I want to caution that I haven’t watched a replay of the game yet so some of my opinions might change after I do that…..
It was certainly an ugly game but if you are South Carolina, you have to be happy to be walking out tonight as a winner. There are definitely a lot of concerns about this team and things that they have to fix, but this is probably a game they don’t win last year.
The defense was able to get a big stop inside their own five-yard line late in the game and the offense got two first downs to ice the game. Those two things cost this team many times last year and it was a positive to see them win the first game of the season doing it the right way late in the game.
It was a horrible first quarter for Connor Mitch but I thought he made some good plays after that quarter. He did impress me with how much he used his legs. The offense never looked comfortable or in rhythm. It seemed like every time they made progress, a penalty was right around the corner.
The offense desperately needs another playmaker to step forward besides Pharoh Cooper. The run game is fine but they need another threat in the passing game. The vertical passing game was basically a non-threat tonight and the blame for that goes further than just the quarterback play. There were several drops. David Williams needs to prove that he can catch the ball out of the backfield and Jerell Adams has to be more consistent. Adams is the player that I would expect to step up and be that other playmaker beside Cooper.
It also doesn’t help a young quarterback that the plays aren’t getting in quick enough. That is something they need to get fixed quick. I thought they could have relied more on the running game in the first half and definitely in the third quarter.
If South Carolina would have lost this game, then a big story would have been South Carolina getting no points late in the game when they got inside the 20. I didn’t agree with going shotgun on third down and an inch. I’m not going to argue much about not kicking the field goal on fourth down but I would have done so to go up seven. Luckily for South Carolina and Steve Spurrier, that didn’t cost them the game.
The offense is definitely a concern going forward but there are some positives to take away from that side of the ball. One of the biggest stories from the game was Shon Carson coming out of nowhere and busting a 48-yard touchdown run that saved them. I also thought David Williams and Brandon Wilds were solid running the ball. The offensive line performed about as well as I expected. This was a game they should control the line of scrimmage and they did that. I also thought Terry Googer had two solid catches in the passing game.
Mitch definitely looked nervous to open the game but maybe he will build on it going forward. He didn’t turn the ball over, though he should have had one interception at least. He does look like he can be a threat in the zone read. He needs other guys beside Cooper to get open more and make more plays.
Marquavius Lewis, Dante Sawyer, and Isaiah Johnson immediately made their presence known for the defense in this game. All three of them made huge plays for the defense in the second half. Lewis was a little quiet in the first half but I thought he played really well in the second half and he cause some havoc for UNC quarterback Marquise Williams. Johnson made a big play on third down in the second half when he caused an incompletion with a big hit. Sawyer also had a huge sack on the last drive.
There are still problems on the defensive side of the ball but I think you have to be pleased with them only giving up 13 points to a really good offense and shutting North Carolina out in the second half. North Carolina definitely made plenty of mistakes and probably should have scored more, but you have to give the South Carolina defense some credit.
I will have to watch the replay to see the exact adjustments Jon Hoke made in the second half but it seemed like they got more pressure on the quarterback and there were fewer busts in the secondary. I also liked how much Hoke was willing to blitz in this game. He brought pressure from a lot of different angles.
The tackling is still an issue and there were a couple busts in the secondary, but I do think there was improvement for the defense. The defense did catch a lot of breaks during the game thanks to North Carolina.
Skai Moore had a heck of a game. He is the best tackler on the team. I also thought Jordan Diggs was good at safety.
The best unit of the game for South Carolina was by far the special teams. It seemed like they did everything right tonight. Sean Kelly had an impressive debut at punter and Landon Ard was kicking balls out of the endzone on kickoffs.
Like I said up top, this is a game South Carolina probably doesn’t win last year. If you are a Gamecock fan, I think you have to be thrilled that the team found a way to win the game (or UNC found a way to lose, whichever way you want to look at it).
South Carolina now moves on to Kentucky and I would expect a similar game next week. It will probably be close but South Carolina needs to find a way to win and get to 2-0.
