North Carolina kicked off the 2023 football season with a 31-17 victory over South Carolina at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on Saturday night, as the defense turned in a terrific performance.

UNC got 16 TFLs, of which nine were sacks, as it kept the Gamecocks from scoring a touchdown over the final eight possessions. Kaimon Rucker had 5.5 TFLs on the night, as well.

As we do following every UNC game, here is a breakdown of the Tar Heels’ defensive performance Saturday night:

*Only 20 Tar Heels got into the game on defense, with four of them playing four snaps or fewer.

*Marcus Allen, Cedric Gray, Alijah Huzzie, Don Chapman, and Gio Biggers played all 73 defensive snaps.

*UNC’s grades (Only those who played 10 or more snaps and are above 60.0 noted): Kaimon Rucker 79.1; Amari Gainer 75.7; D.J Jones 70.7; Des Evans 70.4; Power Echols 69.5; Marcus Allen 69.3; Kevin Hester 69.3; Gio Biggers 68.4; Jahvaree Ritzie 63.9; Cedric Gray 63.9; Tomari Fox 62.6; Alijah Huzzie 62.4; Don Chapman 60.8.