With more overall depth, South Carolina defensive line hopeful to improve in new season
The trenches are a violent place on the gridiron, pitting very large individuals against one another, snap after snap. There’s just two jobs at play: the offensive line preventing any defender from penetrating the pocket, and the defensive line doing everything in their power to get into the backfield.
With the level of physical impact on every play from scrimmage, it’s near impossible for a player, offensive or defensive, to be on the field every time the ball is snapped. This makes the art of the defensive line substitution all the much more important.
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At times last season, South Carolina’s defensive line showed strong individual performances. And in the interior, defensive tackles did shine occasionally, such as T.J. Sanders’ 1.5-sack performance against Florida.
But as a unit, production lacked, often due to a lack of depth. Out of 133 D-1 teams last season, the Gamecocks ranked 105th in the nation with just 1.5 sacks per game. To put that statistic into perspective, every team that finished in the top ten in sacks per game had an average of at least 3.1. South Carolina’s offensive line gave up 3.7 sacks per game, 126th in the nation.
This week, all eyes will be on the big men to quell questions about production, though there is an air of confidence internally, as the group entrusts their coach, Travian Robertson, to manage the flow of the line.
“Coach T-Rob’s smart, he’ll know if we have bad body language out there, we might give him a look like ‘Hey coach, I’m a little tired,’ so he’ll know to sub,” senior defensive tackle Alex Huntley said. “It’s (the personnel) is really just off the plays that are called and just how it’s looking on the field.”
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Three big defensive tackles return from last season: Huntley, Sanders and Tonka Hemingway. That trio combined for eight of the team’s 21 sacks last season, and there’s hope that the relative continuity will bolster production and cause havoc in the backfield, especially in the sacks department.
Besides those three players, other returnees and transfers are expected to fill more depth along the inside line and allow for seamless substitutions when the starters are in need of a break.
“You will see six guys play Saturday,” head coach Shane Beamer said of the defensive tackles. “Between Tonka, Boogie (Huntley), T.J., (Monkell Goodwine), (DeAndre) Jules, and Nick Barrett. … Certainly you’re going to see a deeper rotation than what you had last season.”
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On the edge, hope springs eternal. Gilber Edmond has returned to Columbia after previously transferring to Florida State. He joins Georgia Tech transfer Kyle Kennard and freshman Dylan Stewart as newcomers to the 2024 roster. Returnees Desmond Umeozulu, Elijah Davis, Jatius Geer, and Bryan Thomas Jr. round out the group at defensive end.
South Carolina will get its first crack to show what it can do in the trenches against Old Dominion on Saturday. The Monarchs gave up 62 sacks last year, which poses a potential weakness on the offensive line. Kickoff is at 4:15 p.m. on SEC Network.
