South Carolina Football: Full game notes from the Gamecocks loss the Tar Heels

South Carolina Football vs. North Carolina:
Other Notes

• The offensive line played very poorly.
  • The Gamecocks could not get any push in the run game despite trying a number of combinations up front.
  • The Gamecocks could not protect Spencer Rattler, especially from the tackle spots.
  • The same miscommunications that plagued the South Carolina football blocking unit last season appeared to be present once again, though less frequent.
  • Tight end blocking left a lot to be desired.
• USC’s running game didn’t have much of a chance because of the o-line play, but the backs missed a few open running lanes.
• South Carolina’s defensive line played very poorly.
  • No defensive lineman played particularly well.
  • The pass rush was non-existent the entire night.
  • The line was stood up and pushed backward on most running plays.
• The linebackers played fine, but they couldn’t provide the superhuman effort needed to clean up the poor effort from the defensive line. Even so, the two starters put up good numbers.
  • Debo Williams had 14 tackles.
  • Stone Blanton had 10 and forced a couple of rushed throws rushing the passer.
  • The linebackers did their best in the passing game, but they are not adept in coverage.
• The Gamecock secondary wasn’t great for most of the night.
  • New starting nickel Keenan Nelson had several tough moments.
  • Freshman Jalon Kilgore had the best tackling night in the secondary, by far.
  • DQ Smith had a good night tackling but got beat in coverage a few times.
  • Marcellas Dial had a decent game in coverage, but it didn’t matter when at least one other player in the secondary was getting beaten virtually every play.
• Spencer Rattler was very good. He was running for his life the entire game but still ripped apart the North Carolina defense for a big-time performance.
• Xavier Legette backed up his career game from the Gator Bowl with an even better performance. Despite playing hurt for most of the game, he logged 9 catches for 178 yards.
• Ahmarean Brown had some nice moments but also had a critical drop on 4th down when the Gamecocks had a chance to make a major move in the game.
• Backup quarterback Luke Doty got some real run at wide receiver in the second half, catching three balls for 41 yards.
• 5-star freshman Nyck Harbor played a little at wide receiver but was not a factor.