Final Position Grades: Defense vs. North Carolina

South Carolina's defense didn't play it's best game, but it's ability to stay afloat in the second half against UNC was notable.

Coming into this game against the North Carolina Tar Heels, the main question that was asked of South Carolina's defense was this: Could they contain Drake Maye? Unfortunately for the Gamecocks on Saturday night, the answer was an emphatic no, and there were multiple areas where the mistakes were too much to overcome. How did each group perform?

Defensive Line: D

There's been a lot of talk about the offensive line and their struggles on Saturday night, but we would be remiss if we didn't bring up the defensive line in that same conversation. In the 71 offensive plays that the Tar Heels ran in the Dukes Mayo Classic Kickoff, the Gamecocks only recorded one tackle for loss and never got to Drake Maye with their pass rush. That's not all on the front four, but this unit has to be the one that sets the tone for the defense, and they did anything but that on Saturday night.

Linebackers: B

Out of all the position groups on the team last night, one showed marked improvement from what we've seen the past couple of years: the linebacker core. Stone Blanton and Debo Williams were flying around on the field, helping prevent North Carolina from stringing together explosive runs. One will likely find a few instances where Blanton or Williams peeked into the wrong gap, which spurred a longer run than what it should've been, but considering the circumstances, including playing the entire game, these guys deserve a tip of the cap for their performance.

Secondary: C

In retrospect, this unit will be one to follow as far as storylines are concerned this season. Some might have suspected that despite losing Cam Smith and Darius Rush to the NFL, there would be a little drop-off, but Saturday showed that this unit will endure some growing pains. A lack of pass-rush juice didn't help, but there were far too many busted coverages on the back end and multiple instances where a Tar Heel mistake bailed out a defensive back caught in a bad position. However, this group does deserve credit for the fight they exuded and the fact that they did pick off two passes in the second half, which gave South Carolina a chance to come back in this game.

All in all, if the defensive line can find success, this defense has a chance to get better as the season progresses.

You Might Also Like:

• The Halftime Report: South Carolina Vs. North Carolina
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