South Carolina vs. North Carolina: Game Grades, Analysis for Gamecocks

The South Carolina Gamecocks may have struggled in their season opener against border rival the North Carolina Tar Heels, but late heroics on both sides of the ball permitted the SEC representative to walk out of Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium the victor, 17-13. 

What was expected to be an offensive, back-and-forth affair quickly turned into a defensive slugfest, with both squads held to under 450 total yards and a combined 30 points. 

South Carolina Game Grades vs. North Carolina (Week 1)

Positional Unit	First-Half Grade	Second-Half Grade
Pass Offense	B-	C
Run Offense	B-	A
Pass Defense	C+	B+
Run Defense	B+	C-
Special Teams	A-	B+
Coaching	B	B+

Pass Offense

Overall for the game, starter Connor Mitch and backup Perry Orth combined for 12-of-26, 140 yards and a single touchdown. Despite the much-anticipated return of wide receiver Pharoh Cooper, the stud junior failed to do more than just pull in the Gamecocks' lone passing TD. In the first half, South Carolina proved to be more deadly through the air, but a poor start by Mitch and a few drops lowered its grade. 

The second half only showed even more passing weakness, as the deep throw was essentially eliminated by UNC coverage and Cooper became less of a factor. By that point, though, the Gamecocks had converted to a more potent rushing attack.

Run Offense

The first half proved tough on the ground, as the UNC front held the Gamecocks to 122 rushing yards with no scores. Cooper's use of the wildcat, however, opened up the pass and led to the team's sole field goal. 

The second half, however, was a different story, as Shon Carson busted a 48-yard game-winner midway through the fourth quarter. The Gamecocks, as a whole, snared 132 yards on the ground in the latter half, but more option by Mitch and power running by Carson and Brandon Wilds wore down a tired UNC defense. 

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Shon Carson's 48 yard touchdown run was the go-ahead score for the #Gamecocks tonight! 🐔🏈🏃💨🔥#HereSC #UNCvsSC

A photo posted by Gamecock Football (@gamecockfb) on Sep 3, 2015 at 7:07pm PDT

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Pass Defense

A rough first half against UNC quarterback Marquise Williams and wide receiver Bug Howard gave the Gamecocks an early deficit, but three total interceptions throughout the game, including two by linebacker Skai Moore, led to a more positive game grade. 

Further, the fact that South Carolina was able to shut down the Tar Heels through the air in critical situations, such as a 4th-and-8 in the red zone late in the game, only proved the pass defense played an essential role in the Gamecocks' victory.

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Tarheels intercepted AGAIN in the redzone by SCAR! #UNCvsSC https://t.co/q6YbEBAPcz

— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) September 4, 2015"

Run Defense

Oppositely, the South Carolina run defense was much stronger in the first half and proceeded to crack during the second, letting UNC running back Elijah Hood create big plays on the ground on multiple occasions during the third and fourth quarters. Overall, Hood ran for 139 yards on just 12 carries, including an incredible 29-yard ricochet in the Tar Heels' final drive of the game.  

Special Teams

Outside of a long missed field goal to end the first half, the South Carolina special teams unit excelled throughout the game. With three touchbacks on each kickoff, a made field goal and a successful fake punt, the Gamecocks were solid on special teams with little room for improvement. 

Coaching

As Steve Spurrier said following the half, his staff had been "outcoached" throughout the first two quarters of play. However, an obvious recovery in the second half spearheaded a more focused attack on power running, short passing and a traditional Spurrier approach.