The Verdict: Make North Carolina Throw the Ball
South Carolina football superfan Chris Paschal writes a weekly column during the season for GamecockCentral called “The Verdict.” Chris is a lawyer at Goings Law Firm in Columbia.
The Verdict: Make North Carolina Throw the Ball
I should have whipped up a Twitter poll or a poll on The Insider’s Forum and asked this simple question: what kind of game will we see in Charlotte? My assumption is that if I asked ten South Carolina fans, you would have a couple that would believe the Gamecocks would romp North Carolina, just like they would believe the Gamecocks would romp the Kansas City Chiefs. A larger handful would think it was a close, high scoring game with North Carolina winning, and an even larger handful would think it was a close, high scoring game with Carolina winning.
Almost nobody, if anybody at all, would vote for the option that says, “low scoring, close game.” And I get why. Reports from camp indicate Carolina is breaking out a new, faster-pace offense that allows Rattler to get the ball out to the plethora of playmakers on this Gamecock roster. On the other sideline, Drake Maye is considered one of the pre-season favorites to make it to New York and compete for the Heisman Trophy. The Tarheels are ranked in the AP Top 25, favored in 10 of their 12 matchups according to ESPN’s FPI metric, and have an offense slammed full of former blue-chip recruits.
Last season, North Carolina finished 7th among Power Five programs in passing offense. Why in the world would North Carolina not toss the pigskin all over the field? Well, because the Tar Heels have a new offensive coordinator by the name of Chip Lindsay, and Chip Lindsey likes to run the football.
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Lindsey is a Gus Malzhan disciple. There is a lot of motion pre-snap. There is a lot of zone run. And there are a lot of screens, sweeps, and quick passes that are all designed to minimize risk and get the ball in the hands of playmakers. After a steady diet of run and screens, much like Malzhan, Lindsey will attack a defense vertically with play action and intermediate crossing patterns. To this point in his career, that has been his identity. You will never mistake Chip Lindsey for an Air Raid coordinator or a pro-style coordinator. He is going to run the football, put stress on the defense using the entire width of the field, and then take shots down the field.
Now, all of this could be different come kickoff as Chip Lindsey himself has acknowledged that his offense would not be a dramatic, wholesale change from previous offensive coordinator Phil Longo’s. To add an interesting wrinkle, North Carolina tight end coach Freddie Kitchens comes from a more NFL background. As Carolina fans remember, Freddie Kitchens is just months removed from helping the Gamecocks flip the script on offense by season’s end in 2022.
That being said, I would not be surprised if the Tar Heels utilize their stable of impressive running backs and run the football more than expected by most fans. Which leads me to the crux of this column: South Carolina needs to make North Carolina throw the ball.
This game could go a bunch of different ways. I agree with most fans and pundits that this game could turn into a track meet with both quarterbacks putting up gaudy numbers. But there is a chance that Carolina has to win this game ugly. Let’s take a moment to dissect what that would look like.
As previously mentioned, North Carolina could run the football more than expected and try and control the line of scrimmage, and win the time of possession battle – a more valuable statistic with the recent rule change of not stopping the clock on a made first down. A North Carolina offense that attacks this Carolina defense on the ground scares me more than a North Carolina offense that attacks this Carolina defense through the air. For years, the Gamecocks have been pitiful in their run defense efforts. Another putrid performance against a North Carolina team running a Gus Malzhan-like offense could spell disaster for the Gamecocks.
If North Carolina plays this brand of football, the Carolina front seven must show up. Nothing would help set the tone better than for this front seven to feast upon an undersized North Carolina offensive line and to make plays near or behind the line of scrimmage. It is crucial, from my vantage point, to make North Carolina one-dimensional. If North Carolina chooses to be one-dimensional and chooses to just throw the football 75% of the time, then so be it. It may be foolhardy, but I would put our defensive backs up against every other secondary Drake Maye has faced.
But if North Carolina decides to run the ball, like I think they will, we must stymie the run, or North Carolina will pass for over 300 yards. Nothing will give Drake Maye more confidence and security than a solid rushing attack. Having to commit more and more men to the box would allow Maye to take shots down field. Having safeties peeking in the backfield would allow Maye to make easy completions. This guy is already good enough without a strong rushing attack, as seen by just last season. Coupling Maye with a ground game that kept Carolina’s defense guessing would end with a historic night for the Tar Heels in Charlotte.
If this turns into a shootout, I am glad we have Rattler, Joyner, Juju, Juice, Brown, Leggette, Simon, and Knox all on our sideline. The Gamecocks could certainly win if this turns into a shootout. But Carolina knows how to win ugly. If this turns into a lower-scoring affair with possessions limited and more punts than expected, I trust Carolina to find a way to win this game. Maybe it’s a blocked punt, maybe it’s a pick six, maybe it’s a kickoff return for a touchdown, but the Gamecocks know how to grit out a win.
And heck, maybe those fans that predict Carolina to crush North Carolina turn out to be correct. Nothing would make me happier. But in the off chance that scenario is off the table, we must make North Carolina have to throw the football. As counterintuitive as it sounds, it’s the best recipe for the Gamecocks to win.
