Gamecocks ran all over UNC in bowl despite game plan that was ’100% stop the run’
When North Carolina coach Mack Brown worked as a broadcast analyst, the television producers always asked him to be more specific about why running the ball wins games.
As South Carolina proved in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Thursday, sometimes there doesn’t need to be any more explanation. The Tar Heels (6-7) watched the Gamecocks (7-6) run up a season-high 301 yards en route to a 38-21 defeat at Bank of America Stadium. It was also the most rushing yards allowed by UNC this season.
“I mean, that’s football,” Brown said. “When I was with ESPN, they said, ‘Don’t just say that, because it seems too simple.’ It’s facts. It’s real. They ran it and we didn’t and therefore they made third downs and stayed on the field and we didn’t.”
South Carolina appeared to be limping into the game scrambling to find a quarterback. Jason Brown, who started their last four games, entered the transfer portal when Spencer Rattler announced he was transferring from Oklahoma.
The Gamecocks appeared to be reverting to Zeb Noland, who was their first emergency quarterback. Noland began August camp as a graduate assistant before being coaxed back into playing when their starter from spring drills, Luke Doty, was injured.
South Carolina coach Shane Beamer instead trotted out receiver Dakereon Joyner. Although he’d been used as a Wildcat quarterback on occasion the previous two seasons, he hadn’t played quarterback for the majority of snaps since high school.
“We knew about (Joyner) beforehand, but when he first came in we thought it was going to be more of a Wildcat-type offense,” linebacker Tomon Fox said. “But then we see he was very efficient at running their actual offense, so we had to slow down a little bit and figure out that, yes, he can actually play quarterback.”
The Heels were not prepared. Joyner hadn’t thrown a pass all season. But he looked pretty good doing it against UNC. On the third play from scrimmage, he connected with tight end Jaheim Bell for a 69-yard touchdown. Joyner went on to complete all nine of his attempts for 160 yards and a score.
UNC’s attempts to make South Carolina one-dimensional failed. The Gamecocks kept Joyner’s passing from being a factor because they were so effective running the ball.
“Our game plan was 100 percent stop the run,” Mack Brown said. “And they rushed for 301 yards so, I mean, it is what it is.”
Brown said that was one of his biggest disappointments from the loss was their inability to defend the run.
It didn’t help that senior linebacker Jeremiah Gemmel wasn’t fully healthy to start the game and had an upper body injury that sidelined him late in the second quarter. Freshman Power Echols replaced Gemmel in the lineup and played the entire second half.
Gemmel was the unofficial heart of the defense. He’s the one who knows where every position should be on a play. As promising as Echols is, he couldn’t duplicate what Gemmel does.
South Carolina running back Kevin Harris, who gained 63 yards on 11 carries in the first half, erupted for 119 yards on 20 carries in the second.
“They’re very physical up front, they had a good O-line,” Fox said. “They got to second-level defenders very well, and I think that’s what the biggest thing was. Them being able to reach our second-level guys and having to make the DBs (defensive backs) make open-field tackles.”
UNC’s defense is left facing major questions in the offseason. It should get a boost from Travis Shaw, a five-star defensive tackle from Greensboro next year.
“I’ve got to sit and look at the game and watch it over and over and try to figure out, is there something in there that we can fix immediately and what’s going to take longer,” Brown said. “I know we’ve got to be more physical on both lines of scrimmage. We talked about that; we had live work (in practice) for the last two weeks. I thought that was better, and it wasn’t.”
This story was originally published December 31, 2021 at 4:45 AM with the headline "Gamecocks ran all over UNC in bowl despite game plan that was ’100% stop the run’."