Know your foe, South Carolina: Which Gamecocks can give Notre Dame issues

There is a certain bowl allure about about facing teams you don’t normally do. There is an added bonus of facing the team that saw one of your schools most iconic coaches, Lou Holtz, last roam the sidelines for as well.

This TaxSlayer Gator Bowl has all of that and more, as both teams enter their final contest of the 2022 season at 8-4. The Irish lead the all-time series, 3-1, but the last time these two went at each other was in 1984, the only win of the series for South Carolina.

Much has changed since these two teams previously met, all these players weren’t even born when it happened. The Gamecocks are coming off two very impressive wins, Tennessee and Clemson, and boast a very formidable team. Here are five of them, excluding star quarterback spencer rattler, that could give Notre Dame problems Friday afternoon.

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Wide receiver Antwane Wells Jr.

The favorite target of Rattler, Wells Jr. was the main benefactor of the quarterbacks hot streak. Back-to-back 100-yard plus performances with three scores in their final two games. If Rattler is going, Wells Jr. is as well due to his electric ability. He’s got solid size at six-foot-one-inch and 207-pounds and if I had to guess, well see Benjamin Morrison shadowing him for the majority of the game. It won’t be an easy task for the freshman, but Morrison has risen to the occasion more than a few times. If the Irish are able to slow down Wells. Jr., that would be a great sign for the defense.

Hybrid edge Jordan Burch

Third on the team in tackles with 56, Burch added in 3.5 sacks as well. He’s not a one trick pony either, as he battled down three passes this year. Although he’s listed as a linebacker due to him standing up on occasion, his six-foot-six-inch and 275-pound frame suggests otherwise. Burch is fast and athletic for his body-type and has lived up to his 5-star billing. He won’t just line up at one position, so the Irish offensive line will need to keep track of where Burch starts his snaps from.

Defensive back Marcellas Dial

The junior has followed up his solid 2021 debut by topping every statistic with the exception of forced fumbles and fumble recoveries. Dial racked up 41 tackles while picking three passes off this season and has been on fire like the Gamecock offense over their last two games. Nine tackles against Tennessee and although he registered just 3 against Clemson, Dial took a pass away in that game. He’s got solid size at six-foot and 192-pounds and even though the Irish probably won’t throw the ball 30 times, he’s obviously good enough in run support to make a difference.

Linebacker Sherrod Greene

The super-senior came up big in his last year of eligibility, taking down ball carriers 65 times while registering 1.5 sacks and picking off a pass. Greene will be set with the task of trying to stop the ground game for the Irish so expect him to be in the mix for a lot of tackles. He battled injuries during the previous two seasons but kept the course and it payed off for him. The veteran of the defense will have his hands full defending the Irish offense.

Linebacker Nick Emmanwori

The Gamecocks have a Freshman All-American in their secondary as well and even though Emmanwori didn’t have the impact that Morrison had taking passes away, he led the team in tackles with 78 and recovered a fumble. A high on the season against Georgia with 14 tackles, Emmanwori is the back-end stopper for South Carolina. Who knows if a position change will happen in the offseason, Emmanwori is a huge safety at six-foot-four-inches and 218-pounds, but he will be another Gamecock that will have a hand in stopping the Irish run attack.

Story originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire