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South Carolina defense ready for explosive UNC offense
South Carolina's defense will be tasked with slowing down an explosive North Carolina offense on Thursday night in the season opener.
UNC head coach Larry Fedora will bring a somewhat unconventional style of play-calling to the table. His dynamic offensive attack is predicated upon setting the tempo. North Carolina functions primarily as a no-huddle, spread offense with generally one back in the backfield. The signal-caller (in this case Marquise Williams) is also a big threat to run the football with the inverted veer concept.
South Carolina co-defensive coordinator Jon Hoke was asked about his defense after practice Tuesday evening. According to Hoke, "I think that they've done a good job throughout training camp of trying to understand what we are looking for. We'll see how it works."
UNC receiver Ryan Switzer is supremely slippery with the ball in his hands. He's also a dangerous player on special teams. Running back Elijah Hood is a bruiser at 6'0", 220 pounds. The true wildcard in this equation is Williams.
Despite playing quarterback for the Tar Heels in 2014, he led the team with 788 yards rushing and 13 rushing touchdowns. The versatility within UNC's offense makes his running ability much harder to stop.
"It's a challenge because they're fast to the ball," said Hoke when speaking about UNC's offensive tempo. "You got to get lined up. It will be a challenge."
Defending versus the run is surely a main focus. South Carolina finished No. 105 nationally in rushing defense, allowing over 200 yards on the ground per game.
Analyst Rick Neuheisel on CBS media call says DE Marquavius Lewis "looked the part" when he visited #Gamecocks practice earlier in preseason
— David Caraviello (@dcaraviello) August 31, 2015
Fortunately for South Carolina, the run defense should get a boost with the additions of defensive linemen Marquavius Lewis and Dante Sawyer. Lewis was Scout.com's No. 1 JC player in the country. Sawyer was also a Rivals.com 4-star prospect from the junior college ranks. Each sit atop the depth chart at defensive end and defensive tackle, respectively.
The duo of Hoke and fellow co-defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward will have to account for the sheer pace with which Fedora's offense operates. This involves being assignment perfect on the field. North Carolina's offense will exploit any and all mismatches it sees in coverage. As a result, the defense needs to be completely on the same page in order to minimize mistakes.
