UNC vs USC: Here’s the USC perspective for the game

North Carolina and South Carolina will play in Charlotte. It is in North Carolina, hardly a home game for the Tar Heels. I believe Columbia, South Carolina is closer to Bank of America Stadium than is Chapel Hill, but I guess it is in the state of North Carolina.

I don't really think it matters. We could also joke around and call it a battle for Carolina, but we won't do that. Colin Taylor, who covers the Gamecocks on three, Gamecock Central as well, joins us on the Adam Gold show.

Let's start here. South Carolina finished the season in a big way, so make the case that that momentum carries over to the start of this season. Yeah, there's a good case for it because you bring back a guy like Spencer Adler, because you bring back Juice Wells, because you have added some pieces like Nick Harbor, Xavier LeGette comes back into a starting role. There are a lot of things to like from a skill position standpoint. When you talk about Trey Knox, when you talk about Josh Simons and pieces they added, they understand now better than ever what they've what they're good at offensively. They've done a good job streamlining what they are offensively under new offensive coordinator Dowell Loggins. Now you just got to see it all in person, but you have anytime you have a quarterback, you have a chance and South Carolina has number seven back there. When you have him playing the way he did at the end of the year and he's apparently taking a step forward, they're going to have a chance Saturday night. How much of North Carolina is a very small favorite?

I don't know that you can play the nobody gave his chance card here. The Tar Heels are a very small favorite. They are the ranked team. How much of the, is there a disrespect card for South Carolina to play? Yes, and Shane Beamer even kind of talked about it Tuesday during his press conference where he said, listen we understand Drake May is going to get a lot of headlines and rightfully so, because he's this Heisman hopeful, he's this guy coming off an ACC player of the year, but we're really confident in our guy too.

We feel really good about Spencer Rattler and it's kind of disheartening to not see him on some of these lists the way Jake May is and talked about in the same level that Drake May is, just that echelon of quarterback. So they've talked about that, but in reality I think they feel more pressure internally than they do externally or taking any motivation because yes, what they did in the year last year was great, but now you have expectations. Now you have to go out there and do it again in this marquee game to start a season and I think they feel a ton of that they do take some outside motivation, but there's a ton of pressure good and bad internally to do well Saturday night and get this thing off on the right foot.

Colin Taylor on three and Gamecock Central joining us here on the Adam Gold show. South Carolina equipped to win a shootout or would they rather keep this game a little lower scoring? They're equipped to do it, but I think they if it's low scoring I think South Carolina wins. I think they'd rather do that just because North Carolina defensively was just not very good last year. I mean just not very good. It's very kind, very kind the way you put that.

I've learned through this how to couch things to make it sound a little bit better than what it really is. They were one of the worst power five defenses last year, so if you're South Carolina they feel like they can take advantage of that more than likely and defensively this is a group that's struggled to stop the run and so I think they're the capability is there to have it be a shootout. I mean I could see it easily being you know the over-under on it I think is 63.

I could very easily see that hitting well over, but it's one of those things where I think Drake May is going to have a good game. I think Spencer Rattler is going to have a really good game and one of those ones where it's the old Big 12 or the last team with the ball probably wins that one. Colin Taylor from on three and Gamecock Central is joining us here. How do you how do you quantify what beating Clemson does for South Carolina at the end of last season? Whether it's confidence, whether it's the impact in recruiting, the program arriving, how do you put that into perspective? Well I know from a fan-based perspective birthday parties, weddings, Thanksgiving, Christmas all of that gets a lot better for you when you beat Clemson for the first time in forever. You're seeing it a little bit.

There was always you needed a proof of concept. South Carolina under Shane Beamer had done a good job. Hey Carolina Panthers fans Chris Lee and Dennis Cox here. We're excited to offer you all the inside information on your team with the newest member of the Capital Broadcasting Podcast Network Panthers Playbook. Twice a week we'll keep you updated on your Carolina Panthers. We're talking about locker room insight, exclusive interviews, and of course in-depth looks at all of the Panthers wins. Touchdown Carolina! Panthers Playbook.

Download and subscribe today at WRALSportsFan.com or wherever you discover your favorite podcasts. Of beating the teams they were maybe supposed to beat but when you went up against a team that had a huge discrepancy in terms of talent you would lose and lose fairly lopsided and so you'd go out there against Tennessee and beat them as a top 10 team. Clemson absolutely where it's you know you're at their place they've won 40 something odd home games in a row.

You go up there and beat them. It shows you proof of concept that you can go up against these teams that especially last season were Titans in their conference some of the best teams in you know the southeast and you can go toe to toe and beat them. I think you showed that and yeah in recruiting recruiting wise yeah you're Clemson's always for the last five or six years whenever there was a player in the state of South Carolina Clemson and Clemson wanted them they typically got them and you're kind of seeing that change a little bit. There's a couple of deep offensive tackles that Clemson recruited. South Carolina landed in 24. Marquis Anderson a guy Clemson recruited out of the upstate of South Carolina South Carolina land so you're seeing that change a little bit in recruiting and if you're Shane Beamer you hope that continues and you're able to really kind of establish yourself maybe not winning five straight like they did from that one period but making this a more competitive matchup than it's been over the last six seven years.

Colin Taylor from on three and Gamecock Central is joining us here in the Adam Gold show. Two more things quickly before we have to get out of here. The first is there's has to be a level of desperation for South Carolina in this game knowing that in two of their next four after this they are going to Athens and they are going and they are going to Knoxville to take on Tennessee. There are other hard games left on their schedule but man it seems awfully front-loaded.

Yeah and it's it's insane how I mean typically you get Tennessee later in the year and now it's yeah and not to mention you go to Athens you go to Knoxville but in between that is a home game against Mississippi State and who the heck knows what Mississippi State's going to be so you can paint a picture of four and one for South Carolina coming out of the body you can paint a picture for two and three three and two one and four. So this game is massive it starts in Saturday in in Charlotte and if they can get off on the right foot it just the confidence level is okay this offense works defensively we have some pieces there there's just a confidence level you get to compared to if you go up there and lose in a heartbreaker and it could potentially spiral on you. What kind of fan presence for South Carolina do you anticipate? I have to imagine it'll be pretty big. Yeah it'll be I think it'll be majority South Carolina fans I've covered this team for close to a decade now this is probably the most excited I've seen a fan base for a true season opener like the first game of a season in a very long time and I think you'll see maybe not maybe not a sellout but pretty doggone close and and my guess is anywhere between 60 to 70 percent of those is probably going to be South Carolina fans just because of how close it is it's a day trip from Columbia 90 minutes up the road and you get to go watch a team that you've been so eager to watch for the last what feels like forever if you're a Carolina fan. Colin Taylor Gamecock Central on three I appreciate your time sir we'll do it again I mean good luck I hope nobody gets hurt I hope you don't get hurt uh press box to be a dangerous place I appreciate your time man. Awesome appreciate it as always. Take care all right real quick about North Carolina you know it would really help North Carolina Saturday night fan presence of course and I think there'll be I don't know if it'll be 60 to 70 percent Gamecock fans maybe it will a great wide receiver would help North Carolina.