USC-UNC report card: You best believe there are some Fs in this one
South Carolina missed a vital chance at a key win Saturday when it let a double-digit lead slip away against North Carolina. Grading the Gamecocks’ performance:
Quarterback: Against a defense that had its share of issues, Jake Bentley had 142 yards on 30 attempts. The final two possessions ended in interceptions. That’s the third-lowest output for a healthy game in his career. Grade: F
Running back: The consistency wasn’t high, but Rico Dowdle and Tavien Feaster did average 5.5 yards per carry or better. They also only got the ball 24 times as USC couldn’t stay on the field consistently. Grade: B
Wide receiver: The play-making was lacking, to say the least. Receivers combined for a single catch longer than 15 yards. Bryan Edwards caught one ball to start his senior season. That came against a defense down its best cover corner to start the game and later down another starting defensive back. Grade: F
Tight end: The position is relatively thin on bodies, so it’s hard to make much of a read here. Kyle Markway had two of South Carolina’s big catches. Chandler Farrell came in and was OK. Generally, this wasn’t a negative spot. Grade: B
Offensive line: Bentley too often found himself having to tuck and make plays on the scramble. Considering how often USC had to pass, it became quite an issue. The run blocking was OK, but the offense struggled to move the ball consistently, and that mostly falls on the line. Grade: D-
Defensive line: This group was supposed to come in and be able to control the game. At times it got to UNC freshman QB Sam Howell, but he slipped out often. Running backs averaged 5.5 yards a carry and outside of some sacks, it was a rough showing. Grade: D-
Linebackers: The Gamecocks were unable to control so much of what North Carolina tried to do. Potentially modest runs became long ones with broken tackles and bad angles. This was from a group that was looking to bounce back. Grade: F
Secondary: The production from a group with several freshmen in the mix simply wasn’t good enough. A true freshman quarterback in his first college start averaged 10.2 yards per attempt. Adjusting for sacks, that meant every Howell dropback produced 8.7 yards. Even adjusted for some tough catches, that’s utterly bad. Grade: F
Special teams: UNC didn’t have any big returns. South Carolina had two. Parker White missed from 53 yards, but otherwise, things were mostly OK. The biggest blemish might have been a penalty that was a little soft on a hit out of bounds. Grade: A
Coaching: It’s hard to tell where the coaching ends and the execution begins, but in a game the team really needed, it didn’t look ready. Early on, South Carolina was living dangerously. Instead of being able to turn it on and pull away, North Carolina was allowed to hang around until it made the backbreaking plays. Not a great day. Grade: F
Overall: In a must-win game, South Carolina got beat by a team with a new staff and a true freshman quarterback. They looked sluggish early and didn’t do what a better team should down the stretch. At some point, it is what it is. Grade: F
