UNC football prepares for new-look Gamecocks

By C Jackson Cowart

Assistant Sports Editor

Landon Turner still remembers his first encounter with Jadeveon Clowney.

That was during North Carolina’s season opener two years ago, as Turner was tasked with slowing sixth-ranked South Carolina’s freakish defensive end.

But when the UNC guard — a 2015 preseason All-American — attempted a routine block on Clowney, the Gamecocks’ star didn’t budge.

“Usually people just move a little bit,” he said. “I think that’s the first time I’ve pulled and got stalemated.”

Clowney was battling a stomach virus during that 2013 matchup but still finished with three tackles and demanded constant double teams. UNC mustered just 10 points in the loss to the Gamecocks — the second-lowest output of Coach Larry Fedora’s tenure.

Eight months later, Clowney was selected No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft.

“That’s probably the biggest combination of strength and speed that I’ve seen in a guy,” said Turner, a fifth-year senior. “He’s kind of in a class of his own.”

In Thursday’s season opener against the Tar Heels, Clowney won’t be leading the South Carolina defense. Neither will co-defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward — who ceded control of the passing game to Jon Hoke, who spent the previous 13 seasons as an NFL assistant.

As a result, Fedora doesn’t see much correlation between this season’s showdown and the 2013 opener.

“We haven’t talked a lot about it,” he said. “For them defensively, it’s a totally different scheme.”

After such drastic turnover among South Carolina’s players and coaches, Turner gleans little from 2013. And with no accurate film of what their new defense will look like on Thursday, this year’s Gamecocks are equally challenging to prepare for.

“We’re not 100 percent (sure) what they’re going to run,” Turner said. “We’re kind of built to adjust to anything on the fly.”

While the South Carolina defense has changed drastically since 2013, its level of talent has hardly wavered. The team has won 40 games in its previous four seasons, and the Gamecocks have fetched a top-20 recruiting class each of the past five seasons.

For UNC quarterback Marquise Williams, the chance to go against SEC competition serves as a barometer for his 2015 squad.

“Those guys are huge and they’re going to be physical,” he said. “We’ve got to come back and be physical with them.”

Turner sees this season’s UNC offense as being very similar to the 2013 edition, albeit with much better execution. But the guard is anxious to finally get onto the field and correct the result from two seasons ago.

“The time for talk is over,” he said. “We’re just ready to get into it.”

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