Heroes emerge for Gamecocks on the edge. Their big plays stand tall in win over ODU

South Carolina players and coaches touted the improvement along the team’s defensive line throughout the preseason practice.

That talk was backed up Saturday, buoyed by a strong performance by newcomers Kyle Kennard and freshman Dylan Stewart in the season opener against Old Dominion. The edge rushers combined for four sacks, six tackles for loss and four forced fumbles (two recoveries) in the 23-19 win over the Monarchs.

Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer rewarded Kennard and Stewart with game balls for the effort.

“I thought they were really good,” Beamer said of the duo. “It goes back to the fact that we have more guys that can rush the passer than last season. … I like the way those guys play, but we need to keep developing depth.”

The duo’s play helped the defense create 14 of the team’s 23 points. Kennard forced a fumble on ODU’s second play of the game. The Gamecocks recovered the ball and scored two plays later.

With the game in the balance in the fourth quarter, it was Stewart’s turn to make a play.

The five-star signee stripped ODU quarterback Grant Wilson, and USC defensive tackle DeAndre Jules recovered it at the Monarchs’ 6-yard line. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers found the end zone two plays later for the winning score.

“I knew the quarterback was going to run when the pocket collapsed. And as soon as he stepped up, I punched the ball out and got the turnover,” Stewart said.

“I’m super proud of him,” Kennard said of Stewart. “He has been through a lot since he has been here. He is one of the best freshmen I have ever laid my eyes on, and I am excited to see what he keeps doing.”

Stewart was the highest-ranked prospect in the Beamer era and third highest in program history behind Jadeveon Clowney and Jordan Burch. 247Sports Composite ranked him as the No. 2 defensive prospect in the country. He finished his first college game with four tackles, 1.5 sacks and two forced fumbles and wasn’t surprised by his performance.

“I do it in practice,” Stewart said. “You practice how you play.”

Kennard has been one of the leaders on the defense since he got to South Carolina in January from Georgia Tech. He said early in the preseason that the Gamecocks’ defense has a chance to be historical and mentioned that again following Saturday’s win.

USC had four turnovers overall Saturday, with O’Donnell Fortune and Jalon Kilgore intercepting passes.

South Carolina struggled last season rushing the passer, with its 21 sacks ranking 101st among FBS teams. The addition of guys like Kennard, Stewart along with returnees like Desmond Umeozulu, Jatius Geer and Bryan Thomas (who missed Saturday’s game) give the team the ability to make game-changing plays like they showed against ODU.

“This is obviously just the beginning,” Kennard said. “ I feel like, down the road, we play a lot of teams that are gonna be getting muddy with. So I feel like tonight was a big stepping stone specifically where we want to be at the end of the season.

“And I feel like we’re gonna keep going on from here on out.”