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Carrie Stroup here with your South Carolina vs. North Carolina betting odds for one of the first College Football games of 2015.
SOUTH CAROLINA vs. NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS (0-0)
Sportsbook.ag Line: South Carolina -2.5, Total: 64.5
Two schools look to improve upon mediocre seasons when South Carolina and North Carolina clash in Thursday's opener in Charlotte.
After three straight 11-win seasons from 2011 to 2013, the Gamecocks won just seven games in the 2014 campaign, going 7-6 SU and 5-7-1 ATS. While their defense should be able to improve with eight returning starters, the offense brought back only four starters and lost both RB Mike Davis and QB Dylan Thompson, who threw for 3,574 yards and 26 touchdowns. His replacement is sophomore QB Connor Mitch, who attempted only six passes in his freshman season.
North Carolina was a disappointing 6-7 SU (5-8 ATS) last season, but the offense departed with only one starter. Dual-threat QB Marquise Williams is ready to shine after suffering through a hip injury last season. The Tar Heels posted a strong 33.2 PPG last season (36th in FBS), but couldn't stop anybody and surrendered 39.0 PPG (10th-worst in nation) on 498 total YPG (9th-worst in FBS). In non-home games, these numbers ballooned to 43.4 PPG and 525 total YPG allowed.
These teams last met in 2013 when the host Gamecocks rolled to a 27-10 victory thanks to a 228-99 rushing advantage. South Carolina also won the previous meeting in Chapel Hill in 2007 by a 21-15 score.
The only two significant absences in this game are both on UNC, which will be without LB Tyrell Tomlin (eligibility) for the entire season and CB Malik Simmons (suspension) for the first two games. Both these schools have suffered slow starts the past two seasons, as the Tar Heels are just 1-9 ATS in the first half of the past two years while the Gamecocks are 1-7 ATS in their last eight games in August and September.
The Gamecocks threw the ball effectively last year with 282.4 passing yards per game (20th in nation), and expect 6-foot-3, 211-pound QB Connor Mitch (2-for-6, 19 yds) to stand tall in the pocket and show off his strong arm that made him a four-star recruit out of high school. His favorite target will be WR Pharoh Cooper (69 rec, 1,136 yds, 9 TD) who capped off a brilliant sophomore season with 710 receiving yards in the final six games. RBs Brandon Wilds (570 rush yds, 5.4 YPC, 4 TD) and David Williams (256 rush yds, 5.7 YPC, 2 TD) will handle the bulk of the rushing load with star RB Mike Davis now in the NFL.
Defensively, South Carolina needed a major defensive overhaul after allowing a robust 30.4 PPG (89th in nation) and 433 total YPG (92nd in FBS), including 212 rushing YPG (105th in nation). The school hired long-time NFL assistant Jon Hoke and paired him with Lorenzo Ward as co-defensive coordinators. The duo certainly has some talent to work with, most notably 325-pound DT Gerald Dixon and LB Skai Moore (93 tackles) in the front seven. CBs Rico Williams and Chris Lammons will return to starting spots along with S Isaiah Johnson, who was an All-Big 12 honorable mention at Kansas.
Despite having the nation's worst time of possession (25:28), the Tar Heels were still able to crank out 430 total YPG (45th in FBS), including 278 passing YPG (27th in nation). QB Marquise Williams (3,073 pass yds, 7.2 YPA, 21 TD, 9 INT) completed 63% of his passes last season and has his top four receivers back to work with. While WR Ryan Switzer (762 rec yds, 4 TD) is the most frequented target, Williams also loves throwing the ball deep to use the great size of 6-foot-4 WR Mack Hollins (613 rec yds, 17.5 avg, 8 TD), 6-foot-4 WR Quinshad Davis (470 rec yds, 6 TD) and 6-foot-5 WR Bug Howard (455 rec yds, 2 TD). The running game is also in great shape with the legs of Marquise Williams (783 rush yds, 4.1 YPC, 13 TD) and top RB T.J. Logan (582 rush yds, 4.9 YPC, 3 TD).
New defensive coordinator Gene Chizik has a tall task to improve a unit that was deficient in nearly every area. Chizik has implemented a 4-3 defense and will rely heavily on 300-pound DT Nazair Jones (35 tackles, 2.5 sacks) and LB Jeff Schoettmer (74 tackles, 2 INT return TD) to stop the run. The secondary took a while to gel, but did show improvement last year with CBs Des Lawrence (71 tackles) and Brian Walker (3 INT) playing much better in the second half of the season.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
