Gamecocks prevail in Battle of the Carolinas

South Carolina escaped Bank of America Stadium with a win Thursday night, starting the season by beating North Carolina 17-13.

The Gamecocks (1-0) trailed 13-10 at halftime but shut out the Tar Heels in the second half to win for the sixth time in the last seven games in this rivalry. Connor Mitch finished 9-for-22 in the first start of his career, and Brandon Wilds led the team in receiving with four catches for 44 yards.

South Carolina will play host to Kentucky on Sept. 12 in its SEC opener.

TURNING POINT

North Carolina averaged 8.7 yards per play in the first half and led 13-10 at halftime, but the Tar Heels were shut out in the second half.

THREE POINTS

Star of the game: Senior Shon Carson was the third-string tailback entering the game but may be the starter now. Carson rushed four times for 75 yards in the second half, including a 48-yard touchdown run that put South Carolina up 17-13 with 12:45 left in the game.

Stat of the game: Five players took the snap from center for South Carolina (Starting quarterback Connor Mitch, backup quarterback Perry Orth, wide receiver Pharoh Cooper in addition to tailbacks Brandon Wilds and David Williams). If you count punter Sean Kelly, who rushed for 17 yards to convert a fake punt in the first quarter, it was six players.

Play of the game: Skai Moore intercepted UNC quarterback Marquise Williams in the end zone with 3:29 left in the game to end the Tar Heels’ final threat. It was basically the same spot on the field Moore intercepted a pass in the first half.

OBSERVATIONS

Good and bad: The defense again missed too many tackles but made enough timely plays to make up for it — including two Skai Moore interceptions in the end zone, a Jordan Diggs interception to stop a promising North Carolina drive in the third quarter and two sacks by Kelsey Griffin that forced fourth downs.

Sloppy start: The Gamecocks had eight penalties for 60 yards. Their offense (delay of game) and defense (late hit) each committed a violation on their first snap on the field.

Bumps and bruises: Wide receiver Deebo Samuel didn’t finish the game because of a hamstring injury. Mitch had to go into the locker room in the second half to attend to a hip injury but returned to the game. Cooper hobbled off the field several times seemingly affected by cramps.

THEY SAID IT

“Brandon Wilds and Shon Carson had some nice runs. Other than that…” Steve Spurrier.

“I’m encouraged that we played poorly and won.” Steve Spurrier.

“What’s different between last year’s team and this year’s team so far is we found a way to win the ball game in the fourth quarter, and we didn’t do that on several occasions last year.” Defensive co-coordinator Lorenzo Ward.

UP NEXT

Who: South Carolina (1-0) vs. Kentucky (0-0)

When: 7:30 p.m., Sept. 12

Where: Williams-Brice Stadium

TV: SEC Network

This story was originally published September 3, 2015 at 9:29 PM with the headline "Gamecocks prevail in Battle of the Carolinas."