Sacked in Charlotte: South Carolina drops season opener to North Carolina
A sea of garnet and black enveloped Bank of America Stadium on Saturday night.
Gamecock fans came out in droves for South Carolina’s first game of the 2023 season. And while they made their fervor felt, it wasn’t enough to lift their team to a victory.
South Carolina fell to the No. 21 Tar Heels 31-17 to open the season.
“I just told the team in the locker room, tonight was nowhere near good enough,” coach Shane Beamer said after the game.
Here are five things that stood out from USC’s 2023 debut:
Injuries
Several Gamecocks left the game Saturday night because of various injuries: Mo Kaba, Nick Emmanwori, Antwane “Juice” Wells and Cason Henry.
Emmanwori left the game on the defense’s very first play with a hamstring injury and was eventually ruled out in the second quarter, Beamer told ESPN. The broadcast also reported Kaba out in the second quarter. He returned to the sideline in the third quarter on crutches.
Wells, too, was ruled out for the second half. He had been battling a foot injury during the preseason.
Good start, rough ending for Rattler and the offense
Rattler and the Gamecocks saw success in the air early Saturday night. The quarterback complete 10 of 11 passes in the first half for 171 yards. Six different receivers caught passes.
One thing to know about this receiving corps: Xavier Legette is legit.
In the first 30 minutes of game time, he had 82 yards off three catches (one 37-yarder). He ended the night with 178 yards on nine receptions.
But then South Carolina’s offense stalled in the second half. Rattler got sacked seven times in the last 30 minutes (nine total) and seemed visibly frustrated. The Gamecocks had 17 total sacks in 2022, with the high of six coming against Arkansas.
Rattler’s No. 1 target from 2022, Wells, had one pass thrown his way during USC’s first drive. He wasn’t able to secure it.
High highs and low lows for the defensive
UNC’s offense was productive on the ground and in the air.
Drake Maye was without his top two wide receivers in Tez Walker (ineligible) and Nate McCollum, who didn’t dress. Even still, Maye had 177 yards on 16 passes (80%) in the first half. He threw to nine different receivers in the first two quarters — six of which tallied more than 10 yards.
Maye’s first touchdown pass of the season came in the second quarter. He connected on a 34-yarder to Kobe Paysour. Keenan Nelson Jr. left him wide open.
The Tar Heels also ran all over the field. They tallied 171 rushing yards, led by British Brooks with 103.
The time-of-possession battle contributed to the Gamecocks’ tribulations. UNC had the ball for 32 minutes compared to USC’s 28. South Carolina’s defense, riddled with health concerns, did not need to spend a majority of the game on the field.
Bright spots for the Gamecocks defense came in the form of two interceptions. O’Donnell Fortune stole a pass from Gavin Blackwell in the third quarter. Kajuan Banks intercepted Maye in the fourth quarter. Neither ensuing drive resulted in a score.
Leaning too heavily on the run game
South Carolina’s play-calling breakdown relied a lot on the run game (31 to 39) , which did not impress.
The Gamecocks tallied just 11 yards on the ground compared to UNC’s 169.
The last time Dakereon Joyner played against UNC, he had a career game at quarterback. He rushed 10 times for 64 yards as the signal-caller.
Saturday night he made his debut at running back. This time he rushed 12 times for 23 yards, which led the team. Juju McDowell was the only running back to record a carry.
Beamer Ball alive and well
The Gamecocks punted down three with 26 seconds left in the first half.
A moment seemingly prime for Beamer Ball madness came and went, then Maye took a knee to end the second quarter.
But fear not, as South Carolina opened the third quarter with a successful onside kick recovered by Mitch Jeter near midfield. The drive did not culminate in a score, but it did signal that special teams shenanigans are still a priority of the Gamecocks.
South Carolina’s next game
Who: South Carolina (0-1) vs. Furman (1-0)
Where: Williams-Brice Stadium
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9
Watch: Streaming only, SEC Network Plus and ESPN+
How they scored
First Quarter
UNC—O.Hampton 1 run (R.Coe kick), 9:50.
USC—Da.Joyner 4 run (M.Jeter kick), 6:29.
Second Quarter
UNC—FG R.Coe 37, 7:05.
USC—J.McDowell 1 run (M.Jeter kick), 5:16.
UNC—Paysour 34 pass from Maye (R.Coe kick), 2:50.
Third Quarter
UNC—O.Hampton 1 run (R.Coe kick), 11:35.
UNC—Copenhaver 18 pass from Maye (R.Coe kick), 6:29.
Fourth Quarter
USC—FG M.Jeter 26, 12:19.
Player stats
RUSHING—North Carolina, Br.Brooks 15-103, O.Hampton 16-37, Maye 4-25, T.Chapman 1-7. South Carolina, Da.Joyner 13-19, J.McDowell 5-(minus 1), X.Legette 1-(minus 2), Rattler 13-(minus 22).
PASSING—North Carolina, Maye 24-32-2-269. South Carolina, Rattler 30-39-0-353.
RECEIVING—North Carolina, Paysour 7-66, Copenhaver 3-52, K.Morales 3-46, Nesbit 3-22, Br.Brooks 3-18, JJ.Jones 2-24, G.Blackwell 1-37, T.Chapman 1-4, G.Pettaway 1-0. South Carolina, X.Legette 9-178, Da.Joyner 5-13, Jo.Simon 4-20, Ah.Brown 3-44, L.Doty 3-41, J.McDowell 3-31, Tr.Knox 2-14, Mangrum 1-12.
This story was originally published September 2, 2023 at 10:58 PM.
