SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS FOOTBALL
The Gamecocks are starting 0-1 for the first time since 2014 after a four-point loss against North Carolina where they saw an 11-point second half lead slip through their grasp.
There were a few standout performances—primarily defensively—but not many with the Gamecocks struggling in the second half.
Here GamecockCentral hands out grades for each position group.
Quarterbacks: F
This might arguably be Bentley's worst game of his 33-game career, finishing 16-for-30 with just 142 yards, one touchdown and two picks. The Gamecocks' senior quarterback had four opportunities in the fourth quarter to lead his team on a game-winning drive and didn't.
He'd finish the fourth quarter going 2-for-9 for 15 yards and two interceptions and it looked a lot of the problems that plagued him as a junior reared their heads again as a senior.
Also see: Instant analysis from Saturday's loss
Running backs: C-
This is a group who showed flashes of being pretty good, rattling off runs of 21 (Rico Dowdle) and 34 (Tavien Feasters' touchdown run). Taking away the team's three sacks for minus-24 yards, the Gamecocks rushed for 152 yards and averaged 5.2 yards a pop, which is respectable for a team's first game.
They did struggle at times but Tavien Feaster finished leading the team in rushing with 72 yards, a touchdown and averaging 5.5 yards per carry.
Receivers: D-
Admittedly, this would be lower if it weren't for guys like Shi Smith and Kyle Markway. Smith finished leading the team with 55 yards (although almost half of those came on one catch) while Markway finished with 37 yards and a touchdown.
Bryan Edwards was a non-factor offensively, catching the first pass of the game for seven yards and didn't have a reception after that. Smith was the only receiver to have more than two receptions and no receiver outside of him and Markway had more than 16 receiving yards.
Also see: Full recap from Will Muschamp's postgame press conference
Offensive line: F
All offseason the Gamecocks talked about how good they were up front and how well they performed, which made Saturday's performance even more eye-opening. The line struggled to protect Bentley—three sacks for 191 yards and four quarterback hurries—and he seemed to be under duress all game with little time to throw.
They'd get some holes in the run game but the team's backs but struggled down the stretch.
Defensive line: C
To start with the bad, North Carolina was able to run the ball really well, especially in the second half where they rushed for over 130 yards. But, there were a few standout performances and they were able to get to Sam Howell at times Saturday.
They'd sack him three times for 24 yard and had six tackles for loss. Javon Kinlaw recovered a fumble and looked like an All-SEC type defensive lineman and DJ Wonnum had seven tackles, three for loss.
But, like the entirety of the defense, the linemen struggled to tackle and it ultimately cost the team.
Linebackers: C+
Ernest Jones had an absolute day in his first start at middle linebacker—12 tackles and two pass breakups—which boosts the grade for the unit, but they'd still be plagued by some of the issues they had last season.
TJ Brunson added nine more tackles but the linebacker corps still struggled to tackle and get in position. Brunson was in position on North Carolina's two-point conversion but was caught backpedaling and let Howell walk into the end zone.
Secondary: D
After the hype built around this young group of defensive backs, they couldn't stop Howell from throwing it all over the field in the second half. The true freshman threw for 151 yards and two touchdowns and the defensive backs missed quite a few tackles in the open field.
Jaycee Horn did force two fumbles, which did boost the team's grade up to a D.
Special teams: B
This was actually a bright spot in the game Saturday with special teams looking really good. Parker White hit two of his three field goals—he missed a 53-yarder—and five of Will Tommie's kickoffs went for touchbacks.
Joseph Charlton averaged 43.2 yards on five punts and Bryan Edwards ripped off a 38-yard punt return that looked like it'd set the Gamecocks up for a game-winning score. Shi Smith, returning kick offs, also had a big return, doing a few shake-and-bake moves for a 60-yard return once.
Coaching: F
Full disclosure: I debated adding this piece into the grading scale, but it seems to be a huge topic of discussion after Saturday, so here it is. Muschamp had a few questionable decisions late—including punting once from the North Carolina 38 yard line and another time at fourth and inches from midfield, both setting up Tar Heel touchdowns.
The offensive game plan also seemed hamstrung and could never really get off the ground; the Gamecocks really didn't take many shots down the field and seemed content with running the ball—which worked at times—and hitting shorter passes in the flat.
