East Carolina at South Carolina

At first glance, this game appears to be an easy win for the home team Gamecocks, but a look at the numbers shows that this game could come down to the wire. Let’s take a look at some of the factors to consider in this week’s showdown.

East Carolina Has Done it Before

East Carolina has been known to give major conference teams a scare, and in some cases they have been able to pull off the upset. Last season, the Pirates issued a beat down of the North Carolina Tar Heels 55-31 and only lost to Virginia Tech 15-10.

Steve Spurrier’s squad should be fired up to get in the win column after last week’s loss to Texas A&M, but it’s also possible that his team overlooks this game a bit. The biggest game of the season for the Gamecocks will take place next Saturday when they take on the division rival Georgia Bulldogs.

I know everyone says “this week is the biggest game of the year”, but getting players to buy into that isn’t always easy. For the Gamecocks, putting all of their focus on East Carolina is essential because the Pirates are capable of putting up big numbers thorough the air.

East Carolina’s Aggressive Passing Attack

Last season as a junior, East Carolina quarterback Shane Carden threw for 4,139 yards and 33 touchdowns, while also owning the nation’s second-best completion percentage at 70.5 percent. He has a big-time target to throw to in Justin Hardy as well. Hardy set single-season school records in 2013 with 114 catches and 1,284 yards.

Shane Carden is one of the most underrated passers in the college game.

In the season opener against North Carolina Central, Carden was able to put up 283 yards passing, along with 3 touchdowns through the air. His 37 passing attempts shows that East Carolina wants to move the ball through the air, and that will likely be the gameplan this Saturday as well.

Will South Carolina’s defense be able to keep up?

The Gamecocks have an excellent defensive coordinator in Lorenzo Ward, so it’s hard to doubt him, but is losing the guys from last season too much for them to handle this early in the season?  The loss of Jadeveon Clowney, Kelcy Quarles, and Chaz Sutton from the defensive line showed in the opener, as Texas A&M quarterback Kenny Hill completed 73.3 percent of his passes.

The loss of Jadeveon Clowney showed in the season opener, and now players from South Carolina’s defensive line will need to step up.

The secondary was tested against A&M, and will be tested again with East Carolina’s passing attack. SC has some very talented cornerbacks, but experience is the factor. Al Harris Jr., Chris Lammons, and Wesley Green will all be great players in Columbia, but are they ready to step up and make plays this early in the season? Losing cornerbacks Victor Hampton and Jimmy Legree from last year’s team has proved to be a factor early in the season, at least from an experience standpoint.

Conclusion

The overall factor in this game will be East Carolina’s offense vs. South Carolina’s defense. If South Carolina’s defensive mistakes don’t improve from a week ago, ECU will be able to put solid points on the board. Another key thing that also comes into play is how the Pirates will play against Spurrier’s offense, which is one of the best in the nation.

With Mike Davis questionable for that game, there’s certainly a loss of production, but SC has depth at the position, so that’s not much of a factor.

With one of the best passing attacks in the NCAA, East Carolina will keep this game close. South Carolina is a 17-point favorite, but they won’t be able to cover the spread against this hungry ECU team. The Pirates have a chance at an upset if they are able to get some stops defensively, but either way, they will surprise some folks around the country with a solid performance.

South Carolina 38, East Carolina 27