Carolina Hosts No. 15/14 Auburn Saturday

The South Carolina Gamecocks (1-2) return to the friendly confines of Williams-Brice Stadium this week as they play host to the No. 15/14 Auburn Tigers (2-1) on Saturday, Oct. 17. Game time is set for noon ET and the contest will be televised on ESPN.
 
OVER THE AIRWAVES: Dave Pasch will serve as the play-by-play voice for ESPN with Greg McElroy providing the analysis. Holly Rowe will handle the sideline reporting. The familiar voices of Gamecock Greats Todd Ellis and Tommy Suggs handle the call for the Gamecock Radio Network with Jamar Nesbit on the sidelines.
 
A LITTLE HISTORY: 2020 marks the 127th season of intercollegiate football at the University of South Carolina, dating back to 1892. It is the 114th-consecutive year in which South Carolina has competed on the gridiron. The University did not field a team in either 1893 or 1906. Carolina owns an all-time record of 613-589-44 (.510).
 
IT JUST MEANS MORE: The 2020 season marks South Carolina’s 29th year in the Southeastern Conference. South Carolina and Arkansas joined the league prior to the 1992 campaign. The Gamecocks earned the SEC Eastern Division title in the 2010 season. The Gamecocks are 98-128-1 (.434) all-time in SEC regular-season play, but are 43-40 (.518) in conference action since the start of the 2010 season.
 
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY: The 2020 season marks the 10th anniversary of the 2010 squad that captured the SEC Eastern Division title and went on to appear in the SEC Championship game in Atlanta against eventual national champion Auburn. It’s the Gamecocks only division title since joining the Southeastern Conference.
 
CAROLINA VS. AUBURN: This is the 13th all-time meeting between South Carolina and Auburn, with the Tigers holding a commanding 10-1-1 advantage, including a 3-0 record when the games have been played in Columbia and a 4-0 mark when the teams have met in Auburn. The teams have also played at a neutral site on five occasions, with Auburn holding a 3-1-1 advantage in those contests, including the 2010 SEC Championship game. The teams met in four-consecutive years from 1930-33, then did not meet again until 1996. The teams have played eight times as SEC opponents, with Auburn winning all eight contests.
 
THE LAST TIME THEY MET: South Carolina went into Jordan-Hare Stadium and pushed No. 5/6 Auburn to the brink in a shootout before falling 42-35 on Oct. 25, 2014. Dylan Thompson tied a school record with five touchdown passes for 402 yards in the loss. Pharoh Cooper was on the receiving end of seven passes for 127 yards. The Gamecock defense could not slow down the Tigers’ rushing attack, as Auburn logged 395 yards on the ground on 47 carries. South Carolina ran 86 plays to Auburn’s 62 and held the ball for 33:31, but the Tigers outgained the Gamecocks, 551-535.
 
THE LAST TIME THEY MET HERE: Auburn’s Philip Lutzenkirchen hauled  in a 9-yard pass from Barrett Trotter with 1:38 left in the game to lift the Tigers to a 16-13 win over No. 10/9 South Carolina on Oct. 1, 2011 at Williams-Brice Stadium. The Tigers ran 92 plays and held the ball for nearly 36 minutes in the contest. Michael Dyer led Auburn with a game-high 141 yards rushing on a school-record 41 carries. The defenses combined to force eight turnovers. The Gamecocks were led by quarterback Stephen Garcia (9-23-2-160), tailback Marcus Lattimore (17-66, 1 TD) and wide receiver Alshon Jeffery (5-86, 1 TD).
 
CLARY LEADS CAROLINA TO VICTORY: Under sixth-year head coach Billy Laval, the Gamecocks traveled to Birmingham on Dec. 2, 1933 to face national power Auburn in the season finale. Earl Clary was the hero, tackling an Auburn runner in the end zone for a, early 2-0 lead, then racing 56 yards for a second period score to make it 9-0 at the half. The Plainsmen roared back to take a 14-9 lead. Clary scampered for a 29-yard fourth-quarter score that lifted Carolina to a 16-14 win, in one of the Gamecocks’ greatest victories and quite a final curtain for the Gaffney Ghost.  (courtesy The First Hundred Years)
 
SWEET HOME ALABAMA: Freshman tight end Eric Shaw is the only member of the Carolina team that hails from the Yellowhammer State. Shaw lists Reeltown as his hometown, about 30 miles west from the Auburn campus. He played his high school ball for the Reeltown Rebels.
 
