It’s finally here. 
The South Carolina Gamecocks open Saturday in Charlotte at Bank of America Stadium for the 2nd time in 3 seasons.
The North Carolina Tar Heels begin a “new” era, bringing Mack Brown back to Chapel Hill as head coach. The former Texas Longhorns head man was Will Muschamp’s boss when he was defensive coordinator and head coach-in-waiting in Austin. 
Here are the 3 keys to a Gamecock victory Saturday: 
1. Disrupt the Pocket: All signs point to Brown putting true freshman Sam Howell at quarterback. 
This isn’t uncommon to start a new face under a new coaching staff. However, the Gamecocks return D.J. Wonnum, Javon Kinlaw, Keir Thomas, Kobe Smith  and Aaron Sterling on the defensive line. All of them are seniors who can make life difficult for a quarterback, especially a true freshman. 
For Game 1, a consistent pass rush will help the youthful secondary acclimate to the college game without getting burned. 
If the Gamecocks defensive line can generate 3-5 sacks, the game will be well in hand by the 4th quarter.
2. Moving On From Deebo: Gamecock gamebreaker Deebo Samuel is now in San Francisco. 
Quarterback Jake Bentley will not be without weapons, as senior Bryan Edwards and junior Shi Smith highlight the wide receiving corps. Bentley will have a plethora of weapons, both in the “big body” (Edwards and OrTre Smith) as well as the “game breaking speed” categories (Smith, Josh Vann and Tavien Feaster). 
Bentley will need to spread the ball around Saturday afternoon, putting the pressure on the Tar Heels' defense to mix up their coverage schemes and nullify their blitz packages with screens to Feaster.
3. Establish Your Identity: In 2017, the Gamecocks were a ball-hawking team that led the SEC in forced turnovers. 
Last season, there wasn’t really an identity for South Carolina. This team has all the makings to be the best under Muschamp as he heads into his 4th season in Columbia. 
Are the Gamecocks a man-to-man or zone defense? Will they rely on the corners on islands while the D-line pins their ears back on a blitz? Offensively, does South Carolina want to go even faster this season? Will it spread teams from the opening kickoff or look to establish the run early on? 
Whatever the Gamecocks want their identity to be, it must do it in the first quarter. 
South Carolina has won its last four season openers and are 18-1 in season openers since 2000. The only loss occurred in 2014, a 52-28 loss to Texas A&M. 
South Carolina has not lost a season opener in Charlotte since beginning their rotation in the Belk Kickoff Classic. The Gamecocks have won 3 straight against the Tar Heels (2007, 2013, and 2015). 
South Carolina is the more talented team on the field Saturday. I believe they have the opportunity to flex their muscle against North Carolina. 
The Gamecocks get the win 35-17 in Charlotte to start the season 1-0.

Justin Hall is co-host of the ‘Fifth Quarter Post-Game Show’ that airs on WVOC 560 AM) following each USC football game.