[Tuck4Bama]

Let’s get this straight: Last season, the South Carolina pass defense ranked 43rd in the country. Its best defensive back is in the NFL. One projected starter has had an appendectomy, another is out with a shoulder injury, and the current starting lineup consists of no seniors and one junior.

Yet through four games, not only have the Gamecocks been better than last season, but they also rank second in the nation in passing yards allowed per game. This after playing two road games against ranked teams: No. 12 Georgia and No. 2 LSU.

“Yeah, the coaches told us we’re doing a good job, keep it up, keep doing what we’re doing,” said sophomore Captain Munnerlyn, the only member of the secondary to start every game.

Plenty has been made of South Carolina’s struggles against the run. But much of that, as coach Steve Spurrier pointed out, has to do with how good the Gamecocks have been at stopping the pass.

Opponents have thrown for an average of 103.5 yards per game and have one passing touchdown. Last season, those numbers were 190 and 14.

“We’ve got some corners that can really cover,” Spurrier said. “Captain Munnerlyn, Carlos (Thomas), Stoney (Woodson), those guys can really cover guys. So, obviously, the other teams run more than they throw at us.”

Secondary coach Ron Cooper is most impressed with USC’s success on third downs: Opponents have converted 26 percent of them. How good is that? Out of 119 teams in the Bowl Subdivision, seven offenses are converting less than 26 percent.

“I probably look more at third downs than I do total yards,” Cooper said. “If we can keep them in that percentage that we’ve got them in right now, then we’ve got a chance to be successful.”

So how did the Gamecocks arrive at this point? Through a mixture of skill and experience, it seems.


USC secondary basks in rare air