First Impressions: North Carolina Vs. South Carolina

My first impression of the Tarheels first football game of the season is that it could have been worse than it was. It was the same old story that we saw from the defense the last five games of last year. The only thing missing was the offense that could almost score at will. The final score was only 27-10 but the 'Heels defense was gashed for 228 yards rushing (75 of that on one crushing play after the 'Heels had pulled to within 20-10) to the tune of 6 yards a carry. The offensive line did not fare much better as the 'Heels only had 99 yards rushing and 194 yards passing but only 4.5 yards per attempt. South Carolina had 12 tackles for loss compared to 3 for North Carolina. The 'Heels offense longest play was only 24 yards, a pass completion to Wide Receiver Quinshad Davis at the beginning of the second half. Other than that, the offense did not try to throw the ball down the field. Wide Receivers T.J. Thorpe and Sean Tapley only had 5 receptions for 10 yards. South Carolina is the #6 ranked team in the college football and I was hoping that North Carolina would show the improvement necessary to make themselves a factor on the national scene and in the ACC but they have some work to do. My defensive MVP of the game is Bandit Norkeithus Otis. He had 5 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and the only sack North Carolina registered. He seemed to be around the football the entire game. My offensive MVP would be Tackle James Hurst. He handle all everything South Carolina Defensive End Jadevon Clowney and held down his end of the line with a physical presence that the rest of the Offensive Line needs to learn from.