Kaimon Rucker is part of a UNC defense that sacked South Carolina quarterback nine times in Week 1.
Rucker, the starting jack linebacker, led the team in the season-opening victory with two of those sacks and a game-high 5.5 tackles for loss. He and his Tar Heel teammates struggled last weekend against App State, however, as Rucker only generated three tackles in the 40-34 UNC victory.
Regardless of how the defense fares from week-to-week, there’s no doubt that Rucker is one of the unit’s best players.
Infact, he actually leads the country in an under-the-radar metric: quarterback pressures, which are crucial to disrupting an offense’s rhythm.
Leaders in QB Pressures this seasonđź’Ş pic.twitter.com/DqeAGzSffw
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 13, 2023
On the side of the football in which UNC struggles often, it’s nice to know there’s multiple reliable players like Rucker. He and his Tar Heel teammates have a tough test on Saturday, Sept. 16 at home, as they take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Minnesota is coming off two low-scoring affairs – a 13-10 Big 10 opener over Nebraska in Week 1, plus a 25-6 triumph over Eastern Michigan last weekend.
Golden Gophers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis has been sacked four times, so there’s a fair chance Rucker could add Kaliakmanis to his sack yard.
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