Jaycee Horn still searching for elusive interception. ‘His time is coming’
As a freshman, it was a bit odd but not too surprising. But as his sophomore year progressed and the streak continued, the question persisted: When would Jaycee Horn finally get an interception for the South Carolina football team?
Horn has played 23 games and a lot of snaps for the Gamecocks since stepping in to start at nickelback as a freshman. In that time, he’s defended 17 passes and his teammates have intercepted 18 more. Defensive lineman D.J. Wonnum got one, linebacker Ernest Jones got a few, freshmen Jammie Robinson and John Dixon each got one. Horn’s good friend and classmate in the defensive backfield, Israel Mukuamu, has had five.
Probably the closest Horn has come to a pick was against Florida this past season, when he actually came down with the ball in the end zone. The interception was wiped away, however, as he was called for holding earlier on the play.
“I know in the social media age and the all the stuff going on and people talking, and he’ll get a little frustrated that he hasn’t got the ball off anyone yet,” defensive coordinator and DBs coach Travaris Robinson said. “But his time is coming. When he needs it and we need it, hopefully it’ll be his turn and he’ll get one.”
But interceptions aren’t the only way to measure a cornerback’s effectiveness. In fact, teams can sometimes look to avoid throwing toward a certain corner all together, robbing them of any chance for an interception. Robinson stopped short of saying opponents were afraid to pass Horn’s way last season, but he did say the young defensive back did his job in shutting down the passing game when attacked.
“Like I tell him all the time, if you look at the tape and you look at the targets, when people are throwing the football to him, there’s not a lot of catches on him,” Robinson said. “He’s gotta continue to do that and his chance will come. He had opportunities this season and he didn’t make them. So the easy one he’s gotta make, and he’ll get the stats and the numbers that he’s looking for. But yes, he’s a good football player, he plays the right way, and we want more guys like him on our football team.”
Still, there’s a real frustration there for Horn, Robinson said. And while Mukuamu, his fellow leader in the secondary and friendly competitor, made headlines nationwide with a three-pick day against Georgia, he’ll have to wait months more before getting another chance to snap the streak. When that time finally comes, Robinson said, he has to be ready at any moment.
“That’s part of being a good player. And like I told him, the one time they do throw it to him, he’s gotta make the play, and he’s gotta always stay ready,” Robinson said. “And that’s just part of being a corner.”
This story was originally published March 5, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Jaycee Horn still searching for elusive interception. ‘His time is coming’."
