Gamecocks defense was stellar in the red zone

As the South Carolina players were exiting the Bank of America playing surface, somebody in the mass of bodies yelled out, “That’s how you play defense.”

One game doesn’t wipe away last season’s disappointment, but the Gamecocks’ defensive unit came up with big plays when they had to. Skai Moore recorded two interceptions, including the game-sealing one in the end zone with 3:29 remaining to preserve the 17-13 season opening victory against North Carolina on Thursday night.

“The difference 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,” USC co-defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward said. “We didn’t do that on several occasions last year. Even when they moved the football, somebody came up with a big play.”

Kelsey Griffin recorded two of the four sacks by the South Carolina defense. Jordan Diggs picked off another UNC pass deep in Gamecock territory, allowing USC to win the turnover battle 3-0. It was a big difference from last year, when South Carolina recorded 14 sacks in 13 games and struggled to get off the field in crucial situations.

“We wanted to come out here and prove a point, and I think we did that defensively,” Moore said.

South Carolina shut out a high-octane UNC offense in the second half after allowing a touchdown and two field goals in four first- half possessions. The only stop they recorded in the first half came when Moore dropped into the end zone and picked off a Marquise Williams pass.

South Carolina twice forced turnovers in the red zone and Diggs had one from the Gamecocks 21-yard line to stop another long drive without any points.

“The biggest difference was the red zone, probably,” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said. “I don’t know how many yards North Carolina had – 440 and 13 points – that doesn’t go together.”

Ward echoed those thoughts.

“Once we got in the red zone, we played well,” he said. “We had three turnovers in that area. We wanted to be plus three in turnovers going into the game, and that’s where we ended up.”

One of the biggest confidence builders came early in the second half. The Tar Heels received the kick and faced a fourth-and-one from their 29-yard line when Marquavius Lewis and Taylor Stallworth stuffed Williams for no gain.

“In the locker room, we talked about getting a big first stop, and after we got that it just carried over the rest of the game,” Moore said. “It was a big stop.”

The Gamecocks stymied North Carolina for most of the second half but they had to come up with one final stop with the game on the line. UNC took over on their own 12-yard line after USC failed to convert a fourth-down quarterback sneak.

The Tar Heels drove to the Gamecocks’ 3-yard line before Dante Sawyer sacked Williams for a five-yard loss on third down. Williams was flushed from the pocket on fourth down and he again threw across the middle into the waiting arms of Moore.

“Skai can pick the ball off,” Spurrier said. “He does it in practice all the time. As everybody knows, when you play Cover 2 that middle linebacker has to cover a lot of range. Those were plays that helped us win the game.”

This story was originally published September 3, 2015 at 11:05 PM with the headline "Gamecocks defense was stellar in the red zone."