COLUMBIA, S.C. — Darius Rush and Xavier Legette have been recognized by the Southeastern Conference for their performances in Saturday’s South Carolina’s 30-24 win over Texas A&M, the conference office announced Monday.
Rush has been selected as the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Week. A 6-2, 200-pound redshirt senior from Kingstree, S.C., Rush logged a game-high eight tackles, including six solo stops in the victory. He intercepted a pass in the first quarter and returned it 59 yards, setting up a Gamecock field goal and a 10-point lead early in the contest. He was also credited with a forced fumble and a pass break up in the contest.
Legette was selected as the SEC’s Special Teams Player of the Week. The 6-3, 220-pound senior from Mullins, S.C., set the tone for the game by returning the opening kick 100 yards for a touchdown, giving the Gamecocks a lead they would not relinquish. His kick return for a touchdown was the first for a Gamecock since Deebo Samuel went 90 yards with the opening kick at Ole Miss in 2018 and tied for the second-longest kick return in school history. Legette was also credited with a key tackle on kickoff coverage late in the fourth quarter, forcing Texas A&M to start a drive from their own 12-yard line with just 3 minutes remaining.
Rush, Legette and the Gamecocks (5-2, 2-2 SEC) will host the Missouri Tigers (3-4, 1-3 SEC) in an SEC Eastern Division battle for the Mayor’s Cup on Saturday, Oct. 29. Game time is set for 4 pm ET and the game will be televised by SEC Network.