Week 3 proved to be a chaotic weekend for college football teams across the Carolinas. With several teams playing big games, you’d expect to find answers to questions. Instead, I found myself asking more questions about most programs, with the lone exception being Duke.
South Carolina:
I made my way down to Williams-Brice Stadium this weekend to watch the Gamecocks host Mississippi State. Despite jumping ahead to an early 16-0 lead, South Carolina managed to collapse and ultimately lost 41-34 in the SEC opener. This isn’t head coach Shane Beamer’s first mid game collapse. Last year the Gamecocks blew a 30-3 halftime lead at Texas A&M in what was one of the biggest collapses I’ve ever seen. USC has also blown double digits under Beamer against Florida in 2023 and LSU in 2024.
There’s still time for South Carolina to turn things around, but another blown lead heats up Beamer’s seat. The schedule will only get tougher with five AP top 25 teams remaining on the schedule, plus games against Kentucky and Oklahoma who just missed the cut. This season is likely the end of a window with edge rusher Dylan Stewart and potentially with other talented players like QB LaNorris Sellers.
One of the biggest issues for the Gamecocks is that LaNorris Sellers isn’t playing anywhere near his potential. After a genuinely elite 2024 season, Sellers hasn’t captured that same magic since. Now as a third year starter, Sellers somehow looks worse than when he played as a redshirt freshman. That’s an indictment on coaching for failing to put a talented player in a position to succeed.
Another glaring issue is Beamer’s game management. When holding a lead, USC regularly turns into a shell of itself by depending too much on the run. While milking the clock is important, that can still be done while remaining aggressive through the air. With a mobile quarterback in Sellers and playmakers like Nyck Harbor and Donovan Murph available, leaning too much on the run removes advantages and becomes predictable. Furthermore, it becomes more likely that when the offense does pass, it’s in third and long situations, leading to desperate throws and turnovers. I’d also add that Beamer’s early use of timeouts, which became a problem against the Bulldogs, creates an opportunity cost to save clock to score late in the half.
It’s also worth noting that the Gamecock defense grew worse throughout the game against the Bulldogs. Defensive coordinator Clayton White did a good job of making MSU quarterback Kamario Taylor uncomfortable early when he tried to attack the middle of the field. Good teams adjust though, which Mississippi State did by pushing their passing game towards the perimeter. Mississippi State found its first points by attacking the sidelines vertically and began to pick on cornerback Judge Collier, a talented player who lacks top end speed. This is just one of a few examples of the defensive backs being asked to take on matchups they are unequipped to handle. Moving forward, it’ll be critical to make better defensive adjustments.
Overall, South Carolina will need to find ways to hold a lead if the Gamecocks are going to be anything more than a five win team. Beamer’s teams have a tendency to significantly improve from September to November, but that won’t matter if they can’t find SEC wins early. The Gamecocks are too talented this season to afford a third losing season in four years, which is why I believe Beamer is coaching for his job for the first time during his time at USC.
NC State:
NC State legend Phillip Rivers once said “Wolfpack ain’t for soft people” in a speech to the 2016 Wolfpack football team. Those words have never been more true than this week after the Pack invented a new way to lose a football.
Leading by 3 points with just six seconds left at Vanderbilt, NC State had the ball on fourth and seven from its own five yard line. While a rare situation, it’s not challenging to navigate; the universal move here is to drop back and take a safety. If the Pack had done just that, NC State would leave Nashville with a 31-30 victory. Instead, quarterback CJ Bailey opted to roll to his right in the end zone in an effort to kill the clock with defenders in his face. The Commodores successfully punched the ball out from Bailey, who inexplicably was loosely carrying it with one hand. Vanderbilt of course recovered the fumble in the endzone and stunned the Pack 35-31, dropping NC State to 1-2 this season and continuing the Wolfpack’s 24 year drought of non-conference Power Four road wins.
You could blame Bailey for refusing to take the safety. You could also blame head coach Dave Doeren for failing to prepare Bailey for this situation. You could also blame Doeren for letting a fumble prone QB run the final play when backup QB Will Wilson was available and doesn’t have a fumbling problem. To me, this is a collective failure by both Bailey and Doeren. In a scenario where only several key mistakes could allow Vanderbilt to have a chance to steal the win, the Wolfpack made sure to make every mistake possible.
The other problem NC State needs to solve is avoiding being in a position where Vanderbilt can win at the end. The Wolfpack led 14-0 after the first quarter, firmly in control of the game. However, a recurring theme under Doeren is the refusal to deal the knockout blow when holding a lead. NC State’s drives in the second and third quarters finished as follows:
Punt
Field Goal
Punt
End of the First Half
Interception
Touchdown
Punt
So what went wrong for NC State during that stretch? The Wolfpack tried to start draining the clock early and stubbornly stuck with the run. Unfortunately for the Pack, the offensive line failed to get any push, leaving running back Duke Scott helpless. Throw in an ill-timed interception plus Vanderbilt’s offense finally heating up and it became clear the Commodores would have a fighting chance in the fourth quarter.
