Ward says UNC is ‘fastest team I’ve ever seen’
The South Carolina defense started the season about as hot as the 90-plus-degree weather at kickoff, posting a shutout in the first quarter of play.
But as the game wore on, the heat and humidity, combined with the fast-paced North Carolina offense, took its toll.
“I think the entire defense got winded,” defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward said. “We tried to simulate it in practice, but that team is the fastest team I’ve ever seen.”
The lead South Carolina built in the early stages of the game would ultimately hold, however, giving the Gamecocks a 27-10 victory and a 1-0 start to their 2013 campaign.
South Carolina’s early success on the defensive side of the ball owed in part to the flexibility junior defensive end Jadeveon Clowney was allowed to have on the line. Starting the game rushing up the middle and rotating between the right and left end positions, Clowney’s presence alone was able to disrupt quarterback Bryn Renner and the Tar Heel offense early in the contest.
“I love playing inside, outside, everywhere on the field,” Clowney said. “I tell my coaches, ‘Line me up wherever you want to. I’m just going to go out there and play.’”
Despite the defense’s early success, Clowney had an uncharacteristically quiet game. The Gamecock star said he battled a stomach virus Wednesday night that lingered into gameday.
North Carolina looked to be in business after a second-quarter touchdown pass, but the Tar Heels failed to capitalize on following opportunities.
A defensive stand by the Tar Heels forced South Carolina to punt midway through the second quarter, but their returner was unable to field the punt, and junior wideout Damiere Byrd recovered the fumble to maintain possession.
North Carolina burst out of the gates in the second half, going 66 yards on 17 plays in the first drive of the period, but the Tar Heels again failed to find the end zone and settled for a field goal.
With no returning starters at linebacker, the speculation throughout the preseason was that the Gamecocks would have to fill the position by committee. Even without supposed starter Cedrick Cooper, a redshirt sophomore, that approach served the team well Thursday.
“We planned to play a lot of guys,” Ward said. “We knew it was going to be a hot game, and we knew we were going to have to make a lot of people play for us.”
Five of South Carolina’s top six tacklers on the day were either linebacker or spur players, with junior Sharrod Golightly leading the way with six tackles.
Sophomore T.J. Gurley recorded the most tackles on the team in the season opener with nine stops in the game.
Entering the opener, the Gamecocks’ main concern was accounting for North Carolina’s high-octane offense, and after holding the Tar Heels to just 10 points on 79 plays, Ward feels his defense was successful.
“A team that averaged 40 points (per) ball game last year, with a veteran quarterback coming back … the guys had to dig deep,” Ward said. “So we have a lot we can work on, but those are some positives.”