South Carolina scored points once in four trips inside the 20 against North Carolina State Thursday night. The Gamecocks had a 38-yard touchdown wiped away on a penalty. Kicker Spencer Lanning shanked a 27-yard field goal wide left and muffed another after a bad snap.

Still, N.C. State managed just three points despite keeping the Gamecocks in check for most of the night. The 7-3 defeat was the second consecutive non-existent offensive showing in the season opener for the Wolfpack after last year’s 34-0 blowout loss in Columbia.

Russell Wilson engineered an offense that averaged just 2.3 yards per play and never made it inside South Carolina ’s 25-yard line. Wilson said his team let an early fumble and a few costly penalties get into their heads.

"It's the first game, you kind of expect some things to get you off schedule a little bit," Wilson said. "At the same time, we have to get rid of those things. We have to move on and get better."

Despite the putrid numbers on offense, N.C. State almost took a 10-7 lead with just under four minutes to play in the fourth quarter. On third-and-long from the Gamecocks’ 32, Wilson stepped up in the pocket and despite double coverage, lofted the ball toward Jay Smith in the center of the end zone. Wilson’s pass got past the hands of both defenders and fell to the turf after it was dropped by Smith. The sophomore receiver banged his fists on his helmet and walked back to the home sideline. The student section, dressed in white "BEAT CAROLINA" shirts, sighed.

That play summed up the frustrating night for the Wolfpack.

After taking over possession late in the game and in need of a first down, South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia hooked up with Moe Brown for 33 yards on third-and-3, deflating any chances of late heroics from the Wolfpack.

“That call came from our offensive coordinator after the timeout,” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said. “Garcia made a good throw on the ball and Moe came down with a great catch.”

Hoke County graduate Earl Wolff played well at free safety for N.C. State, recording eight tackles for the Wolfpack in his first extended action of his career. N.C. State’s defense intercepted Garcia once and held the sophomore quarterback to 148 yards through the air.

Brad Crawford is a staff writer at The Robesonian and can be reached at (910) 272-6119 or by e-mail at bcrawford@heartlandpublications.com