How USC football’s Week 1 game against UNC could define the Gamecocks’ season
South Carolina’s game against No. 21 North Carolina on Saturday isn’t just another season opener.
It’s the beginning of Year 3 in the Shane Beamer era.
It’s the Gamecocks’ first Game 1 against a ranked opponent since 2020 (against then-No. 16 Tennessee, which beat USC without a Heisman-candidate quarterback like UNC’s Drake Maye).
And it’s quarterback Spencer Rattler’s first opportunity — in what could be his final college football season — to show the world which version of himself it should trust: The one who played in the first 10 games of 2022, or the one who beat then-No. 5 Tennessee and No. 7 Clemson back to back?
College football players often take a political “every-game matters” approach to answering questions about the hype surrounding certain contests. But South Carolina’s athletes haven’t shied away from stating the obvious: Saturday’s game — at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium with a prime-time ABC slot — is huge.
“You want to have the same mindset for every game, but we’d be lying to ourselves if we said this game wasn’t bigger than what we had last year,” Rattler said. “Every game’s big, but this is on a big-time stage against a great team. We’ve got a challenge on Saturday, and this game we’ll see where we’re at.”
While one can only glean so much from a single game, what will the Gamecocks look for to evaluate their performance against UNC that they can take further into the 2023 season? Here’s a look at how each phase of South Carolina football is approaching Game 1:
Offense
Aside from the obvious measurables for offensive success (points and limiting turnovers), USC’s new offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains said the biggest key for the Gamecocks will be starting fast against an elite opponent. He is confident that the players trust the coaching staff and the culture they’re building. But there’s a certain kind of reassurance that only playing well in a game can provide.
“Whether we win, we’re gonna have another game. Whether we lose, we’re gonna have to get ready for next week,” Loggains said. “It’s dealing with prosperity and adversity. … Part of this process is you need to have confidence built through demonstrated ability.”
Rattler echoed Loggains’ thoughts on adversity. Mistakes are a guarantee, Rattler said. All will be evaluated — good and bad — in the following days. The goal is starting off strong and maintaining an upward trajectory as the season progresses.
“This is a big-time game, big-time environment,” Rattler said. “We’ll just try to clean it up next week. Just stack these days. The main focus is play clean, play fast and just execute on Saturday.”
Loggains compared Saturday’s contest to a non-division game in the NFL, saying it was very important, but that there will also be a lot of other important games throughout the season — particularly against SEC opponents.
Defense
Like South Carolina, UNC brought in a new offensive coordinator over the offseason. There’s no tape on Chip Lindsey’s Tar Heels offense yet, so USC defensive coordinator Clayton White will need his unit to rely on its training and adapt with every series.
“The main thing for us is to understand the adjustments within our defense,” White said. “We don’t know what formations we’re ever going to get the first 15 plays. The offensive coaches, over the past since I’ve been coordinating, do a great job on those plays. … So our job is to play our rules, read our keys, play with the right leverages, play in our gap, and get a feel for what’s going on.”
Special teams
Special teams coach Pete Lembo said his special teams group has three jobs this Saturday:
1. Don’t beat yourself
This job is relatively straightforward: Play clean and smart. Don’t commit penalties. Protect the football. As Lembo referred to it, “just the basic things, football 101.”
2. Contain and minimize the impact of UNC’s athletes
Lembo has a lot of respect for UNC’s special teams personnel.
He delivered a mini scouting report Wednesday, highlighting returning players like running back British Brooks and kickoff returners George Pettaway and Omarion Hampton. Lembo also brought attention to new faces like placekicker Ryan Coe (transferred from Cincinnati) and punt returner Alijah Huzzie (transferred from East Tennessee).
Lembo’s hope is for his unit to render those guys nonfactors Saturday.
3. Find ways to contribute to a win
Lembo explained this final job with an Uncle Ben from “Spider-Man”-esque charm: With great recognition comes great responsibility.
South Carolina’s specialists have received a number of honors since last season ended. Punter Kai Kroeger was the only Gamecock named to the preseason All-SEC first-team this year after averaging the fifth-most yards per punt in FBS last season. He and placekicker Mitch Jeter along with long snapper Hunter Rogers were named to preseason watch lists for honors awarded to the top player at their respective positions.
As outside attention increases, so do internal expectations.
“We expect those guys to go out and perform at a very high level and to continue to be leaders on this team by how they perform and how they lead by example,” Lembo said. “Looking forward to seeing those guys under the lights Saturday night.
South Carolina vs. UNC game info
Who: South Carolina (0-0) vs. North Carolina (0-0)
Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
TV: ABC
This story was originally published August 31, 2023 at 9:00 AM.
