1) One of these things is true: South Carolina’s defensive end Jadeveon Clowney isn’t as good as people say, UNC’s James Hurst – who blocked Clowney – is better than people say, Clowney is out of shape or Clowney is lazy. I guess more than one of those things could be true because he certainly took some plays off and was gassed trying to keep up with the Tar Heels fast-moving offense. If the pre-game hype hadn’t all been about Clowney, no one would know he played.

2) One of these things is true: Officials don’t know there is a rule that offensive players can’t push their runner forward for extra yardage without getting a 10-yard penalty, or they know and they’ve been informed not to call it. There were two important plays where South Carolina got first downs by virtue of players pushing their runner forward.

3) The four biggest plays of the game were these: The 65-yard TD pass on the third play of the game that put the Gamecocks up 7-0. The first down, which led to a scoring drive, that I alluded to above where the line pushed the runner forward. The punt fumble after UNC had held the Gamecocks on a three-and-out. The Cocks didn’t go on to score but it switched back the momentum and field position. And finally, after the Heels scratched and clawed for a field goal, South Carolina scored almost immediately thereafter on a 75-yard run. The Heels missed a couple of tackles on that play that should have gone for two or three yards.

4) One of these two things is true: South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier has a bit of a screw loose or his hatred of UNC is real as he went for it on fourth down in his own territory in the fourth quarter (and failed) and tried to score on a play action long pass with seconds left with his team at their own one-yard line. Regardless, he’s certainly not a class act. Interestingly, Fedora called a timeout to force Spurrier to run a play, a punt, with three seconds left. The game in two years in Charlotte is going to be interesting, especially if the Heels have a legit QB at that time.

5) Coach Larry Fedora said it best, “We knew this game wasn’t going to make or break our season. There’s a long way to go. We knew we were up against it. I’m just disappointed we didn’t play better.”

UNC beset by familiar problems in a 27-10 loss against South Carolina

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Yes, almost every opposing coach, including UNC coach Larry Fedora, says that South Carolina’s Jadeveon Clowney is the top defensive player he has ever faced. But if the Tar Heels spend too much time worrying about him in the season opener Thursday night, there are two or three other defenders up front who can kill them as well.

Kelcey Quarles, at 6-foot-4, 298 pounds, is firmly entrenched at defensive tackle with 17 career starts. He’s expected to be in the running for postseason honors. South Carolina’s other defensive end is an experienced fifth-year season in 6-5, 265-pound Chaz Sutton, who coaches look to as a leader on defense.

Fedora said you can’t just plan everything around Clowney because other guys will beat you up too.

“They’ve got a dang good defensive line,” Fedora said. “Clowney gets all the talk and all the press, but they’re good up front. They’re very good upfront. They’ve got Sutton, Quarles, you’ve got (junior J.T.) Surratt at the other tackle, and those guys are good football players, really good football players.”

Still Clowney is Clowney. “I’ve never played against a guy who is 272 lbs. and runs a 4.4,” Fedora said. “It’s obvious on film, he plays at a different speed than other guys because he is faster than other guys. He plays hard.”

Fedora said when playing against South Carolina, you have to understand that Clowney is too good of a player to shut down. But you can’t let the other guys beat you either.

Las Vegas knows that as well and has the sixth-ranked Gamecocks as 12-point favorites over the unranked Tar Heels. ESPN carries the game at 6 p.m.

North Carolina is ranked No. 1 in the 2013 Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I preseason poll, released Tuesday by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association. The Tar Heels, NCAA runners-up in 2012, received 33 of 50 first place votes, with the others split between No. 2 Maryland (eight) and No. 3 Princeton (nine), the defending national champion.

All seven Atlantic Coast Conference teams are ranked in the poll. Behind UNC at No. 1 and Maryland at No. 2, new member Syracuse is No. 5, Virginia is No. 7, Duke is No. 10, Wake Forest is No. 18 and Boston College is No. 19.

The Tar Heels open the 2013 season on Friday at Lock Haven University in Lock Haven, Pa. Game time is 2 p.m. at Charlotte E. Smith Field. Check GoHeels.com to follow the game with live stats and video.

In Game 2 of their season-opening road trip, the Tar Heels will take on Villanova Sunday at noon in a neutral-site game played in Newark, Del.

In 2012, UNC finished 23-2 and won its second straight ACC Championship. The Tar Heels return 12 letter winners from that team, along with 10 newcomers and three players who redshirted last season.