South Carolina Gamecocks' Biggest Takeaway from Week One

The biggest takeaway from the South Carolina Gamecocks' week one win against Old Dominion.

Aug 31, 2024; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks defensive back Jalon Kilgore (24) celebrates after a fumble recovery against the Old Dominion Monarchs in the second half at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports / Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

The biggest takeaway from the South Carolina Gamecocks' week one win against Old Dominion.

It certainly was not the prettiest of wins for the South Carolina Gamecocks in week one as they defeated Old Dominion by a final score of 24-19. The Gamecocks were tabbed as 21-point favorites heading into the game but the offense struggled to get anything going consistently throughout the game. However, while the four-point win may have been underwhelming, there is still a major takeaway Gamecock fans can walk away with after week one.

The defense created havoc plays and stepped up when they were called up. South Carolina's defense forced four turnovers, two of which resulted in touchdowns for the offense and the team finished with five sacks and eight tackles for loss. Kyle Kennard was responsible for 4.5 tackles for loss and Dylan Stewart had 1.5 sacks himself as well. The Gamecocks knew they had some playmakers on defense heading into this season and that showed up on Saturday.

With South Carolina starting a redshirt freshman at Quarterback in the form of LaNorris Sellers, it had to be assumed that it might take time for things to get rolling on offense for them this season. If the defense continues to play the way they did this past weekend, then South Carolina might be able to buy even more time for their starting quarterback and offense to get adjusted this season.

The season ramps up this next weekend as they face Kentucky on the road for their first conference game of the season, and it will likely be another game where they need to lean on their defense as the Wildcats are fresh off of a 31-0 win over Southern Miss. A defense that can force turnovers throughout a football game is a dangerous one and that might just be the biggest strength of this football team.

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