A win is a win. 1-0 is always better than 0-1.

The Gamecocks enjoyed a much-improved effort on defense, especially in the red zone. On offense, they made just enough plays to win the game.

Connor Mitch played well enough to not get yanked by coach Steve Spurrier. Mitch went 9-for-22 for 121 yards and a touchdown to Pharoh Cooper on a little under route. Connor also added 41 yards on the ground which was a pleasant surprise.

This game looked like it was Mitch’s first career start as he did miss a few semi-easy reads as well as some throws. But overall I think it was a solid performance and winning the game is always a huge plus. Brandon Wilds proved to be one of the main playmakers on offense as he ran the ball effectively, 14 carries for 51 yards, and also caught 4 passes for 44 yards.

Shon Carson proved to be the difference maker as he added 75 yards on the ground with just 4 carries. He also added the biggest play for the Gamecocks on offense with a 48-yard touchdown run in which he was untouched for the final score in the contest.

Defensively, it was a bend but don’t break type game for the Gamecocks. The defensive line does look a lot better this year and the linebackers are much better out in coverage. They did get burned on the ground as Tar Heels running back Elijah Wood ran for 143 yards on 14 carries. They will need to tighten up those running lanes if the Gamecocks want to have any success against SEC teams this year as most of the SEC teams have a strong run game.

The difference in this game was turnovers. Marquise Williams threw three interceptions. Skai Moore picked off Williams twice in the red zone, once in the first quarter and then again in the fourth quarter with less than 4 minutes in the game to all but seal the deal. In both of Moore’s picks, he was in the right place at the right time and played his zone coverage perfectly.

That was something that the Gamecocks struggled with big time all of last season as we saw opposing teams with guys running wide open all over the field due to busted coverage.

If Mitch can continue to take care of the ball and make plays with his feet, expect coach Spurrier to stick with him. That of course, depends on if the defense can continue to play well and force turnovers.

All is well when the game is won, but there is plenty of room for improvement, both offensively and defensively. I believe Connor Mitch has gotten the cobwebs out of his system and will continue to improve each week while under center.

The Gamecocks defense will face a Kentucky offense that is very high on themselves right now next week in Williams-Brice Stadium. They will need to get a lot of pressure up front to cause chaos for Patrick Towels as well as squeezing the running lanes.