It was certainly an ugly game but if you are South Carolina, you have to be happy to be walking out tonight as a winner. There are definitely a lot of concerns about this team and things that they have to fix, but this is probably a game they don’t win last year.
The defense was able to get a big stop inside their own five-yard line late in the game and the offense got two first downs to ice the game. Those two things cost this team many times last year and it was a positive to see them win the first game of the season doing it the right way late in the game.
It was a horrible first quarter for Connor Mitch but I thought he made some good plays after that quarter. He did impress me with how much he used his legs. The offense never looked comfortable or in rhythm. It seemed like every time they made progress, a penalty was right around the corner.
The offense desperately needs another playmaker to step forward besides Pharoh Cooper. The run game is fine but they need another threat in the passing game. The vertical passing game was basically a non-threat tonight and the blame for that goes further than just the quarterback play. There were several drops. David Williams needs to prove that he can catch the ball out of the backfield and Jerell Adams has to be more consistent. Adams is the player that I would expect to step up and be that other playmaker beside Cooper.
It also doesn’t help a young quarterback that the plays aren’t getting in quick enough. That is something they need to get fixed quick. I thought they could have relied more on the running game in the first half and definitely in the third quarter.
If South Carolina would have lost this game, then a big story would have been South Carolina getting no points late in the game when they got inside the 20. I didn’t agree with going shotgun on third down and an inch. I’m not going to argue much about not kicking the field goal on fourth down but I would have done so to go up seven. Luckily for South Carolina and Steve Spurrier, that didn’t cost them the game.
The offense is definitely a concern going forward but there are some positives to take away from that side of the ball. One of the biggest stories from the game was Shon Carson coming out of nowhere and busting a 48-yard touchdown run that saved them. I also thought David Williams and Brandon Wilds were solid running the ball. The offensive line performed about as well as I expected. This was a game they should control the line of scrimmage and they did that. I also thought Terry Googer had two solid catches in the passing game.
Mitch definitely looked nervous to open the game but maybe he will build on it going forward. He didn’t turn the ball over, though he should have had one interception at least. He does look like he can be a threat in the zone read. He needs other guys beside Cooper to get open more and make more plays.
Marquavius Lewis, Dante Sawyer, and Isaiah Johnson immediately made their presence known for the defense in this game. All three of them made huge plays for the defense in the second half. Lewis was a little quiet in the first half but I thought he played really well in the second half and he cause some havoc for UNC quarterback Marquise Williams. Johnson made a big play on third down in the second half when he caused an incompletion with a big hit. Sawyer also had a huge sack on the last drive.
There are still problems on the defensive side of the ball but I think you have to be pleased with them only giving up 13 points to a really good offense and shutting North Carolina out in the second half. North Carolina definitely made plenty of mistakes and probably should have scored more, but you have to give the South Carolina defense some credit.
I will have to watch the replay to see the exact adjustments Jon Hoke made in the second half but it seemed like they got more pressure on the quarterback and there were fewer busts in the secondary. I also liked how much Hoke was willing to blitz in this game. He brought pressure from a lot of different angles.
The tackling is still an issue and there were a couple busts in the secondary, but I do think there was improvement for the defense. The defense did catch a lot of breaks during the game thanks to North Carolina.
Skai Moore had a heck of a game. He is the best tackler on the team. I also thought Jordan Diggs was good at safety.
The best unit of the game for South Carolina was by far the special teams. It seemed like they did everything right tonight. Sean Kelly had an impressive debut at punter and Landon Ard was kicking balls out of the endzone on kickoffs.
Like I said up top, this is a game South Carolina probably doesn’t win last year. If you are a Gamecock fan, I think you have to be thrilled that the team found a way to win the game (or UNC found a way to lose, whichever way you want to look at it).
South Carolina now moves on to Kentucky and I would expect a similar game next week. It will probably be close but South Carolina needs to find a way to win and get to 2-0.
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