FAMILY TIES: Several Gamecock coaches have ties to the Auburn program:
* Head coach Will Muschamp has had three stints at Auburn, first as a graduate assistant from 1995-96, then as the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach from 2006-07, and again as a defensive coordinator in 2015 under head coach Gus Malzahn.
* Defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson played at Auburn, graduating in 2007. While at Auburn, he was the MVP of the Iron Bowl and was a first-team All-SEC selection. He worked as an Auburn graduate assistant from 2006-07 and was also a member of the 2015 Auburn coaching staff.
* Tight ends coach Bobby Bentley worked as an Auburn offensive analyst from 2014-15 under head coach Gus Malzahn.
* Special teams coordinator Kyle Krantz served as a defensive analyst on that same staff in 2015.
* Defensive line coach Tracy Rocker played at Auburn from 1985-88. He was a two-time All-American, won both the 1988 Outland Trophy and Lombardi awards, and was named the SEC Player of the Year in 1988. Rocker was an assistant coach at Auburn High School from 1992-93 and later spent two seasons as an Auburn University assistant coach (2009-10).
* Defensive analyst Demarco McNeil was an All-SEC defensive tackle for the Tigers. A four-year starter, McNeil was named to Auburn’s All-Decade team, and worked as a graduate assistant at his alma mater from 2007-08.
 
ABOUT LAST WEEK: South Carolina was on the road for the second week in a row and came out of Nashville with a convincing 41-7 win over the Vanderbilt Commodores. Carolina led just 10-0 at the intermission, but exploded for 31 second-half points. Kevin Harris led the charge with 171 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. Collin Hill connected on 16-of-24 passes for 196 yards and added two rushing TDs. Nick Muse was the top receiver with five catches for 85 yards. Ernest Jones notched 13 tackles including a sack and 3.0 tackles for loss as the Gamecocks outgained the Commodores, 485-249. Vandy was just 1-for-11 on third-down conversions and 0-for-4 on fourth-down tries. It was the Gamecocks’ 12-consecutive win over Vandy, their longest streak against any SEC opponent.
 
MAKING A POINT: The Gamecocks put up 41 points in the win over Vanderbilt. It was the most points over an FBS team since scoring 48 at Ole Miss in 2018. The 34-point victory matched the 49-15 win over Coastal Carolina in 2018 as the high mark against an FBS opponent since a 45-point win (52-7) at Arkansas in 2013.
 
THE GROUND GAME: South Carolina posted 289 rushing yards on 39 attempts in the win over Vanderbilt, an average of 7.4 yards per carry. It was the third-most rushing yards in a game and the high-water mark against an FBS opponent in the Will Muschamp Era. It was the most rushing yards by a Carolina team against an FBS opponent since the Gamecocks ran for 356 vs. Vanderbilt in 2001.
MOST RUSHING YARDS UNDER MUSCHAMP
       1.            493         vs Charleston Southern………………….. 09/07/19
       2.            422         vs Western Carolina……………………………. 11/19/16
      3.            289         at Vanderbilt……………………… 10/10/20
 
BY LAND, NOT BY AIR: The Gamecocks scored five touchdowns, all on the ground, in the win at Vanderbilt. The last time Carolina scored 40 points against an FBS team without a passing touchdown came in the 42-10 win over UAB in 2003.
 
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Left guard Sadarius Hutcherson was named the SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week for his performance against Vanderbilt. The fifth-year senior was the key player up front, grading out at 88 percent with seven knockdowns and no missed assignments. He is the first Gamecock to win that award since Alan Knott was recognized following the 2017 win over Vandy.
 
GET OFF THE FIELD: The Gamecocks have held their opponents to just 6-of-31 on third-down conversions this season (19 percent), including 1-of-11 against both Tennessee and Vanderbilt. It was a point of emphasis for Carolina, as they allowed opponents to convert 38 percent of third-down opportunities last season. The Gamecocks currently are third in the nation in third-down percentage defense. In addition, South Carolina has stopped all four of its opponents 4th-down attempts this year.
 