Things turned truly disastrous in the fourth quarter. Defensive coordinator DJ Eliot, who’s struggled with in-game adjustments throughout his time in Raleigh, once again failed to adjust when Vanderbilt fully committed to letting freshman QB Jared Curtis air it out in the fourth quarter. Reeling off 163 passing yards in the fourth quarter alone, NC State’s defense looked helpless against Curtis, who was making his first ever collegiate start. Even with a late interception by safety Brody Barnhardt, which should have put the game away, NC State’s defensive fourth quarter performance was shameful. Letting the Commodores hang around ultimately is the mistake that allowed the Wolfpack to become just the second team in the last 20 years to lose a college football game despite having the ball and the lead with 10 seconds to play.
Duke:
Buy stock now into Duke football. As crazy as it may sound, the Blue Devils look like the most competent football team in the Carolinas. I can only imagine how good Duke would be if quarterback Darian Mensah didn’t leave Durham at the eleventh hour in the transfer portal. Still, head coach Manny Diaz has built a roster built to win with enough playmakers on both sides of the ball to be dangerous.
As expected, Duke’s offensive attack is built around running back Nate Sheppard. Against Stanford, it took a quarter for Sheppard to get rolling, but by the time the second quarter began Sheppard was steam rolling through the Cardinal’s defense. Sheppard broke through the middle of the defense, cut to the left to avoid multiple defenders for Duke’s first touchdown, then caught another touchdown before halftime and punched another touchdown in early in the third quarter. By the end Sheppard racked up 154 yards with an average of 6.7 yards per carry. While Duke will face tougher defenses later in the season, I thought Sheppard’s elusiveness looked good enough to make him a force against better competition. Additionally, the Blue Devils have found a suitable backfield partner for Sheppard in running back CJ Campbell Jr., who enjoyed his best game of the season. Keeping Sheppard fresh is critical and Campbell is equipped to be the Robin to Sheppard as Batman.
The passing game remains a work in progress for Duke with quarterback Walker Eget. Known as a gun slinger at San Jose State, Eget showed his interception tendency early. Rolling to his right on an early 4th and goal, Eget tried to fit a pass into double coverage, which was picked off. Duke’s receivers will need to get better separation, but Eget also deserves blame for not looking elsewhere. With the gameplan focused on running the ball, Eget’s numbers don’t show it but he did settle in afterwards and continues to build chemistry with tight end Jeremiah Hasley, who led the team with five receptions and 88 yards. Moving forward, I’d like to see receiver Jaivon Solomon get more involved after making his first two catches of the season, including high pointing a deep pass down the sideline.
Defensively, Duke caused chaos up front and clearly made Stanford QB Davis Warren uncomfortable. Both edge rushers Tyshon Reed and Kevin O’Connor got multiple sacks, which is a positive sign for the Blue Devils after last year’s pass rush appeared inconsistent all season. Having a one-two punch off the edge sped Warren up and allowed the secondary to make plays. While Duke didn’t pick any passes off, they blanketed Stanford’s receivers and knocked away several passes.
Moving forward, Duke is a legitimate candidate to have a big season. I can’t envision the Blue Devils upsetting Miami on the road and a trip to Virginia will be challenging, however the rest of Duke’s schedule is incredibly manageable. Teams like Clemson, NC State, and Georgia Tech appear worse than preseason projections, while teams like Boston College and William and Mary pose very little threat. The talent is in place for Duke to win eight plus games this year and once again finish towards the top of the ACC standings.
Clemson and North Carolina:
I’ll keep my thoughts brief here as SportCLT will have a more in depth breakdown on the Clemson-UNC game. However there are a few things to take away from the Tigers 28-20 comeback win over the Tar Heels.
For Clemson, this is another example of the Tigers looking unprepared early. LSU made Clemson pay in Baton Rouge for a lethargic offensive performance, while Georgia Southern lacked the talent to take advantage of Clemson’s offense spinning in circles. Against UNC, it appeared that Clemson finally found a team of a similar caliber.
Head coach Dabo Swinney elected to start freshman QB Tait Reynolds, who appeared functional but didn’t elevate the offense. Early in the second half Reynolds made a key mistake by throwing a pick, which is to be expected for a freshman. However, given the state of the Tigers’ offense, turnovers will be costly since there’s little room for error. On a positive note, the Tigers’ defense improved throughout the afternoon and gave UNC QB Billy Edwards Jr. trouble. The path for Clemson to see success will be winning the turnover battle and successfully play bend-don’t-break defense.
For North Carolina, the second half collapse after leading 14-3 at the halfway mark is a red flag. Tight end Jelani Thurman disappeared and similar to last season Carolina became dependent on star receiver Jordan Shipp bailing out the offense. The run game did support the offense well as both running backs Benjamin Hall and Demon June were efficient between the tackles. The offense isn’t broken, but it will need one or two more playmakers to assist Edwards and keep the chains moving.
The good news for the Tar Heels is they looked prepared early. Carolina punched out a fumble on Clemson’s first drive and of course picked off Reynolds. With the change at defensive coordinator elevating Brian Belichick into the role, the Tar Heels successfully forced Clemson into field goals and stopped them from finishing drives. That bodes well for Carolina, especially in a road performance. Given that UNC was missing star defensive lineman Melkart Abou Jaoude, the Tar Heels’ defense will improve when he returns.
With a bye week before a stretch of five games that features brutal tests against the likes of Notre Dame, Miami, and rival Duke, UNC is hitting the most intense section of its schedule soon. However, there’s enough pieces to pull off an upset, keep the season afloat and be in position to finish the year strong, especially if Thurman can reemerge in the passing game.