The Gamecocks are set to play one of the nation’s best interior defensive lineman in Kentucky’s Deone Walker. A player so good that South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer labeled Walker as a “Game Wrecker” in Tuesday’s press conference.
Walker is a junior and projected first round pick for the Wildcats’ defense. He routinely blows up plays and changes offensive schemes with an ideal blend of size, power, and athleticism. Coach Beamer talked about Walker’s rare blend of traits and how that makes him special.
“There’s a reason people say he’s going to be a top ten pick in the NFL draft. He’s so big. Most big guys are big and just big, this guy is big and twitchy and big and athletic. He’s got the twitch and wiggle to defeat double teams, make himself small if that’s possible and split double teams. He’s good at pass rush there’s no question about it, but where he really scares people and scares us is in the run game. He’s got our respect,” Coach Beamer describes the Wildcats’ defensive leader.
Walker has been known to flip offensive gameplans from his ability to be an anchor in the run game and an elite interior pass rusher. The Gamecocks know Walker will make plays, but the key will be limiting his impact on their offense.
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“We’ve got to make sure that we don’t allow him to take over the game,” Coach Beamer said. “That’ll be the key for us. We can’t have too many of those negative plays where he disrupts things, but you also understand that he’s going to make some plays.”
Shane Beamer is no stranger to defensive lineman. In 2021, his squad went up against a Georgia team that featured three defensive tackles that went in first round in Jordan Davis, Devonte Wyatt, and Jalen Carter. Coach Beamer says Walker reminds him of those caliber of players.
“He absolutely does just because of the athleticism and the twitch,” Coach Beamer said. “I think Walker does for sure just because he’s got the sheer size, that speaks for itself, but when you add the twitch and the athleticism it adds a whole new element to what you have to prepare for.”
Sep 10, 2022; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Kentucky Wildcats defensive tackle Deone Walker (0) reacts after making a tackle against the Florida Gators during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images / Kim Klement-Imagn Images
Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops offered his take on what makes his star tackle so effective. For a player that’s 6-foot-6 and 340+ pounds, Walker’s ability to rush the passer and stop the run is special.
“Deone has that ability to change the outcome of a game. He can be very disruptive, but he is unique in that the great size that he has, he’s very light on his feet. He’s so disruptive for being such a big guy and being so nimble and athletic and twitchy,” Kentucky’s Mark Stoops on how Walker impacts games defensively.
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When asked where Walker ranks among defensive line players in Stoops’ tenure, the Kentucky head coach was quick to mention former Wildcats’ star pass rusher Josh Hines-Allen. But did concede that Walker is probably the best interior defender he’s had.
“Interior player, I think it’s fair to say he’s the best one I’ve had to this point. Interior defensive lineman for sure,” Coach Stoops said.
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The UCLA women’s basketball put the country on notice, defeating the #1 South Carolina Gamecocks 77-62 at home on Sunday.
The sold out crowd at Pauley Pavilion was engaged all night, with UCLA never trailing in the win, a signature victory for Cori Close’s program. South Carolina entered Sunday’s game winners of 43 in a row, including an undefeated season last year that ended with a national title.
UCLA took a 43-22 lead into halftime, taking an early first quarter lead and never looking back. UCLA didn’t allow a South Carolina basket in the game’s first five minutes, holding the Gamecocks for the first half of the first quarter. A three by junior guard Londynn Jones gave the Bruins a 15-2 lead with 2:36 to play in the opening quarter.
Junior guard Kiki Rice was a full-go for UCLA for the first time all season, with Rice scoring 11 points on 5-11 shooting in 28 minutes. It was a modest scoring night for junior center Lauren Betts, finishing with 11 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks while playing 37 minutes. Jones led the Bruins with 15 points, as UCLA had five players with double figures.
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South Carolina shot the three ball well, going 8-12 from deep but just 29.6% on two point shots. The Gamecocks would win the second half 40-34 but after the dominant first half by the Bruins, it was too late.
The #5 Bruins are due to climb in the rankings after doing what no other women’s college basketball team has done since April of 2023, beat the South Carolina Gamecocks.
No. 5 UCLA pulled off something no team has been able to do since the 2023 NCAA Tournament — it defeated No. 1 South Carolina. And soundly.
The Bruins downed the Gamecocks, 77-62, at Pauley Pavilion on Sunday, ending South Carolina’s 43-game win streak,
The defending national champions, who went undefeated last season, hadn’t lost a game since the 2023 Final Four when they fell to Caitlyn Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes. Ironically, the Gamecocks had defeated UCLA in the Sweet 16 of that tournament.
The Bruins were led by five double-digit scorers in Sunday’s win, including junior guard Londynn Jones, who led all Bruins with 15 points.
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Junior center Lauren Betts recorded yet another double-double, posting 11 points while grabbing 14 boards.
Freshman guard Elina Aarnisalo tallied 13 points, and junior guards Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez each finished with 11 points.
UCLA shot 47.5& from the field, including 47.6% from distance, as the Bruins made 10 3-pointers in the win.
They were able to come away with a double-digit victory despite turning the ball over 16 times. Meanwhile, they forced 11 turnovers, eight of which were steals. UCLA also recorded five blocks.
The Bruins won the battle of the boards, out-rebounding South Carolina 43 to 35. They also bested the Gamecocks in the assists department, 16-13.
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UCLA never trailed and, at one point, held a 23-point lead.
With the win, the Bruins improve to a perfect 5-0 start. They will next face UT Martin on the road on Friday at 3 p.m. PST, 6 p.m. EST.
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After this weekend’s action, did the college football playoff open up enough for South Carolina to get in?
It was a chaotic weekend of college football as Ole Miss lost to Florida, Oklahoma dominated Alabama, Auburn beat Texas A&M in a thriller, Ohio State handled Indiana and Kansas upset Colorado. A lot of teams that were ahead of the South Carolina Gamecocks in the rankings, but the more important question is did enough spots open up for South Carolina to potentially sneak in?
The Gamecocks will certainly rise closer to the top 12 in the next release of the rankings. They came in at No. 18 this last week and will likely be somewhere around 15 in this week’s rankings. South Carolina might have been too far back to be on the back end of the playoff this go around, but they are certainly inching closer and closer.
There is however one problem for South Carolina. Despite Alabama losing, the Crimson Tide have virtually every edge for a playoff spot over the Gamecocks if a decision came down between them. Alabama has the head to head, they have the better win against Georgia, South Carolina lost to LSU and Alabama dominated LSU on the road. South Carolina does have the better strength of schedule ranking, but that hasn’t seemed to matter too much to the college football playoff committee.
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The bottom line is South Carolina has played like on the best teams in college football as of late and has certainly done enough to put themselves into the conversation. However, if the decision came down to “which three loss SEC team do we want to put in?” the Crimson Tide likley check more boxes than South Carolina does.
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