South Carolina Football: North Carolina game report card
By Kevin Miller
Shane Beamer and the South Carolina football team did not perform up to expectations on Saturday when they took on the North Carolina Tar Heels in Charlotte. If the game film truly was a graded school assignment, it would be so marked up with red pen that it hardly would be recognizable.
Despite several glaring issues for the Gamecocks, the score was not a blowout. The Tar Heels won the game 31-17, reclaiming the rights to Carowinds and earning bragging rights as “the real Carolina” for the 2023 season.
Without any further ado, here are the grades for South Carolina football’s loss to UNC:
A. South Carolina football fans were great all day. The presence at College GameDay was overwhelmingly better than what UNC’s fanbase provided. The atmosphere in Bank of America Stadium was great, especially early. The only knock on the fans was that they got, understandably, very quiet when things were at their worst in the 3rd quarter.. . South Carolina Gamecocks. FANS
This one is complicated. New playcaller Dowell Loggains had a pretty nice day other than his stubbornness at times with a run game that was going absolutely nowhere. Special teams coordinator Pete Lembo and head coach Shane Beamer dialed up a beautiful onside kick that worked to perfection. But the Gamecocks had several moments in which they looked woefully unprepared and somehow had 13 men on the field for UNC’s first touchdown. The team also looked its worst right after halftime (other than the onside kick).. . South Carolina Gamecocks. COACHING . C
B. The Gamecock special teams unit was good. Mitch Jeter kicked and recovered an onside kick and was perfect on his extra points and field goals. The return game was pretty good when they had opportunities. Surprisingly, Kai Kroeger was not his usual dominant self in the punting game, and the coverage unit lost the ball twice, resulting in touchbacks.. . South Carolina Gamecocks. SPECIAL TEAMS