PFF Grades: South Carolina’s Week 8 win over Oklahoma

Two of South Carolina’s strongest performances of the 2024 season came on road trips against SEC opponents.

The first was the Gamecocks’ second game of the campaign, a 31-6 win over Kentucky in Lexington. The second took place on Saturday when South Carolina picked up a dominant 35-9 road win over Oklahoma.

In both games, the Gamecocks’ defense made an immediate impact that carried through the rest of the contest. This also happened in the team’s victory over the Sooners, as it logged season highs in sacks (nine) and tackles for loss (13), in addition to seeing multiple individual players receive recognition from Pro Football Focus.

[See what other fans are saying on The Insiders Forum!]

Each week, PFF quantifies individual players’ performances into a numerical score on a scale from 0 to 100. These numerical scores can then be divided into different groups that roughly describe the tier of quality the player performed at. The categories, broken down by DFSHub, are as follows (and reflect characteristics of professional football players):

• 100-90: Elite
• 89-85: Pro Bowler
• 84-70: Starter
• 69-60: Backup
• 59-0: Replaceable

Here are the grades each South Carolina player received this week.

Offense

While offense was not the primary key to the Gamecocks’ success, multiple players put up strong individual performances in South Carolina’s win.

Two of the Gamecocks’ highest-rated players saw limited action in the contest. Coincidentally, both players were involved in the same play – a five-yard completion in the fourth quarter. Dalevon Campbell, the recipient of the pass, received the team’s highest offensive grade (77.2) in eight snaps of action. Robby Ashford, who played five offensive snaps, earned the third-highest grade (72.9).

[Join GamecockCentral for fast, accurate, and in-depth coverage of Gamecock sports and recruiting]

South Carolina saw three quarterbacks, including Ashford, play at least one snap against the Sooners. But the Gamecocks’ starting signal caller, LaNorris Sellers, earned the highest grade of the bunch (76.8). Sellers completed 16 of 24 passes for 175 yards and one touchdown, in addition to gaining 28 rushing yards on 13 carries. His 76.8 grade was his highest of the 2024 season and South Carolina’s second-highest in this game.

The Gamecocks’ leading receiver and rusher rounded out the top five. Rocket Sanders scored one touchdown and collected 40 total yards of offense across 15 rushing attempts and one reception on his way to receiving a 66.7 overall grade. Joshua Simon also found the end zone and caught four passes for 43 yards to pick up a 65.5 grade.

Here are the rest of the offensive players’ grades:

• Vandrevius Jacobs (64.7)
• Jatavius Shivers (63.4)
• Michael Smith (62.8)
• Torricelli Simpkins (61.9)
• Kamaar Bell (61.5)
• Vershon Lee (60.7)
• Nick Elksnis (60.4)
• Bradley Dunn (60.0)
• Markee Anderson (58.9)
• Davis Beville (58.8)
• Mazeo Bennett (57.9)
• Maurice Brown II (57.7)
• Oscar Adaway (57.4)
• Nyck Harbor (57.2)
• Josiah Thompson (55.2)
• Juju McDowell (54.4)
• Cason Henry (54.1)
• Gage Larvadain (54.1)
• Trovon Baugh (53.2)
• Jawarn Howell (51.4)
• Brady Hunt (50.2)

Defense

Although South Carolina had some strong performances on offense, the team saw even stronger ones on defense. In some cases, these players earned not only the highest grades on the team, but also in the entire country.

[On3 App: Get South Carolina push notifications from GamecockCentral]

Demetrius Knight (91.6), Bam Martin-Scott (91.1), Nick Emmanwori (90.9), and Bryan Thomas Jr. (90.7) were among the top 15 defensive players at the Division I FBS level this past weekend, according to PFF. Knight, Emmanwori, and Thomas Jr. made PFF’s Team of the Week at the linebacker, safety, and edge rusher positions, respectively.

Knight was responsible for making 11 tackles, seven solo stops, and two tackles for loss, in addition to logging one sack and forcing two fumbles. Martin-Scott, another member of the Gamecocks’ linebacker corps, also made 11 total tackles and seven total tackles, but he also recorded 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack, and one forced fumble.

Emmanwori picked off two passes in the first quarter (including one that was returned 65 yards for a touchdown) and made 11 tackles, seven solo tackles, and one tackle for loss. Thomas Jr. recorded the Gamecocks’ second-highest pass rush grade (91.1) and recorded one solo tackle, tackle for loss, and forced fumble in the contest.

Jatius Geer earned South Carolina’s fifth-highest defensive grade, which was 84.3. Across 17 snaps of action, Geer amassed three total tackles (including two solo stops), one sack, and one tackle for loss.

[Newsletters: Get breaking news and analysis from GamecockCentral]

Here are the rest of the defensive players’ grades:

• Rondarius Porter (78.2)
• Kyle Kennard (77.1)
• Debo Williams (76.2)
• Jalon Kilgore (75.4)
• Tonka Hemingway (73.3)
• Dylan Stewart (73.2)
• Nick Barrett (71.5)
• Alex Huntley (71.3)
• David Bucey (69.5)
• Vicari Swain (68.1)
• Peyton Williams (67.9)
• Gilber Edmond (67.1)
• DQ Smith (65.5)
• T.J. Sanders (64.7)
• Monkell Goodwine (64.4)
• O’Donnell Fortune (64.3)
• Fred Johnson (64.0)
• Jace Blackshear (62.6)
• Gerald Kilgore (60.8)
• Judge Collier (58.0)
• David Spaulding (57.5)
• Desmond Umeozulu (44.7)

Discuss South Carolina football on The Insiders Forum!

The post PFF Grades: South Carolina’s Week 8 win over Oklahoma appeared first on On3.