Multiple first-year South Carolina football players earn weekly nods
On Saturday, Shane Beamer’s South Carolina football team fell just short of upsetting No. 7 Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The Gamecocks outplayed the Crimson Tide most of the day, but a few self-inflicted wounds proved to be fatal to the team’s chances of winning a contest that was much tighter than most expected.
A long list of Gamecocks performed well, but two first-year USC stars picked up weekly honors for their efforts. True freshman wide receiver Mazeo Bennett was, arguably, the best player on the team on offense. Meanwhile, senior transfer EDGE Kyle Kennard was the star on the defensive side of the ball.
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Bennett, who finished the game with three catches for 57 yards and a touchdown, is one of On3’s Charles Power’s True Freshmen Standouts of Week 7. Bennett’s numbers were solid, but he also was extremely clutch. The Greenville High School product scored the Gamecocks’ first touchdown on 4th-and-9 and picked up a critical 1st down ahead of a go-ahead score later in the game.
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Kennard also received an On3 honor. His seven tackles, three tackles for loss, and two sacks (one for a safety) earned him the No. 2 spot on Pete Nakos’ Transfer Portal Impact Player of Week 7 list. Much like he has been all year, Kennard was a menace to the Crimson Tide on Saturday. His big game put him back among college football’s statistical leaders. The Gamecocks’ pass rusher is fourth nationally in sacks (7.5) and tied for second in tackles for loss (11.5).
Kennard also was named the College Football Network Defensive Player of the Week.
Bennett, Kennard, and the rest of the South Carolina football team will travel to Norman, Oklahoma this Saturday. The first-ever matchup between the Gamecocks and Sooners will kick at 12:45 p.m. on SEC Network and the ESPN app.
