South Carolina’s defense set the tone in Saturday’s 35-13 victory over Kentucky, and senior edge rusher Bryan Thomas Jr. was at the heart of it. On Monday, the SEC recognized his dominant performance by naming him the league’s co-Defensive Lineman of the Week.
Thomas delivered a career night, finishing with seven total tackles and two sacks, both personal bests. He also added a quarterback hurry, helping anchor a Gamecocks defense that stifled Kentucky’s offense for most of the game.
“Bryan Thomas Jr., a 6-2, 249-pound senior from Windemere, Fla., was credited with a game- and career-high seven tackles, including five solo stops. He also set a career high by registering 2.0 of the Gamecocks’ 6.0 sacks against the Wildcats and added one quarterback hurry,” South Carolina Athletics said in its release.
The Gamecocks held Kentucky to just 232 yards of total offense, with a mere 91 yards across the Wildcats’ final nine drives. Thomas was one of several defensive standouts as South Carolina smothered the Wildcats in the second half.
This marks the third SEC weekly honor for the Gamecocks this season. He joins Fred Johnson, who earned co-Defensive Player of the Week against Virginia Tech, and Vicari Swain, who has twice been named co-Special Teams Player of the Week.
Thomas and South Carolina (3-2, 1-2 SEC) now head into a much-needed bye week before a massive road test. The Gamecocks will return to action on Saturday, October 11, when they travel to face No. 13 LSU (4-1, 1-1 SEC) in Baton Rouge.
