re: GAME 1 VS UNC - Score Prediction and Game Check-in

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Do we ever play that well in an opener regardless of opponent or venue?

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Last year?

I thought we played a damn good game in 2017 vs NC State. That team was really good, and ended up ranked. Last year we looked good too but it was against a bad opponent

Seeing how Wilson has been in the nfl is even more impressive what our defense did against him.

09 in Raleigh

Mack Brown must have early onset (well, not so early if we're being honest) dementia. He stated today he wanted UNC fans to arrive at Kenan Stadium at least 30 minutes ahead of game time to pack the stands.

Ummm....that's all well and good, but the game isn't being played at Kenan Stadium. Dude doesn't even know where the hell they're playing this Saturday.

Don’t worry.
All the fans will be showing up to the Dean Dome

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Speaking of openers .... I wanna say at NC Stare was an opener one year, I was there, can’t remember the year but it had to be at least ten years ago. Russell Wilson’s junior season I think. We butt raped’em defensively. Sucked on both sides offensively. Low scoring game. Can’t remember who we had at defensive end that year but I remember whoever it was running down Wilson from behind and the two NC State fans siting in front of me were amazed our big DE could run down Wilson from behind. I think we held them to a FG.

NC State had a good team but they lost four players for the season in our game and then a few more over the course of the next few games and then they fell apart. Had to be 2009 I guess.

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We played NC State to open both the 2008 and 2009 seasons - both were Thursday night games. We butt-raped Wilson in both games - in 2008 he was carted off the field after sustaining a skull-wracking tackle behind the line where he took a knee to the head from DE Cliff Matthews Youtube Video. We routed them that game 34-0, in the Tommy Beecher start fiasco that Chris Smelley came in and finished.

In 2009, it was Garcia starting in Raleigh for a 7-3 win. Heading into the game, both DE Clifton Geathers and DT Ladi Ajiboye were suspended for off-the-field legal issues. At DE, red-shirt freshman Devin Taylor got his first start as a Gamecock in Geathers' place.

Taylor made his first time in the CFB spotlight note-worthy: after the game-opening possession by the Gamecocks stalled out into a punt, on NC State's first offensive play of their own, Taylor hits the Wolfpack RB 1 yd in the backfield and forced a fumble, recovered by Darian Stewart. The Gamecocks take over again on NC St.'s 14-yd line, and score the only touchdown of the night.

Taylor wasn't done: on NC State's next offensive possession, their drive stalls out around midfield, and they punt. But the punt is blocked by Taylor, and Antonio Allen recovers the ball on the Wolfpack 38-yd line.

All told, Devin had 6 tackles on the game, 3.0 for loss, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 blocked kick. Not bad for the kid's first ever start. Eric Norwood and Matthews would each have 2.0 TFL, both being QB sacks.

Devin was named the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week for his efforts. The Gamecock defense held NC State to 133 total offensive yds, and just 59 yds on the ground:

LINK

41-13. Time to exorcise some demons and make a statement to start the season. The team needs to have as much swagger as possible going into week 3.

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He’s already in Charlotte, traveled with the team

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Champ clearly stated in his presser this week if he wasn't cleared to play, he could not travel with the team. I think we have our answer.