CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- North Carolina will be without three of its most experienced defenders due to suspension for at least one half of its season opener against South Carolina on Saturday.

Linebacker Dominique Ross and cornerback Patrice Rene will have to sit out a half due to their role in an altercation at the end of UNC’s loss to N.C. State in the 2018 season finale. The ACC announced the suspensions along with public reprimands two days after the game for seven total players, including four Tar Heels. Two of those UNC players – safety J.K. Britt and defensive tackle Jeremiah Clarke – have since graduated.

While the ACC indicated UNC’s suspensions must be served in the season opener against the Gamecocks, it’s up to the school’s discretion to determine which half each player will sit out.

“We've got to figure out: do you play them in different halves?” Mack Brown told reporters on Monday. “We still haven't gotten there yet. But we've been very honest with the team and told them these two guys were in a fight after the NC State game and they really regret it. It's going to cost them some playing time in the opener. So don't fight...

Dominique Ross

“It's early in this week and we've looked at all of it and we actually have taken them out of practice some and put other guys in to give our team the mentality that they're not going to be there the whole game. But we’ve got to figure out who and where and when. Is it better to start well and have younger guys afterwards or is it better to hang in there early and then try to bring in your older guys later? That's stuff we're really working on right now.”

Defensive coordinator Jay Bateman later told reporters that Ross would not play in the first half, which is why quarterback-turned-linebacker Chazz Surratt is listed as a starting inside linebacker on the depth chart released Monday morning.

Senior linebacker Jonathan Smith is serving a two-game suspension due to academics, a team spokesperson confirmed on Monday. Ross and Smith, who have combined for 16 starts and 53 games played in their Tar Heel careers, are the veterans in an inside linebacker group short on experience and deep in youth. Sophomore Jeremiah Gemmel, who is projected to start against the Gamecocks, is the next most-experienced inside linebacker with four games and one tackle to his credit.

Rene, who has started 18 games at UNC, led the ACC in passer rating allowed in coverage (41.3) and completion percentage allowed (40.0) in 2018, according to Pro Football Focus.

Sophomore Trey Morrison, who played extensively at nickelback last season, is projected to start at cornerback. Junior Greg Ross will likely replace Rene at the other cornerback spot during the half in which the senior serves his suspension.

This is the second consecutive season opener that UNC’s defense has been hindered by suspensions. Last season, four Tar Heel defenders missed the program’s loss at California due to their involvement in the sale of team-issued shoes.