COLUMBIA, SC– The stinging 27-10 defeat put on the UNC football team by the Gamecocks of South Carolina on Thursday night wasn’t the start to the season that Head Coach Larry Fedora or Tar Heel nation for that matter, had hoped for.

With that being said, Coach Fedora says there were some bright spots on the field in the 2013 opener.

“There were some good things out there. We had some young kids that made some plays. […] They got a game under their belt in a hostile environment. Norkeithus Otis seemed like he was all over the place,” Coach Fedora said.

The game plan against South Carolina’s feared defender Jadeveon Clowney was simple, says Coach Fedora. And the good news was that the Heisman hopeful failed to lay a hand on quarterback Bryn Renner all night.

“We feel like if we moved the chains and execute, we can tire them out. And if you go back and look, there were times he [Clowney] was tired out there,” Coach Fedora said.

In addition, Coach Fedora says he didn’t sense the national spotlight on the road was too big a stage for the Tar Heels. He says he thought his boys were locked in mentally and emotionally from the outset.

“I didn’t sense that from any of the guys. I didn’t see anyone’s head down. We talk a lot about body language,” Coach Fedora said.

The offensive attack was a little more conservative than usual on Thursday night, but Coach Fedora says that was all part of the game plan to get the ball out of Renner’s hands early and keep the South Carolina defense on their toes.

“That was part of the game plan. We wanted to give our offensive line a chance and get the ball out quick. […] We wanted to spread it out and make some plays out in the open field,” Coach Fedora said.

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