try try to finish the season strong.”

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