HOLD ON TO WHAT WE GOT: The Gamecocks have dominated the time of possession in each of their first three games. They held the ball for 34:40 against Tennessee, then logged 36:23 of possession time at Florida, the second-highest mark of a Will Muschamp-led Carolina team. They held it for 31:27 at Vanderbilt. Last season, Carolina averaged just 27:01 in TOP. The 36:23 at Florida marked the high mark for a Gamecock team since they notched 37:36 in TOP against Missouri in 2017. The Gamecocks rank sixth in the nation in time of possession at 34:13.
 
HURRAH FOR HARRIS: Sophomore running back Kevin Harris reached the 100-yard rushing mark for the second-straight week, carrying 21 times for a career-high 171 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Vandy. Included was an 88-yard burst, the longest run from scrimmage for a Gamecock since 2006. Harris logged 100 yards two weeks ago at Florida and has three career 100-yard rushing games. He is the first Gamecock to reach the 100-yard rushing plateau in back-to-back games since Rico Dowdle accomplished the feat in 2016 versus Tennessee and Missouri. After three games, Harris has 326 yards on 56 carries, 108.7 yards per game and 5.8 yards per carry. His 108.7-yard average ranks second in the SEC and 16th in the country.
 
THE  LONG RUN: Kevin Harris burst up the middle and raced 88 yards untouched to paydirt in the win over Vandy. It tied for the fourth-longest run from scrimmage in school history and is the longest run in FBS play this season. Harris also has a 75-yard run in his career, accounting for two of the 17 runs of 75-yards or longer in school history. Harris and Mike Davis (2013) are the only two players with two 75+ yard runs as a Gamecock.
 
A TALE OF ONE CITY: Tight end Nick Muse has had the best of times and the worst of times in his two games against Vanderbilt. In 2019, Muse suffered a season-ending ACL injury against the Commodores. This year, the senior had his best game as a Gamecock, catching five passes for 85 yards.
 
WELL THAT BITES: Senior placekicker Parker White fell one shy of matching the school record for consecutive field goals made when his 53-yard attempt in the rainy conditions at Vandy missed wide left. The 53-yarder would have been a career long. He had connected on 14-straight prior to that miss, one shy of the school record of 15, set by Collin Mackie from 1987-88. White ranks sixth among FBS kickers with 50 career field goals made.
 
FOURTH QUARTER IS OUR QUARTER: The Gamecocks have outscored their opponents by a 27-7 margin in the fourth quarter this season, easily its best quarter. Last year, Carolina was outscored by a 107-64 margin in the fourth quarter, easily its worst quarter.
 
FIRST START: Seven players have made their first career starts this season for South Carolina, including four in the season opener against Tennessee. The quartet included quarterback Collin Hill (who made 11 starts at Colorado State), wide receiver Dakereon Joyner, running back Kevin Harris and safety Shilo Sanders. Senior linebacker Damani Staley made his first career start at Florida. Sophomore defensive tackle Zacch Pickens and freshman offensive tackle Vershon Lee both made their first career starts at Vanderbilt.
 
SEC LEADERS: Several Gamecocks dot the SEC’s statistical leaders after three games:
Kevin Harris……………………………………. Rushing …………………….. 2nd (108.7)
Kevin Harris…………………………………….. Scoring ………………………… 7th (10.0)
Kevin Harris…………………………….. Scoring (TDs)………………….. 4th (10.0)
Kevin Harris……………………………….. All-Purpose………………….. 7th (130.3)
Collin Hill…………………………………………… Passing……………………….. 8th (232.7)
Shi Smith……………………………… Receptions/Game…………….. 3rd (8.7)
Shi Smith……………………….. Receiving Yards/Game……… 9th (90.3)
Parker White………………………….. Scoring (Kick)…………………… 5th (8.7)
Parker White……………………………… Field Goals…………………… T3rd (1.67)
Parker White…………………………. Field Goal Pct……………….. T4th (83.3)
Parker White……………………….. PAT Kicking Pct…………….. T1st (100.0)
Ernest Jones…………………………………… Tackles……………………………. 9th (9.7)
Ernest Jones………………………… Tackles for Loss…………….. T5th (1.17)
Kingsley Enagbare………………………. Sacks…………………………. T2nd (1.00)
Kingsley Enagbare…………. Tackles for Loss …………… T5th (1.17)
Kingsley Enagbare………… Fumbles Forced…………….. 2nd (0.67)
John Dixon………………………… Passes Defended…………… T3rd (1.33)
 
