USC needs to put the hammer down
Nothing shocking here so far -- the better team has played better and is winning 21-3 at halftime.The Gamecock defense has pressured UNC freshman quarterback T.J. Yates into a couple of bad decisions that resulted in interceptions and have sacked him a couple of times and pressured him otherwise, as well.
An 18-point lead might be enough against the Tar Heels, but the Gamecocks would do themselves a favor by not letting up in the second half. Of course, going conservative that early in the game isn't in Steve Spurrier's nature, so don't expect USC to try to sit on this lead even a little bit.
Again, USC's special teams made a big play when Captain Munnerlyn returned a punt 38 yards with less than two minutes remaining in the half to set up the Gamecocks for their third touchdown, which might have put a dagger into the Heels.
The big thing for the Gamecocks is that they haven't made many mistakes. The Heels forced one fumble -- Mike Davis' first of the season -- deep in USC territory in the second quarter, but the Gamecock defense got the ball right back a couple of plays later when Darian Stewart picked off Yates.
UNC also had a wide-open deep pass that would have been a touchdown go off the hands of Brandon Tate. The Heels haven't gotten many opportunities, and missing out on that one was big.
If the Gamecocks keep the intensity up here in the second half, this game will likely be over soon.
Posted by on 10/13 at 04:06 PM
