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View attachment 159South Carolina Gamecocks vs. North Carolina Tarheels View attachment 714
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Both teams enter the season unranked, but South Carolina received fifteen votes in the AP Top 25. North Carolina did not receive any votes in the AP Top 25.
Rivalries aside, this game is a huge game for both teams. South Carolina has the hardest schedule according to ESPN FPI, and needs to get off to a hot start. For North Carolina, a win would be a great start to Mack Brown’s second stint as a coach at North Carolina. The teams last played in 2015 with South Carolina winning 17-13.
South Carolina Gamecocks vs. North Carolina Tar Heels football TV channel
South Carolina and North Carolina will kick off at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN.
South Carolina Gamecocks vs. North Carolina Tar Heels players to watch
Many people have mixed views on South Carolina quarterback Jake Bentley. He led South Carolina to a 9-4 season in 2017, but many say he took a step back in 2018. If South Carolina is to have a great season and pull off upsets against teams like Alabama and Clemson, Bentley will have to have an amazing season. The opening game is huge for building his confidence especially after a rocky performance against Virginia to end the season.
North Carolina is starting true freshman Sam Howell at quarterback. Howell was a four star recruit, and the number two player in the state of North Carolina according to 247 Sports. Howell also broke the North Carolina all time passing record in High School. It will be interesting to see how Howell adjusts to the college game.
TJ Brunson is the heart and soul of the South Carolina defense. Last year he was a second team All SEC player. This year he looks to build off of that and improve his draft stock.
Dazz Newsome will more than likely be the number one option at slot receiver for Sam Howell. Newsome has amazing speed and is extremely shifty in space. He is also the punt returner for North Carolina and averaged 15.1 YPR on punts last year.
South Carolina Gamecocks vs. North Carolina Tar Heels Vegas Odds
The line opened at -8 in favor of South Carolina but moved down to 7.5 in favor of South Carolina. The current over/under is set at 63.
South Carolina Gamecocks vs. North Carolina Tar Heels football predictions
The majority of experts have South Carolina winning by around 14-17 points.
South Carolina Gamecocks vs. North Carolina Tar Heels football history
This will be the 58th matchup between both teams dating back to 1903. Throughout the 1920’s the game was played every year, but stopped in 1930. The teams didn’t play that often until the 1950’s when they played every year until 1960.
North Carolina leads the overall series with 34 wins compared to South Carolina’s 19 wins. The two teams have also tied four times.
The most recent meeting between the teams was in 2015 when South Carolina won 17-13 in Charlotte. Before that, they played in 2013 in Columbia, South Carolina, with the Gamecocks winning 27-10. The two teams also met in 2007 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a game in which the Gamecocks won 21-15. Prior to their 2007 meeting, the teams last played in 1991 (coincidentally, Mack Brown was the head coach at North Carolina).
The largest win in the series happened in 1914, when North Carolina won 48-0.
The longest win streak is five games for both teams. South Carolina’s win streak was from 1967-1974 and North Carolina’s win streak was from 1903-1911.
South Carolina Gamecocks 2018 season review
In Will Muschamp’s fourth year at the helm, South Carolina went 7-6. The Gamecocks won close games against Tennessee, Missouri and Ole Miss, but dropped key games against Georgia, Kentucky, Texas A&M, Florida and Clemson. South Carolina earned a bowl bid in the Belk Bowl against Virginia, but ultimately lost 28-0.
The Gamecocks were 7th in the SEC in scoring offense and return senior quarterback Jake Bentley and six others on offense. South Carolina was 10th in the SEC in points given up per game on defense but they return 8 starters and multiple key players from injury.
Jake Bentley finished the year 7th in the SEC in passing efficiency and had an up and down season. He threw for 3,171 passing yards with 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Bentley struggled in the beginning of the season and even missed the Missouri game due to injury, but finished the season strong. He threw for 1,650 yards and 16 touchdowns in November, and remember that he had to play Clemson and Florida in that month.
Will Muschamp Opening Game History
This will be Will Muschamp’s eighth year as a head coach and fourth year at South Carolina. He is 7-0 all time in opening games.
