South Carolina’s defense wasted no time setting the tone for 2025, locking down Virginia Tech in a 24-11 season-opening victory and refusing to give up a single touchdown.
It was the second time in Shane Beamer’s tenure that the Gamecocks opened a season by keeping their opponent out of the end zone. The first came in his debut game back in 2021, when South Carolina blanked Eastern Illinois 46-0. But this time, the feat came against a Power Four program — and that carried extra weight.
“Obviously, our goal is about points,” defensive coordinator Clayton White said. “The team with more points wins, and so as a defense, to keep them out of the end zone as many times as we possibly can, I do feel like we did that. I think that gave us a great chance to win.”
Defensive back Peyton Williams said the performance showed that even with NFL departures, the unit remains formidable.
“We got a great coach in Coach White making those calls, just putting us in good positions to win those one-on-ones,” Williams said.
The Gamecocks limited Virginia Tech’s offense to short drives most of the night. Of the Hokies’ 11 possessions, three ended in 3-and-outs and none lasted longer than five minutes. Only one drive reached 70-plus yards, and even then, South Carolina kept them out of the end zone.
That bend-but-don’t-break approach was on full display in the red zone. On one early trip, linebacker Fred “JayR” Johnson came up with a momentum-shifting interception in the end zone. The play helped him earn SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
“Obviously, he had some flash plays,” White said of Johnson. “It’s always good for someone that you’re coaching who’s on this football team to have a flash moment. He had a couple of those, and he flew around.”
White emphasized that the success wasn’t about luck but discipline.
“Just handle our details and do our part and not try to do too much when we’re out there,” he said. “But I think that was the main thing — it ended up just so happening that they didn’t score.”
Defensive tackle Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy credited the team’s mindset, echoing White’s ball-first mentality.
“The ball is ours, so we’re trying to get it back at all points,” Brownlow-Dindy said. “That comes with seeing the running back, the arm, striking at it, trying to get the ball constantly, trying to do jump balls. The ball is ours, so we’ve got to have that mindset, we’re trying to get it back.”
Linebacker Justin Okoronkwo said the group is determined to build on the strong start.
“Of course, it’s a great way to start the season. We had a great team effort, played good together,” Okoronkwo said. “From now on, we’re just building on that and trying to play even better next game.”
Williams added that the performance wasn’t a surprise inside the locker room, but putting it on film for everyone else to see made it even sweeter.
Now, the Gamecocks will look to carry that momentum into Saturday night’s home opener against South Carolina State at Williams-Brice Stadium.
