What Players Said After Tuesday's Practice

Bowl season is in the air, as the South Carolina Gamecocks are now less than 72 hours away from kicking off their Gator Bowl matchup against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

While some people might feel that bowl season has lost some of its luster over the past few seasons, there are plenty of storylines to track in this game, multiple of which were discussed by some players after Tuesday's practice.

In terms of how the defense has changed since their win over Clemson in late November, freshman defensive back DQ Smith mentioned the influx of youth in the lineup and how the defensive coaching staff has gotten them on the right track.

He also noted that other members of the secondary gaining more experience has led to better communication. This notion was echoed by defensive tackle TJ Sanders, along with the defensive line playing better assignment football and being more effective in getting to the quarterback.

When asked what it's been like for the secondary to adjust to life without Cam Smith and Darius Rush, DQ Smith said it's up to the younger guys to be more prepared for the big moments, something cornerback O'Donnell Fortune summarized bluntly.

“That’s why you always stay locked in. You always observe the player in front of you everyday, every practice, so when the game arrives it’ll be easy.”

Of course, the defensive secondary isn't the only unit that's seen defections recently, as the defensive line group has had to adapt, losing players like Zacch Pickens and Gilber Edmond, and these losses were addressed by junior defensive end Jordan Burch.

“Next man up. We’ve been preparing pretty well for that. Everybody’s ready for the game and I feel like we’ve practiced really hard for moments just like this.

Burch also gave props to true freshman edge rusher Bryan Thomas Jr. for his work ethic and progress throughout the season.

In terms of the biggest challenge Notre Dame presents offensively, Fortune mentioned the need to stop the Irish's rushing attack, something Sanders indirectly bounced off of by saying that if the defensive line does their job, he feels they'll have a solid outing.

Regarding what a win over Notre Dame would do for the program, TJ Sanders made no bones about the positive impact it could have.

“I think it’ll propel us to new heights, a stage this program hasn’t seen in a while."

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