NO ONE SAID IT WOULD BE EASY: The Gamecocks opened the season playing a pair of top-25 teams, including a road game at number 3 Florida. In fact, five of the Gamecocks’ 10 opponents were ranked in the preseason top-10 in the Associated Press poll, (No. 4 Georgia, No. 5 Florida, No. 6 LSU, No. 8 Auburn and No. 10 Texas A&M), and two others appeared in the top-25 (No. 16 Tennessee and No. 23 Kentucky).
 
HE’S THE CHAMP: Will Muschamp is in his fifth season at Carolina. He has posted a 27-27 record as the Gamecocks’ head coach. The 27 wins ranks ninth on the school’s all-time list, one behind Warren Giese, while his 54 games coached ranks 10th in school history, one behind Sparky Woods. and two behind Brad Scott. Overall, Coach Muschamp is in his ninth season as a head coach, logging a 55-48 record, a .529 winning percentage, including a four-year stint at Florida (28-21, .571).
 
OPTING OUT: The Gamecocks have had three players opt out for the 2020 season, including wide receivers Randrecous Davis and OrTre Smith, along with  offensive lineman Mark Fox.
 
HE CHANGED HIS MIND: Offensive lineman Jordan Rhodes initially opted out for the 2020 season, but changed his mind and opted back in.
 
NFL TIES: Jaycee Horn is the son of former NFL wide receiver Joe Horn. Damani Staley is the son of former Gamecock and NFL running back Duce Staley. Shilo Sanders is the son of former NFL and MLB standout Deion Sanders, a member of both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame. Dylan Wonnum is the younger brother of former Gamecock, D.J. Wonnum, who is with the Minnesota Vikings. Fabian Goodman is the son of former Gamecock Andre Goodman, who logged 10 seasons in the NFL. Elisha Brooks is the son of former Gamecock and NFL star Robert Brooks. Nick Muse‘s older brother, Tanner, is a member of the Las Vegas Raiders.
 
YOUR MONEY’S NO GOOD HERE: Prior to the start of the season, head coach Will Muschamp placed senior defensive back Jaylan Foster on scholarship. Foster, who began his career at Gardner-Webb, is a regular on special teams.
 
TOTING THE SHEEPSKIN: Thirteen Gamecock football players already have their diplomas in hand. Those who have earned undergraduate degrees include: Slade Carroll, Spencer Eason-Riddle, Jabari Ellis, Chandler Farrell, Jaylan Foster, Collin Hill, Sadarius Hutcherson, Christian Kinsley, Sean McGonigal, Adam Prentice, Keir Thomas, M.J. Webb and Parker White.
 
ACADEMICALLY SPEAKING: The Gamecocks placed 47 players on the 2019 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll. Gamecock football student-athletes posted a combined 3.614 GPA in Spring 2020, the highest mark on record. The previous high was 3.084 in the spring of 2019. They fell just short of obtaining another combined GPA of 3.0 or better in the fall of 2019, coming in at 2.985, despite being in-season.
 
RECORDS WATCH:
* Shi Smith passed Sidney Rice into 10th place on the school’s all-time receptions list with 143. He needs three catches to tie Fred Zeigler for ninth, five to tie Deebo Samuel for eighth, and 10 to match Jermale Kelly for seventh on the all-time list.
* Shi Smith has 1,842 career receiving yards. He needs 234 yards to match Deebo Samuel for 10th on the school’s all-time list.
* Parker White is third on the school’s all-time list for career field goals made with 50 and tied for third in career field goals attempted with 69. His next field goal attempt will move him past Ryan Succop into sole possession of third.
* Parker White is fifth on the school’s all-time list in extra points made (107), extra points attempted (108) and extra point percentage (.991). He is closing in on Collin Mackie’s (114-for-115) third-place numbers on the school’s PATs made and attempted lists.
* Parker White is third on the career scoring list with 257 points, passing Marcus Lattimore and Ryan Succop in the win at Vanderbilt.
 
