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Defensive dominance: Wolfpack blanked
USC defensive tackle Jonathan Williams (99) celebrates stopping a run at the line of scrimmage during a scoreless first quarter as the Gamecocks take on N.C. State at Williams Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C., August 28, 2008.
Jeff Blake/jblake@thestate.com /The State
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Ellis Johnson will long cherish his first game ball as South Carolina’s defensive coordinator, an honor bequeathed on him by head coach Steve Spurrier following USC’s 34-0 shutout victory Thursday night over N.C. State.
Too bad Johnson missed two of the biggest plays by his defense, a pair of N.C. State turnovers that jump-started the Gamecocks’ sluggish offense at the end of the first half and the beginning of the third quarter.
Despite dominating the Wolfpack — USC limited the ACC team’s offense to 138 yards and never allowed the visitors beyond the home team’s 32-yard line — USC was stuck on zero points until, 1:49 before halftime, linebacker Eric Norwood leaped on N.C. State quarterback Daniel Evans’ fumble following a bad snap.
That gave the Gamecocks the ball at the Wolfpack 12, and Ryan Succop’s 29-yard field goal gave USC a 3-0 lead.
Then, two plays into the second half, cornerback Carlos Thomas picked off Evans’ pass and returned it 10 yards to the Wolfpack 9 yard line. Four plays later, Mike Davis’ 1-yard dive made it 10-0.
The Gamecocks’ offensive explosion came in the fourth quarter, but Spurrier knew what set the stage.
“Fortunately, we seem to have a pretty good defense,” he said after USC’s first shutout since 2006. “Thank goodness we have a defense that pitched a shutout.”
Not only that, but Johnson’s unit made the defining plays early — right?
Sorry, he said. Didn’t catch those.
“It’s crazy, but sometimes your eyes are following something else,” Johnson said. “I didn’t see the (fumble), and one of the picks, I was looking at the pass rush.”
He laughed. “I look forward to seeing those plays on film,” Johnson said. “They were great plays.”
That probably shouldn’t be unexpected in the case of Norwood. Last season vs. Kentucky on Thursday night, the 267-pounder turned two fumbles into touchdowns, tying a national record.
Norwood wasn’t disappointed not to score this time, though. “My first thought was to fall on it,” he said. “If I had more space, I might try to pick it up, but first thing is just fall on it and cover it.”
The Gamecocks limited Evans and starter Russell Wilson to a combined 49 yards on 5-of-20 passing and two interceptions. In the second half, N.C. State never crossed the 50.
So does Spurrier expect such performances every week — particularly the takeaways? Hardly, he said with a laugh.
“Not always,” he said. “(But) if they can play close to that, and our offense can come around, who knows what can happen?”
Johnson wonders the same thing. “I think we know we have potential, more experience and depth,” he said. “We know N.C. State is rebuilding, but any time you shut out a BCS (conference) team, that’s something to be happy about.”
Even if he has to wait to see it.
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