South Carolina’s season-opening 35-14 victory on Saturday over Georgia State at Williams-Brice Stadium certainly was predictable, but its route to get there certainly wasn’t.

The Gamecocks relied on their special teams to help their early struggles and then it helped them close it out down the stretch. Two blocked punts returned for touchdowns made the difference, helping them keep and regain the momentum.

Quarterback Spencer Rattler made his much-anticipated debut, and he showed enough flash to provide a sense of promise for the USC faithful for the remainder of the season. Rattler was a bit sluggish in the beginning, but he showed the tenacity needed down the stretch for a solid season.

South Carolina’s defense bent but didn’t break. Georgia State’s touted running game accumulated 200 yards, but the Gamecocks’ pressure made Panthers quarterback Darren Grainger uncomfortable. He finished a dismal 7 for 29 for 111 yards with one interception.

Overall, it was an unveiling worthy of a share of applause, but the Gamecocks will be back at the drawing board to address some issues — such as their offensive line –- before they tangle with Arkansas next week.

Here are some grades and thoughts, starting with the good ones:

Special teams: A+

This was the area that arguably saved the night for USC. For the first time since 2000, the Gamecocks returned a blocked punt for a touchdown and then followed it with another to seal the game.

DQ Smith’s return of Rashad Amos’ blocked punt helped break open a 20-14 game at the 7:20 mark of the third quarter.

At the start of the fourth quarter, Ahmarean Brown returned another blocked punt for a score after Traveon Kenion did the damage.

Mitch Jeter made his debut and boomed field goals of 51 and 53 yards, becoming the first South Carolina kicker to convert 2 field goals of 50-plus yards in a game.

Punter Kai Kroeger also had a big night, averaging 48.5 yards on seven punts, including a 79-yard punt. Josh Vann returned 3 punts for 33 yards, including an 18-yard scamper.

Finally, the Gamecocks had a gamechanger in the first half when long-snapper Hunter Rogers took off on a 5-yard scamper on a field-goal attempt. That led to a first down and a score by running back Marshawn Lloyd a few plays later.

“We spend a lot of time with our special teams,” said head coach Shane Beamer. “They had a big night that really helped us.”

Spencer Rattler: B+

Rattler was 15 of 24 for 147 yards in the opening half, but he was under some consistent pressure from the Georgia State front that resulted in some overthrows. However, he did miss some of his 8 receivers, and the Gamecocks were just 1 for 8 on third-down conversions in the opening half.

Rattler threw an interception at the start of the second half, and he looked like he might unravel. But Rattler regained his composure and pieced together an impressive 9-play, 75-yard march that resulted in a 16-yard swing pass for a score to Lloyd that put the Gamecocks back on top, 20-14.

Rattler did throw a bad interception on the next drive, as he tried to force a ball downfield and didn’t hit a receiver nearby. The junior ended the night 23 for 37 for 227 yards, and he appeared more in sync after halftime, completing 8 of 11 passes for 80 yards.

Running game: B

The running game showed some spark but it didn’t feature a breakout runner.

Lloyd came into the game as the lead back, and he ran hard and well at times. Lloyd finished with 30 yards on 11 carries.

The real surprise was tight end Jaheim Bell, who proved to be an effective weapon out of the backfield. Bell had 39 yards on 7 carries, highlighted by a 13-yard gallop.

Defense: B

The Gamecocks had trouble containing the Panthers’ running game, especially early. They did make a key stop on Georgia State’s opening drive when they stopped a potential touchdown on an attempted fourth-down play from the 5-yard line.

They kept Georgia State’s running game bottled up for most of the night. The key to South Carolina’s success was its constant pressure on Georgia State’s quarterback, registering 6 hurries. However, the Gamecocks were flagged for 2 pass-interference penalties and easily could have been called for a few others.

Marcellas Dial had a late fourth-quarter interception.

Offensive line: C

This was one of the biggest offseason concerns, but the unit was expected to bounce back after an adequate season last year.

Rattler was under pressure for most of the first half, and he was sacked 3 times. He had a 15-yard run in the opening half, but it was called back because of a holding call on Jovaughn Gwyn. The Gamecocks tried to get their running game going in the first half but were held to 38 yards.

The line was more efficient in the second half, as it helped grind some time off the clock with longer drives.