UP NEXT: Carolina wraps up the first half of its 2020 regular season slate with a trip to Death Valley and an Oct. 24 date with the defending national champion LSU Tigers. LSU leads the all-time series, 18-2-1, including a 12-1 mark when the teams play in the Bayou. The Tigers have won the last six meetings in the series, including a 45-24 win in Baton Rouge in 2015 in the last meeting. South Carolina’s last win came in 1994 by an 18-17 score.
 
BOBO DIALS IT UP: Mike Bobo, who spent the past five years as the head coach at Colorado State, takes over as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at South Carolina. Bobo is well-versed with the SEC, as he spent 14 years as an assistant at Georgia, his alma mater. A 2012 Broyles Award finalist, he has coached on five SEC East and two SEC championship teams.
 
QB1: Collin Hill, a graduate transfer who played for Mike Bobo at Colorado State University, edged out sophomore incumbent Ryan Hilinski for the starting nod at quarterback. The 6-4, 222-pounder from Moore, S.C., appeared in 18 games including 11 starts at Colorado State while battling through three ACL injuries. While playing quarterback for the Rams, he completed 263-of-433 passes (60.7 pct.) for 3,323 yards with 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, including five career 300-yard passing games.
 
MORE ON HILL: Collin Hill logged a 3-8 record as a starter at CSU. He was 2-2 in four starts as a true freshman in 2016; was redshirted in 2017; was winless in four starts in 2018; and 1-2 in three starts in 2019. His last appearance came in a start against Arkansas on Sept. 14, 2019. All three of his seasons ended prematurely with an ACL injury.
 
HILL AS GAMECOCK: Collin Hill, who grew up in Moore, S.C. and prepped at Dorman High School, made his first collegiate start in the Palmetto State in the season opener against Tennessee. He responded with a 25-for-39, 290-yard effort with one touchdown and one interception. He had another solid outing at Florida completing 28-of-47 passes for 212 yards with a pair of touchdowns and no interceptions. He notched his first win as a Gamecock at Vandy when he completed 16-of-24 passes for 196 yards, and scored two rushing touchdowns, the first Carolina QB to do that since Jake Bentley in 2017. For the season, Hill is 69-of-110 (62.7 percent) for 698 yards with three touchdowns and one pick. He ranks eighth in the SEC in passing yards per game at 232.7.
 
QB2: For the second year in a row, sophomore Ryan Hilinski opened the season as the Gamecocks’ backup quarterback. Hilinski was forced into a starting role in the second game of the 2019 season following a season-ending injury to starter Jake Bentley, and started the final 11 games of the campaign. He is 4-7 as a starting signal-caller. He set school freshmen records for pass completions and attempts in 2019, and set a school record with 180 consecutive passes without an interception. He saw his first action this season in mop-up duty at Vanderbilt, but did not throw a pass.
 
THE BELL COW: The Gamecocks opened the season with a “running back by committee” approach after losing highly-touted freshman running back MarShawn Lloyd, who suffered an ACL injury early in fall camp. However, true sophomore Kevin Harris has quickly turned it into primarily a one-man band. Harris had 13 carries for 55 yards and a touchdown against Tennessee, then went for 100 yards on 22 carries with a touchdown at Florida before putting up the best game of his career, a 21-carry, 171-yard outing at Vanderbilt, including an 88-yard run. For the season, he is second in the SEC and 16th in the country with 108.7 yards per game. After just three games he is nearly half-way to Tavien Feaster’s team-high 672 yards rushing for the 2019 season. Harris has also scored five of the Gamecocks’ 11 touchdowns and ranks seventh in the SEC with 10.0 points per game.
 
THE SUPPORTING CAST: Redshirt sophomore Deshaun Fenwick is the “veteran” in the running backs’ room. He is a bigger back who logged a pair of 100-yard games despite playing in just seven games and carrying the pigskin in just four contests in his first two seasons for the Garnet & Black. He is second on the squad with 91 yards on 17 carries this season. He and Harris are tied for third on the squad with nine receptions.
     ZaQuandre White is a JUCO transfer who began his career at Florida State. He was slowed by a hamstring injury during fall camp, but showed flashes that made him one of the nation’s top running back recruits coming out of high school. He has 48 yards on nine carries this season.
 
