South Carolina’s Defense Eyes Improved Pass Rush Against Towson’s Struggling Offensive Line / sportsearchers.com

South Carolina looks to move to 2-0 on Saturday night, hosting the FCS Towson Tigers at home after a dominant 57-0 win over Kent State. The Gamecocks enter as heavy favorites once again, and defensive coordinator Clayton White and head coach Shane Beamer will be eyeing another shutout against a Towson offense averaging just 16.5 points per game through its first two contests.

Room for Improvement in the Pass Rush

Despite last week’s shutout, one clear area for growth is generating sacks. South Carolina managed just one sack against Kent State’s Dru DeShields, credited to Anthony Addison. That number could look very different on Saturday, though, given Towson’s struggles protecting quarterback Andrew Indorf — he’s already been sacked eight times through two games, nearly matching his 17 total sacks from all of last season. Towson has opened 0-2, falling 21-18 to Maine (where the Bears recorded six sacks) and 42-15 to Navy (which got to Indorf twice).

White Breaks Down Last Week’s Pass Rush Numbers

Speaking ahead of the Towson matchup, White explained why South Carolina’s pressure numbers were modest against Kent State, pointing to the opposing quarterback’s exceptionally quick release: “We knew the ball was going to get out fast. So we had some things that we wanted to try to knock the ball down. He had a very low release. I think it was 1.9 (seconds), he got the ball out on average throughout Saturday. That’s tough to get to the quarterback.” Still, White acknowledged the unit left some pressure opportunities on the table: “But we had an opportunity. Probably should have had three or four more than what we had, but pass rush was fine. When I gave them an opportunity to go pass rush, I felt like — and it was a dropback situation — they did a good job, got him off his spot, and got one sack, but we should have more.”

Missing Pieces Still a Factor

A significant reason for the limited pressure against Kent State remains South Carolina’s continued absence of star edge rusher Dylan Stewart. Beamer confirmed this week that both Stewart and left tackle Jacarrius Peak have progressed to practicing in full pads, but neither is expected to play against Towson.

Players to Watch on Defense

With Indorf already showing vulnerability behind a shaky offensive line, South Carolina will likely look to Anthony Addison, along with true freshman Julian Walker, Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy, Tomiwa Durojaiye, and Caleb Herring, to capitalize and produce a bigger pass-rush day than last week.

Kickoff Info

Saturday’s game is set for 7 p.m. ET.