No. 7 Gamecocks to battle Tar Heels

By Brad Crawford
Sports Editor

Carolina bragging rights will be on the line Oct. 13 as Steve Spurrier brings his No. 7 ranked South Carolina Gamecocks into an interconference battle against Atlantic Coast Conference foe North Carolina.
Tar Heel fans know the Ole’ Ball Coach all too well as Spurrier led the Duke Blue Devils from 1987-1989 accumulating a 20-13-1 record over that span.
South Carolina (5-1, 3-1 SEC) heads into the contest with UNC holding its highest AP Poll ranking since 2001, after being ranked No. 9 following an upset of the Georgia Bulldogs.
The Gamecocks prevailed last week 38-23 in a win over No. 8 Kentucky, limiting Heisman trophy candidate Andre’ Woodson to two touchdown passes and forcing an interception.
Redshirt freshman Chris Smelley stepped into the starting quarterback role for South Carolina, after senior Blake Mitchell’s poor, three interception performance Sept. 15 against South Carolina State.
The right-armed gunslinger has fared well in two collegiate starts with five touchdowns and one interception.
North Carolina (2-4, 1-2 ACC) upset Miami on Oct. 13 but had lost four out of five coming in.
Quarterback T.J. Yates has shown flashes of greatness with a pair of 330 plus yard performances versus East Carolina and Virginia.
The Tar Heel defense stiffened Oct. 6 against the Hurricanes in their 33-27 victory forcing four interceptions from quarterback from Kyle Wright.