HE’S SHI, BUT KNOW HIS NAME: Senior wide receiver Shi Smith is the No. 1 receiver for the Gamecocks after working in the shadows of Deebo Samuel and Bryan Edwards over the past three seasons and is the team’s top playmaker. He stepped up in the opener with a 10-catch, 140-yard performance against Tennessee and followed that up with a career-best 12 catches for 85 yards and a score at Florida. He is third in the SEC with 26 receptions (8.7 per game) and is ninth with 271 receiving yards (90.3 per game). He has 143 career receptions for 1,842 yards. He is 10th on the school’s all-time list of receptions. Smith has played in 37 games with 29 starts, second among the returning players.
 
SHI LIGHTS – HAVE YOU SEEN HIM?: Senior wide receiver Shi Smith is off to a great start this season. In the season opener against Tennessee, the senior wide out caught 10 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown. It matched the second-best season opener for a Gamecock wide receiver and was the best effort in an opener since 1984. He followed that up with a career-best 12 receptions for 85 yards and a score at Florida. He became the first player in South Carolina history to record back-to-back games with double figures in pass receptions.
 
THE X FACTOR: Sophomore Xavier Legette is considered the Gamecocks’ second-best wide receiver. He has seven catches for 113 yards this season, a team-leading 16.1-yards per catch. Legette was a quarterback in his school and is still learning the nuances of the position, but is athletic and has a high ceiling.
 
MUSE ON THE MACKEY: Senior Nick Muse, the latest in a long line of standout Gamecock tight ends, was named to the preseason John Mackey Award watch list, which recognizes the nation’s top tight end. The senior who joined the Gamecocks at the start of fall camp in 2019 following a transfer from William & Mary, is coming off an ACL injury. He was on the receiving end of four passes for 50 yards in the season opener against Tennessee and had a Gamecock-best performance with five catches for 85 yards at Vanderbilt. He ranks second on the squad with 11 receptions for 156 yards.
 
DEPTH AND EXPERIENCE: The Gamecocks have probably their deepest and most experienced offensive line under head coach Will Muschamp.
     Fifth-year senior Sadarius Hutcherson, a preseason all-league selection and a member of the Outland Trophy Watch List, leads the unit. He has returned to his more natural guard position after playing left tackle last season. He has made 32 career starts, most on the squad, including 29-consecutive starts. He was recognized as the SEC’s Offensive Lineman of the Week for his efforts at Vanderbilt when he graded out at 88 percent with seven knockdowns and no missed assignments.
     Dylan Wonnum, a Freshman All-American two years ago, returns to man a tackle position after being hampered by an ankle injury for much of the 2019 campaign. He has started each of the first three games at left tackle, but is capable of playing either side. He is also on the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List and a member of SAAC.
     Junior Eric Douglas has earned the starting nod at center this season. He has appeared in 24 games during his career.
     Redshirt sophomore Jovaughn Gwyn, who is considered one of the strongest players on the squad, starts at right guard. He has started 14-consecutive games.
     Redshirt freshman Jakai Moore earned the start in each of the first two contests at right tackle. He played in three games last season, making a pair of starts. True freshman Vershon Lee made the start at right tackle last week at Vanderbilt.
     Sophomore Jaylen Nichols, junior Jordan Rhodes and JUCO transfer Jazston Turnetine all could see meaningful snaps as well.
 
DEFENSE BY THE NUMBERS: Buoyed by a strong performance at Vanderbilt in which it surrendered just seven points and 249 yards of total offense, the Carolina defense ranks third in the SEC in total defense (330.3 yards per game), third in pass defense (234.0 ypg), fourth in rushing defense (96.34 ypg) and fourth in scoring defense (25.3 ppg). The Gamecocks rank 13th in the nation in rushing defense and 18th in total defense after three games.
 
THE VETERANS UP FRONT: The Gamecock defensive line features three seniors and a junior in the starting lineup. Keir Thomas and Jabari Ellis work in the middle, while preseason All-SEC pick Aaron Sterling plays defensive end and junior Kingsley (JJ) Enagbare works at the BUCK. Sterling has logged the best numbers, entering the 2020 season with 16.0 tackles for loss and 9.0 sacks.
 
A STERLING PERFORMER: Senior defensive end Aaron Sterling put together his best season a year ago when he led Carolina with 10.0 tackles for loss, including 6.0 sacks, matching first-round NFL draft pick Javon Kinlaw for the team lead. He was also credited with four quarterback hurries, tying for the team lead, and a pair of pass breakups. He has been relatively quiet so far this season with just a half sack and seven tackles through three games.
 
