South Carolina Gamecocks Duo Earn Player of the Week Honors

Alex Joyce | Sep 9, 2024

Sep 7, 2024; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer celebrates during the fourth quarter against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images / Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

A week after Dylan Stewart and Kyle Kennard earned SEC player of the week honors, two more South Carolina Gamecocks earn the awards after an impressive performance over the Kentucky Wildcats.

Nick Emmanwori was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. Emmanwori finished the game with seven total tackles, but it was his interception that was huge in Saturday's win over the Wildcats.

South Carolina was up 24-6 entering the fourth quarter in Lexington. On the first play of the quarter, Kentucky's Brock Vandagriff rolls out to his left and throws an interception that was returned for a touchdown by Emmanwori. While it was hard to believe Kentucky would find a way to come back in the game, that pick six effectively put the nail in the coffin.

Often one of the least talked about position groups in football, South Carolina's Kai Kroeger showed why having a weapon at the punter position is just so special as he was named the SEC Special Teams Player of the Week. Kroeger had 5 punts on the day with an average of 51.8 yards per punt, two of which landed inside the 20-yard line. He consistently flipped field position even when punting inside his own 10-yard line.

Both Kroeger and Emmanwori have been a steady presence for the Gamecocks in their careers. They'll be counted upon to help South Carolina be competitive going forward.

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