UNC Football vs South Carolina: Preview, game info, prediction & more

The UNC football program will take on rival South Carolina in season-opener on Saturday afternoon

Mack Brown returns to the sidelines on Saturday afternoon when North Carolina faces off in its season-opener against longtime rival South Carolina. The Tar Heels will be looking to get off to a quick start against the Gamecocks, hoping to come out with a win before upcoming games against Miami, Wake Forest and Clemson.

Brown brought with him former Ole Miss offensive coordinator Phil Longo, and veteran defensive coordinator and 2018 Broyles Award finalist Jay Bateman. Other recent additions to the UNC coaching staff include assistant head coach Tim Brewster, co-defensive coordinator Tommy Thigpen, defensive line coach Tim Cross, offensive line coach Stacy Searels, running backs coach Robert Gillespie and wide receivers coach Lonnie Galloway.

With the widespread coaching changes comes sweeping changes in schemes on both sides of the ball. Longo has introduced his Air Raid Offense to the Tar Heels, while Bateman has employed a sort of “positionless” defensive strategy. The Tar Heels will be looking to get into the end zone more often this season, while keeping opposing offenses under 35 points — something they struggled mightily with a year ago.

Key to the game for UNC

How well can the North Carolina defense play in game one against a South Carolina program that its struggled with in recent history? If the Tar Heels can adapt to Bateman’s new defensive scheme, and capitalize on returning stars Aaron Crawford, Jason Strowbridge, Patrice Rene, Myles Dorn, and Myles Wolfolk then they might come out of Saturday’s game with a victory.

Chazz Surratt is playing his first game at a position other than quarterback, looking to prove doubters wrong with his ability to play the linebacker position. There’s also some good depth in the Tar Heels’ linebacker corps with veterans Dominique Ross and Jonathan Smith. If they can make their assignments, help stop big plays and keep the defense fresh, North Carolina stands a chance to win in Charlotte.

Something to watch

It’s going to be interesting to see how much the Tar Heels lean on the run game in true freshman quarterback Sam Howell’s first collegiate game. The UNC coaching staff has indicated that both Howell and red shirt freshman signal caller Jace Ruder will get time under center, depending on the circumstances of the game.

North Carolina has a terrific trio of running backs in Michael Carter, Antonio Williams and Javonte Williams. If those three players can pick up chunks of yards and move the chains early, it might make things easier on Howell in the passing game. If the Gamecocks are forced to key on the UNC ground attack early, it could open things up nicely for Howell and the Tar Heels’ Air Raid offense.

What you need to know

WHAT? South Carolina Gamecocks 0-0 vs North Carolina Tar Heels 0-0
WHEN? Saturday, August 31 @ 2:30 CST
WHERE? Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
TV? ESPN
RADIO? Tar Heels Sports Network
WEATHER? Sunny, 86 degrees
LINE? South Carolina -10.5
ALL-TIME SERIES? UNC leads 34-19-4
PREDICTION? UNC 27, South Carolina 24