COLUMBIA, S.C. -- South Carolina All-American Jadeveon Clowney looked less than dominant against North Carolina, not that it mattered to him or the sixth-ranked Gamecocks. Clowney shook off a stomach virus earlier in the week -- and some sluggish play during the game -- to help South Carolinas defence hold North Carolina to its lowest point total under coach Larry Fedora in a 27-10 victory to open the season Thursday night. "Here I am back in front again, ready for all these questions about conditioning," Clowney said. "Lets go." Mike Davis ran 75 yards for a touchdown while Connor Shaw and Dylan Thompson each threw long scoring passes to put the Gamecocks in front. Clowney and company made it all stand up. "Hats off to my defence," Clowney said. "As long as we get the win, thats all that matters to me." Steve Spurrier was disappointed at his teams conditioning on defence, including Clowney. "Did you watch what I was watching?" he said when asked about Clowney. "No, I dont have to say it. You write what you see. Well try and work on our conditioning for the entire team." Clowney did not have a sack and finished with three first-half tackles. The Tar Heels fast-paced offence wore him down and forced him to the sideline for several pit stops, yet he and the defence mostly hemmed in North Carolina. Shaw and Thompson put South Carolina up 17-0 in the opening quarter. Shaw found Shaq Roland for a 65-yard touchdown on the games third play. Thompson threw a 29-yard TD to Kane Whitehurst later in the quarter. The game was delayed with 8:20 left when lightning closed in on the stadium. Fans filed out quickly and hit their cars as heavy rain and thunder pelted the field for about an hour. Its been a steady stream of chatter about all things Clowney the past eight months, since he knocked the helmet off a Michigan runner in the Outback Bowl. Should he sit out the year and protect his draft status as next years No. 1 pick? How much insurance should he take out? (He has $5 million worth.) Can he become the first defence-only player to win the Heisman Trophy? If he makes it to New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation in December, he likely wont have this game on his highlight reel. "Everybody always expects a lot from JD. He expects a lot from himself," defensive co-ordinator Lorenzo Ward said. "I told him he might have to watch what hes eating if his energys down. We have to make sure we can play more than three, four, five plays at a time." Clowney laughed off the expectations and promised things would improve. "First game of the season," he said. "Its going to get better. Week after week, its going to get better and better." North Carolina continually played away from Clowneys side with short passes and quick runs. When the Tar Heels did come his way, left tackle James Hurst -- an all-ACC player with NFL hopes of his own -- did a solid job keeping No. 7 in check. Clowney didnt agree, saying it was more North Carolinas tempo than Hursts blocking that got to him. "I wasnt really impressed like I was against the guy from Michigan," Clowney said, referring to Wolverines Taylor Lewan. Right before halftime, Clowney appeared to be breathing heavy in the 90-degree heat and humidity. There was a scary moment after play resumed when Clowney was cut from behind by backup offensive lineman Kiaro Holts, who was called for clipping. Davis finished with 115 yards on 12 carries. Shaw was 11 for 19 passing for 149 yards and his touchdown. The Gamecocks looked like they might give their defence a break with a 17-point first quarter that was their biggest production in an opening-game quarter since 1996s 33-14 win over Central Florida. The Gamecocks outgained North Carolina 203 yards to 35 in the opening quarter. The Tar Heels settled down a bit after that and closed to 17-7 on Renners 4-yard TD pass to Quinshad Davis. North Carolina, though, hurt itself several times. After the defence forced a three-and-out, T.J. Thorpe muffed the punt at midfield to keep South Carolinas drive going. Elliott Fry added field goals of 39 and 26 yards in his first game at South Carolina. Spurrier has said all summer that South Carolina is more than just Clowney. The Gamecocks defence certainly was, holding North Carolinas high-speed attack to 121 yards in the first 30 minutes. The Tar Heels averaged more than 40 points and 485 yards a game last year. North Carolina opened the second half with a 17-play, 7-minute drive that ended with a field goal to cut the lead to 20-10. Then Davis, the younger brother of ex-Clemson 1,000-yard rusher James Davis, burst through the line on South Carolinas next snap and broke out for his long touchdown run. The Tar Heels couldnt make anything happen after that. Renner and the Tar Heels drove to South Carolinas 2 in the final two minutes, but could not score. Renner was stopped a yard short of the end zone by defensive tackle Kelcy Quarles. Renner ended 26 of 43 with 194 yards. The Tar Heels finished with 293 yards. Fedora wasnt sure why his offence stalled. "Were in year two. I wish we were farther along than we are, but were not," he said. "That was a good measuring stick for us. I didnt look at tonight and say, Were so far away were not going to make it. I dont think were that far away." Ben Zobrist Jersey . City has reached new heights under manager Manuel Pellegrini as they transition from big spending/immediate impact to perennial contender. Yaya Toures seeming discontent Tuesday may complicate that, as does the little issue of Financial Fair Play. Jerome Walton Cubs Jersey . Raonic, the No. 8 seed from Thornhill, Ont., had 18 aces in the match. He needed one hour 39 minutes to complete the victory. https://www.cheapcubs.com/2440t-jody-davis-jersey-cubs.html . However, it wasnt a problem on Monday night. Evgeni Nabokov made 23 saves for his 56th career shutout in the New York Islanders 3-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Monday night. David Phelps Cubs Jersey . The German has taken the pole for three straight races -- winning the first two. Hes aiming for a third consecutive win at the Yeongam circuit and, most importantly, a fourth consecutive F1 championship. Rick Reuschel Cubs Jersey . The Americans, skipped by John Shuster, seized the advantage in the eighth end by scoring five points for a 7-3 lead. The Czechs pulled two back in the ninth, but Shusters team of third Jeff Isaacson, second Jared Zezel and lead John Landsteiner ended with another point to secure the last Olympic berth on offer.Jamie Carragher says Mamadou Sakho has let himself and Liverpool down badly over an alleged anti-doping violation. Sakho, 26, is being investigated by UEFA for allegedly failing a drugs test prior to the Reds Europa League second-leg tie at Manchester United on March 17.The centre-back has not been banned by Liverpool but will not be selected during the investigation, which is understood to be into the use of a fat-burning substance. Sky Sports football expert Carragher says serious questions must be asked of Sakho and any professional footballer who turns in a failed sample.Its a nightmare for the player, former Liverpool star Carragher told Sky Sports News HQ.I think hes let himself and the club down badly, because hes become a really important player.Theres serious questions to be asked of him.Hes had a great campaign. Hes one of the leaders of the team now, certainly within that run, thinking about how well he played in the Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund games. Its now how Liverpool fill that void.ddddddddddddFor a professional footballer, as in any sport, its not acceptable. Carragher, who made over 700 appearances for Liverpool during a 19-year senior career, also questioned whether footballers are given spot-doping tests regularly enough. Jamie Carragher has questioned whether players are tested regularly enough He said: How much is enough, or too much? As a player it would happen two or three times a season. People might say thats not enough.But there seems to be a lot more of that goes on in other sports, not something youd expect from football. Also See: Huge risks of fat-burners Toure backs Sakho Sakho probed Weekend ref watch ' ' '