Georgia’s defense put on an impressive display in the team’s 45-16 dismantling of South Carolina on Saturday night. Sophomore defensive back Lewis Cine led the charge in the absence of senior Richard LeCounte.

Cine tallied 12 solo tackles against the Gamecocks.

“I’m not going to shy away from the run,” he said. “I wanted to make contact and make my presence felt. The coaches put me in a place where they trusted me to be in the action, and knew I'd come up big.”

Cine attributed much of his success on the night to the game plan set forth by his coaches in the buildup to the contest.

“We knew what they were going to do from watching film on them,” he said. “What they do is run, and their backs are really good. The goal was to stop them and try and make them one-dimensional. We did what we were supposed to do.”

While Georgia’s defense was able to limit the Gamecocks to just 83 yards on the ground, it wasn’t able to add to a collection of shutouts that has become somewhat of a calling card under defensive coordinator Dan Lanning.

“I’m not concerned with that,” Cine said. “You have to understand the league we’re in. This is the SEC. Other teams prepare very well. They don’t just throw in a couple plays—they prepare very well. They watch film. They have guys who can play; you’re not going to expect a shutout every time. We’re really happy we got the win, and with how tonight ended.”

Thanks in large part to an offensive onslaught early on, head coach Kirby Smart was able to unleash players lower on the depth chart.

"We played a lot of guys on the defensive line who didn’t have a real good series there,” Smart said. “We subbed out, put some threes in, and didn’t play really well that last drive they scored on. But that’s the way you learn. I’ve been around it for years, at places where you get a lead, put them in, and you find out a lot about kids. You find out, hey, he might still be a year away, but getting that experience under his belt is invaluable.”

One player who has continued to catch the eye of Smart is freshman defensive lineman Jalen Carter, who ended the night with three tackles, including one for a loss.

“Yeah, he’s gotten better and better,” Smart said. “He was already playing—he’s played in, I think, every game this year. So he’s grown up a lot faster than some of the other guys. He’s very talented. He continues to work hard and get better; the sky’s the limit. But he’s got to work really hard to realize his potential. He did make some knock-back plays. And we’ve got to be more disruptive with guys like him.”

And how did Cine and the rest of Georgia’s defense feel, getting to relax later on in the contest?

“It felt great,” he said. “It felt awesome. We got redemption.”