Is South Carolina’s defense the best in the nation? It’s certainly the most fun

South Carolina’s defensive players are dogs. Maybe lions. Or sharks.

“Hunting sharks,” linebacker Demetrius Knight said. “We like to smell blood.”

They can be whatever animal they please after Saturday, perhaps the most ruthless bullying of an offense they’ve displayed this season.

The numbers are gaudy: 13 tackles for loss, two interceptions, six forced fumbles and nine sacks, the most by a Gamecocks defense since they joined the SEC.

Heck, in the Gamecocks’ 35-9 win over Oklahoma, the South Carolina defense (12 points from two touchdowns) outscored the Sooners on its own.

In the first quarter, Knight was spying OU quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. when a hole opened up. Knight hit Hawkins like a bulldozer full of nitrous oxide. The QB fumbled, and 288-pound defensive tackle Tonka Hemingway picked it for the Gamecocks and ran 36 yards untouched to the end zone.

Minutes later, Dylan Stewart had Hawkins in quick sand. The quarterback flung the ball up, right to Nick Emmanwori (11 tackles, two interceptions). He took it 65 yards for the score.

They proved more emphatically the dominance they’ve been showing all season.

What’s incredible is, the defense plays with this unrelenting effort, like they are all a 6-foot-4, freakishly athletic version of Rudy. They make defense, in an age where offense rules, look too easy. Silly easy.

It’s hard to comprehend that South Carolina could turn another SEC squad into a Pop Warner team that puts the coach’s kid at quarterback. But the Gamecocks did. They made defense — where the whole goal is to limit points and keep football boring — fun. Really fun.

To watch Oklahoma take an offensive snap on Saturday was to wait for someone to missile off the edge and hit the quarterback. Was to wait for the Gamecocks to swarm the ball carrier, then just start punching and punching until the ball came out. Was to wait with great anticipation to see how helpless the Sooners would look.

Part of the success, assuredly, is scheme. Give defensive coordinator Clayton White his props, flowers, money, whatever he wants.

This was a guy who some felt was on the hot seat at times last season, who some fans would not have been sad to let go. Yes, he has better, older players, but those better, older players keep getting put in the right spots and keep crediting White for putting them there.

White is the orchestrator of this symphony that acts as one. Which is funny because everyone (this writer included) wants to separate it, wants to put all the hype and praise and accolades on edge rusher Kyle Kennard. All of that is justified — heck, Kennard had another sack against OU and is on pace to set a USC program record. But this defense is more than just Kennard.

South Carolina’s nine sacks on Saturday were each by a different person: Kennard, Knight, Dylan Stewart, Bam Martin-Scott, Jatius Geer, T.J. Sanders, Tonka Hemingway, Bryan Thomas Jr. and Gilber Edmond.

Some of those guys hardly play for the Gamecocks — and it doesn’t matter. They still looked like — sharks? — on Saturday, hunting and swimming through the Oklahoma offensive line and making sure to get a mouth full of tuna.

“There’s no drop-off,” Knight said. “All the guys who got sacks today, that (says) volumes how there’s no drop-off. Whether you take Kyle out or Dylan out, or you take them both out, we’re still gonna get pressure. We’re still get sacks. And we’re still gonna make money.”

As you can tell, they don’t lack confidence either.

Back in late June, when the offseason focus was on QB LaNorris Sellers and the offense, Emmanwori decided to create some headlines — a phenomenon which, almost always, ends with opposing fans digging up the headline months later and reposting it with glee after a bad game.

“Man the defense is nasty. We have some dudes,” Emmanwori, the oracle, said. “I think it’s going to be one of the historical defenses this year. I’ll stamp that for sure. It’s gonna be a fun year.”

Statistically, it’s hard to say the Gamecocks have a “historical” defense. But they’re dang good.

Coming into Saturday, South Carolina’s defense was top 40 nationally in yards allowed (20th at 299.5 ypg.), points allowed (37th at 20.3 ppg.), rushing defense (30th at 110 ypg.), passing defense (36th at 189.5 ypg.) red-zone defense (tied for 40th) and more.

That’s really, really good. It’s not yet historic.

Where Emmanwori might have a case, though, is the fun stats.

The Gamecocks were tied for 11th in America in sacks before tripling their per-game average against Oklahoma. They were 15th in tackles for loss before doubling their average in Norman.

South Carolina on Saturday let everyone understand its defense is legit, and every time an offense hikes the ball, there are 11 guys out for blood.

“We’re looking for plays, trying to be disruptive. Just look at our defense, we have guys on every level,” Emmanwori said. “They tell us to hunt when we’re out there. That’s kind of the switch to turn on in your head. Hunt. Hunt.”