South Carolina Football: North Carolina Tar Heels preview
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina football fans, your wait is over, and the season opener is just four days away. The Gamecocks’ nation-leading strength of schedule kicks off this Saturday, September 2nd at 7:44 on ABC.
This year’s opener is another chapter in the South Carolina-North Carolina rivalry. For the fourth time in nine years, the Gamecocks and Tar Heels will face off to start the season, and for the third time since 2019, these two teams will play in Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium.
The biggest “hype” behind the opener has been in the quarterback matchup, and that is for good reason. North Carolina starter Drake Maye is considered a top-3 quarterback in all of college football according to most analysts, and South Carolina football signal caller Spencer Rattler showed off his immense talent with elite play down the stretch in 2022.
There is much more to this game, though, than just Spencer Rattler vs. Drake Maye. Both teams are breaking in new offensive coordinators. For the Gamecocks, Dowell Loggains replaces the much-maligned Marcus Satterfield (now at Nebraska). UNC OC Phil Longo defected for Luke Fickell’s staff at Wisconsin, and Chip Lindsey is the man on the headset now in Chapel Hill.
Both teams have questions in the run game, as well.
South Carolina football returned just one scholarship running back from last year (scatback Juju McDowell), resulting in Dakereon Joyner moving to the position and the possibility of a true freshman (DJay Braswell) and Division-II Newberry College transfer (Mario Anderson) contributing this season.
Drake Maye led the Tar Heels in rushing yards last season and had almost 200 carries. That can’t happen again for North Carolina if they want to keep their star player healthy. Elijah Green ran for about 600 yards last year, but it wasn’t on a particularly great average. Green will be aided by sophomore Omarion Hampton and veterans British Brooks and Caleb Hood.
Defensively, both teams had big weaknesses last fall. UNC could not stop the pass or keep opponents out of the end zone (ranked outside of the top-100 nationally in both rushing yards allowed and scoring last year). USC gave up almost 200 yards on the ground each game (good for the 15th-worst mark in college football).
Strictly from a strengths vs. weaknesses standpoint, the matchup appears to favor the Gamecocks, but according to 247Sports’ roster talent rankings, the ‘Heels have a small edge in overall roster talent.
There is a reason why College GameDay will be in Charlotte and why the Battle of the Carolinas will be the primetime game on ABC. This should be a very competitive matchup that could determine a lot for both teams (as much as out-of-conference games can determine).
The stakes are high as the winner has a shot to push for a 9-win season, while the loser will have a tough road to meeting their goals for the season. A loss for either team won’t completely derail the 2023 season, but a win could propel the ‘Cocks or ‘Heels toward contention for a New Year’s 6 Bowl Game.
Some storylines to watch heading into the contest revolve around the wide receiver position.
UNC’s Tez Walker was originally ruled ineligible by the NCAA as a second-time transfer but has appealed the decision. Will his appeal be heard so that he can suit up on Saturday?
Antwane “Juice” Wells is one of the top receivers in all of college football, but he is questionable heading into the contest with a “lower-body injury.” 5-star freshman Nyckoles Harbor is also questionable. Both players appear as if they will give it a go this weekend, but whether they will be at full strength is still to be determined.
The game will kick off at 7:44 on ABC and the ESPN App. The College GameDay coverage will begin at 9:00 on ESPN, ESPNU, and the ESPN App.