KINGSLEY IS DY-NO-MITE: Regarded as the Gamecocks’ top pass rusher, Kingsley “JJ” Enagbare has gotten off to a good start this season. In the opener against Tennessee, he recorded a career-high nine tackles, including a pair of sacks, and forced a fumble while making his debut at the BUCK position. After three games he is third on the team with 13 tackles, while pacing the team with 3.5 tackles for loss (T5th in the SEC) and 3.0 sacks (T2nd). He is tied for 19th in the nation with 1.0 sacks per game.
 
TALENT BEHIND THEM: The Gamecocks have a couple of highly-touted players right behind that veteran quartet up front. Sophomore Zacch Pickens is becoming a force in the middle of the line, while Jordan Burch is a freshman BUCK who is the second-highest ranked recruit to sign with Carolina behind only Jadeveon Clowney. Pickens, who made his first start at Vanderbilt, has recorded seven tackles this season, while Burch has eight stops, including 2.0 tackles for loss.
 
KEEPING UP WITH JONESES: Junior linebacker Ernest Jones is the vocal leader of the defense from the MIKE position. A preseason All-SEC selection, Jones led the team in tackles as a sophomore with 97 stops, 20 more than anyone else on the squad.  He ranked fourth in the SEC with 8.1 tackles per game a year ago. He was the team leader again in the season opener against Tennessee with 11 stops and had five stops at Florida before matching his career high with 13 tackles at Vanderbilt, including a career-best 3.0 tackles for loss. He leads the team with 29 tackles after two contests, an average of 9.7 per game, ninth in the SEC, and is tied for fifth in the league with 3.5 tackles for loss.
 
TOOTING YOUR OWN HORN: Jaycee Horn is considered the best cover corner on the team. The junior is still looking for his elusive first career interception but a deeper dive into the numbers shows that teams simply don’t complete many passes on the talented corner. According to PFF, Horn played 1,426 defensive snaps in his first two years with opponents targeting his receiver just 100 times for 57 completions. Horn allowed just two touchdowns, according to PFF.
 
DON’T PICK ON MUK: Israel Mukuamu has received his share of accolades after bursting on the national scene with a three-interception performance in the upset win at Georgia last season. At 6-4, Mukuamu has spent most of his time at cornerback, but started at safety at Florida. The junior preseason All-SEC defensive back owns six career interceptions, including one off Kyle Trask at Florida, and was listed on both the Thorpe and Lott IMPACT Trophy watch lists.
 
SAFETY FIRST: The Gamecocks have two hard-hitting safeties in junior R.J. Roderick and sophomore Jammie Robinson. Roderick had never played safety prior to his arrival on campus. He has appeared in all 28 games over the past three seasons, making 19 starts. He owns 121 career tackles with a pair of interceptions. Robinson earned Freshman All-SEC and second-team Freshman All-America honors in 2019. He is second on the squad with 18 tackles, including 12 solo stops.
 
WHITE ON THE MONEY: Senior placekicker Parker White has worked his way into being a very consistent and productive placekicker for the Gamecocks. He has converted 50-of-69 field goals in his career, 72.5 percent, including 33-of-36 (91.7 pct.) from inside 40 yards. His 50 field goals made and 69 field goals attempted both rank third on the school’s all-time list. He also ranks third on the school’s all-time scoring list with 257 points. White owns a career long of 50 yards and has five fourth-quarter or overtime game-winning field goals in his career. He is 5-for-6 in field goal attempts this season, with his only miss coming from 53-yards out, which snapped a string of 14-consecutive field goals made, one shy of the school record of 15, set by Collin Mackie from 1987-88.
 
KICKING WITH KROEGER: True freshman punter Kai Kroeger takes over for the record-setting Joseph Charlton, who is considered the best punter in school history and is now punting for the Carolina Panthers. Kroeger has punted 12 times this season for a 39.6-yard average with two inside the 20 and a long of 52 yards last week at Vanderbilt. After punting six times for just 211 yards, a 35.2-yard average in his debut against Tennessee, he has punted six times over the past two games for 264 yards, a 44.0-yard average.