I don’t know if this makes sense, but try to follow along. When referring to “Carolina,” I always default to North Carolina unless I’m talking about South Carolina, in which case it applies to the Gamecocks. It makes sense in my heart if not my head. But perhaps North Carolina has asserted itself as the one true Carolina until such time as South Carolina can actually beat them on the football field, which they did not Saturday night, falling to the Heels, 31-17. The clash of two talented quarterbacks didn’t exactly live up to the billing of two great signal-callers.
In a classic example of being unable to separate the performance from the opponent, UNC largely held South Carolina’s offense under wraps, but why? The Gamecocks were unable to run the ball with any effectiveness, and it is not a team that can afford to be one dimensional. Spencer Rattler played OK, but was piloting an offense that sputtered often with multiple three-and-outs and turnovers on downs. It’s not a problem of being too conservative, as the Cocks pressed the issue when more cautious teams would have punted—and even stole a possession with an onside kick out of halftime—but they lacked the cutting edge when it counted.
Without best receiver Juice Wells, Xavier Leggette stepped up at wideout, but South Carolina will need more from the running game. If UNC is going to get at least a competent amount of defense, it may be more than just a chaos agent in the ACC and actually a real team to watch in the ACC race. Eight sacks were the reward for an aggressive front that teed off on Rattler multiple times, especially as the game state got away from the Gamecocks as they were trying to complete a comeback largely through the air.