– 2011: Florida win over Florida Atlantic
– 2012: Florida win over Bowling Green
– 2013: Florida win over Toledo
– 2014: Florida win over Eastern Michigan
– 2016: South Carolina win over Vanderbilt
– 2017: South Carolina win over North Carolina State
– 2018: South Carolina win over Coastal Carolina
North Carolina Gamecocks 2018 season review
Last year, the Tar Heels went 2-9 overall with and 1-7 in the ACC, with wins against Pittsburgh and Western Carolina. They had a game scheduled against UCF, but that game was cancelled due to weather. The 2-9 season led to the firing of Larry Fedora and the hiring of former Texas head coach Mack Brown. This will be Mack Brown’s second stint at North Carolina, with his first lasting from 1988-1997.
What we need to see in Week 1:
A clean game from Jake Bentley
Much like a mirror image of the rest of the team last season, the veteran quarterback had trouble finding consistency. He threw at least 2 interceptions in 4 games, and only had 2 games where he didn’t throw an interception. For his part, Bentley has admitted in the offseason the need to clean up his turnover rate. He’s well aware that he led the SEC last season with 14 interceptions. That was somewhat masked by finishing 4th with 27 touchdowns.
With everyone, including television cameras, ready to focus on Ryan Hilinski the second Bentley tosses an errant throw, it’s important for continuity and stability of the program for Bentley to get off on the right foot.
Consistency
The Gamecocks only won two consecutive games once last season. They rarely played well in back-to-back weeks.
The rushing offense, for example, hit its stride several times, such as when it for more than 200 yards and at least 2 touchdowns. It hit those marks against Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Coastal Carolina. But otherwise, it didn’t score, and against Georgia and Texas A&M, it had fewer than 100 yards.
By midseason last year, when they were 4-4, they had benched a player at halftime each of the last 2 games, and had a host of issues in both backfields and with the pass rush. As with many lingering issues, it was difficult to pinpoint the problem, if there was only one.
Take the end of the season. South Carolina scored 35 against Clemson, and then 0 the final 6 quarters of the season. How about the Florida game? The Gamecocks scored 31 points in the first 41 minutes against Florida, and 0 in the final 19 minutes.
The Gamecocks are roughly a touchdown, or little more, favorite against a North Carolina team that was 2-9 last season with a new coaching staff and a new quarterback. Clearly, Vegas doesn’t quite know how to handle this team, either.
A legitimate pass rush
There are a couple of areas that South Carolina has that have been stuck in neutral for several years. The pass rush, or a legitimate pass rusher, is one.
They haven’t had a player with double-digit sacks since Jadaveon Clowney in 2012. Three times since, the team leader had fewer than 5. This is an area where Zacch Pickens is expected to help improve, not individually, especially this season, but as an overall upgrade to the defensive line.
There are 2 legitimate players who need to step up this season in Javon Kinlaw and D.J. Wonnum. At least one needs to deliver, and the Tar Heels offer a clear opportunity. North Carolina has a good, but not great offensive line, but it certainly is a notch below the better teams on South Carolina’s schedule. If they can’t disrupt the quarterback and blow up running plays this week, there’s not much optimism left for the likes of Alabama, Georgia and Clemson, if not the rest of the SEC.
A new face must emerge
In the spring, this was Jay Urich. Last season, and recently, it’s Dakereon Joyner, who has drawn praise for his handling of losing the backup quarterback position. Urich has already been called one of the best athletes on the team and might be the most versatile. For a team that needs a spark, either player, or even another newcomer, would add a wrinkle to an already solid offense.
Urich is 6-5 and is listed as a quarterback, but will play other positions, including on special teams. He’s capable of delivering a play that could turn a game. Joyner, meanwhile, was long rumored to have a special package last season, and even got increased practice time ahead of the bowl game. Don’t be surprised if he appears in a surprise trick play.
Running game
Will the Tavien Feaster addition bring life to the rushing offense? Finding a feature back has been a problem for the Gamecocks dating to the Steve Spurrier days. They haven’t had a 1,000-yard rusher since 2013, and now with Feaster and Rico Dowdle, combined with a new position coach in Thomas Brown, there aren’t many more upgrades the team could do. The Gamecocks were 12th in the SEC in rushing last year at just 152.8 yards per game.
Dowdle is a senior and has had multiple chances to become the feature back, and Feaster recently graduated from Clemson. You can’t find more experience in a competitive backfield.
North Carolina was 13th in rushing defense last season in the ACC, and lost 4 starters from 2018.
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