Wolfpack sacked: Gamecocks stop two late drives

South Carolina stopped N.C. State twice deep in its own territory in the fourth quarter last night to escape from Carter-Finley Stadium with a tough 7-3 win in their season opener.

Quarterback Russell Wilson drove N.C. State to the South Carolina 33-yard line with less than four minutes left, but the drive died there on downs. N.C. State faced fourth down and needed 11 yards to keep possession, and Wilson tried to bail out his team with his right arm.

Coach Tom O'Brien of N.C. State said that the pass play was designed to go deep. Wilson, operating out of the Shotgun, caught the snap and rolled to his right, and rifled a pass toward Jarvis Williams, who was in the end zone.

Freshman cornerback Stephon Gilmore picked up Williams. They got to the ball simultaneously, and both put their hands on the ball. Gilmore tugged and pulled the ball free, and it fell to the turf for an incompletion to end the threat.

"I had to get by the rush and everything, but I saw Jarvis down the field," Wilson said. "He's a great wide receiver. I gave him a chance. He didn't come down with it, but nine times out of 10 he probably will."

The play was sweet revenge for Gilmore. He helped the Wolfpack move from the 50-yard line on the drive after it took possession off a punt. He was called for pass interference against Williams on the second play, and the penalty gave the Wolfpack a first down at the Gamecocks' 32.

South Carolina took possession with 3:03 left and ran out the clock to hand O'Brien his third opening-game loss in three seasons. The last two of those losses have been to South Carolina.

N.C. State reached the South Carolina 36 on its previous drive, after beginning at its 11. The drive was N.C. State's smoothest of a difficult night, but it ended when O'Brien decided to punt on fourth down with eight yards needed to keep possession.

N.C. State crossed midfield only four times, just once in the first half when trailing 7-0 at halftime. South Carolina allowed N.C. State to generate 133 yards offense, an average of 2.4 yards a play, which Coach Steve Spurrier said was practically impossible against a quarterback with the ability of Wilson.

"I told our defensive coaches we might have the top team in the nation in defense the way we played tonight," Spurrier said. "Our offensive team was OK, but our defense had a super night."

Wilson was under pressure for almost all of the game and never seemed to find a comfortable rhythm until late. He was sacked six times for losses totaling 33 yards. He was forced out of the passing pocket at least that many times.

Wilson was limited to 74 yards passing on 12 completions. The sacks left him with minus-17 yards rushing. O'Brien thought three factors limited Wilson's effectiveness: South Carolina's defense, the inconsistent play of the offensive line, and poor field position, especially in the first half.

"Unfortunately I think he got a little too much pressure to actually figure out what he was doing," O'Brien said. "He was under duress most of the night."

N.C. State's problems began on its first offensive play when running back Toney Baker, playing for the first time in almost two years, lost the ball on a rush. South Carolina recovered at the N.C. State 15 and scored in four plays.

South Carolina had a touchdown pass called back because of pass interference and missed two field goals. The first attempt ended when the holder could not put down the ball, and the second attempt sailed wide of the uprights.

The gaffes helped N.C. State stay close, but its offensive shortcomings proved too substantial to overcome.

"I think the whole football team has to get better, not just the receivers," O'Brien said.

"You look at every aspect of this team and we've got a lot of growth and a lot of things we can do. Sometimes you get in an opening game and it hits you in the mouth a little faster than you think it will."

■ Bill Cole can be reached at bcole@wsjournal.com.

South Carolina 7 0 0 0 -- 7


N.C. State 0 0 3 0 -- 3

First Quarter

SC--Maddox 1 run (Lanning kick), 9:10.

Third Quarter

NCSU--FG Czajkowski 43, :56.

A--57,583.

TEAM STATISTICS

SC NCSU

First downs 16 11

Rushes-yards 42-108 31-59

Passing 148 74

Comp-Att-Int 13-22-1 13-25-0

Return Yards 19 42

Punts-Avg. 6-41.7 7-33.7

Fumbles-Lost 2-0 2-1

Penalties-Yards 3-45 4-23

Time of Possession 32:25 27:35

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING--South Carolina, Maddox 23-66, DiMarco 5-19, Garcia 8-16, Giles 5-13, Flint 1-(minus 6). N.C. State, Eugene 9-36, Baker 8-24, Washington 3-16, R.Wilson 11-(minus 17).

PASSING--South Carolina, Garcia 13-22-1-148. N.C. State, R.Wilson 12-23-0-74, Glennon 1-2-0-0.

RECEIVING--South Carolina, Saunders 4-50, Gurley 4-34, M.Brown 3-54, DiMarco 1-5, A.Jeffery 1-5. N.C. State, Bryan 4-22, Howard 2-13, Ja.Williams 2-10, Baker 2-8, Spencer 1-15, Davis 1-6, T.Gentry 1-0.