Lammons responds after lackluster Mississippi State performance

Will Muschamp still has the tape from last weekend’s 27-14 loss to Mississippi State. It’s film that shows a Gamecock defense failing to tackle in the open field en route to giving up 485 yards of total offense.

After that game, he called out his defense for not tackling or wrapping up.

It seemed to work.

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The Gamecocks gave up more yards this week to East Carolina (519) but limited the Pirate offense averaging 42.5 points per game to just 15 points and one touchdown to solidify a 20-15 win for South Carolina.

“(Last week) was embarrassing,” the Gamecock head coach said. “But When you hold an offense like that to 15 points you’re doing an outstanding job; first of all by our defensive staff but most of all by our kids.”

One of the players Muschamp called out was cornerback Chris Lammons, who missed several open tackles against the Bulldogs. This week, the junior came out to a faster start, forcing a fumble on East Carolina’s second drive to set up a Gamecock touchdown.

Lammons finished second on the team Saturday with eight tackles (six solo) with one sack and two tackles for loss.

“We did a couple tackling drills this week for him and several guys. He displayed great toughness and I said, ‘Why don’t you do that on game day? You’re obviously capable of doing it,’” Muschamp said. “And that goes back to coaching. You got to get that out of your players and that’s my fault not his.”

His biggest play of the game came in the third quarter with the Pirates threatening on the Gamecock 1-yard line. Lammons picked off a Phillip Nelson pass, plucking it out of the air on a back shoulder throw.

After the game he was relived to be able to make the plays Muschamp knew he could make.

“I left some plays out there (at Mississippi State) that he knew I could have made. He just called me out; he just wants the best for me,” Lammons said. “It felt great just to go out there and make that play.”

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Fellow junior corner Jamarcus King also had an interception in the red zone, laying out for a fade route in the end zone. Muschamp called the play a momentum shift for the Gamecocks.

The interception was the first of his career and kept the Pirates out of the end zone and preserved a 17-6 lead at the time.

“Those guys, Chris and Jamarcus, they made plays,” linebacker T.J. Holloman said. “They broke on the ball, read their assignments and balled out. I was very happy for them and to get off the field.”

Overall, the Pirates went 2-for-6 in the red zone, only giving up a field goal and a touchdown.

They only put up 32 yards combined inside the Gamecock 20-yard line with 13 coming on the lone touchdown drive. Nelson went 3-for-7 with two interceptions. The Gamecocks also forced a fumble and blocked a field goal in the red zone as well.

It’s a far-cry from what the defense did last weekend in Starkville, giving up three touchdowns and two field goals in the red zone.

The defense is now trying to take this weekend’s performance and build on it in Lexington, Kentucky next week. Kickoff against the Kentucky Wildcats is slated for 7:30 p.m.

“I felt like our defense really stepped up today,” linebacker Bryson Allen-Williams said. “We made a statement that we’re not going to be a slack defense in the red zone especially.”