Keys to the Game Saturday, September 6, 2014 By Kevin Monroe

East Carolina at South Carolina

Williams-Brice Stadium (cap. 80,250); TV: ESPNU

By Kevin Monroe
©2013 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.

In the preseason, today’s South Carolina-East Carolina game projected as a matchup between one of the nation’s best teams and an unranked up-and-comer. Fast forward to the present and things have changed a bit. The Pirates didn’t play their best game last Saturday against North Carolina Central, but still put up 52 points on offense and pitched a shutout on defense. On the flipside, the Gamecocks had a poor showing in their season-opening thumping by Texas A&M.

The caliber of each team's competition last week makes it hard to draw conclusions about how ECU and USC stack up against each other. But South Carolina was a preseason top 10 and played way below its hype in giving up over 50 points and 512 yards passing to a first-time starting quarterback. The Pirates noticed that showing and will be confident going into Columbia today. The Gamecocks will be better today than they were nine days ago, but ECU can beat them if it executes effectively in some key facets of the game.

FAST START AND QUICK PACE

The Pirates scored a touchdown on the opening drive of all but three games last season. They lost two of those games, to Tulane and Marshall. They didn’t score on either of their first two possessions last week, but rallied to score 52 points. ECU will need to start more quickly today in order to put pressure on South Carolina and to take the crowd out of the game. Williams Brice Stadium seats over 80,000 and the fans will be wild and crazy by the time of the 7 p.m. kickoff. Scoring early and often is one way to quiet the stadium.

GIVEAWAYS AND TAKEAWAYS

East Carolina turned the ball over only one time in its opener, but it was a big one as Breon Allen’s fumble was returned for an NCCU touchdown. That kind of mistake today could be fatal against an angry Gamecock team determined to demonstrate that it is better than it looked last week. South Carolina didn’t get any turnovers against the Aggies, but as a unit the Gamecocks had 18 interceptions last season. On the Pirates' last trip to Williams-Brice Stadium, South Carolina picked off 4 passes and caused a fumble. ECU was unable to survive that many mistakes and a lost by 38 points.

DON'T GIVE UP THE BIG ONE

The Pirates cannot afford to let South Carolina score quickly on big plays. The ECU defense must make the Gamecocks earn points the old-fashioned way, by going on long, sustained drives. USC running back Mike Davis has a ton of big play ability with 4 rushes of 50 yards or more over the past two seasons. In the passing game, quarterback Dylan Thompson is a fifth-year senior with a big arm. Just last week, he burned A&M for touchdown passes of 40 yards and 46 yards. Avoiding the the lightning strike and making the Gamecocks use the clock is a huge key in this game.

BOTTOM LINE

Let’s not be fooled by USC's loss to to the Aggies. The 21st-ranked Gamecocks are still one of the best teams in the country. There is a reason they had won 18 straight at home prior to last week. South Carolina is a powerful team with a great fan base. In order to win in that challenging environment, the Pirates will have to play their best game and South Carolina will need to make some mistakes. I expect this to be a close game late, which means the team that makes the big plays and doesn’t turn the ball over has the best chance to win.

E-mail Kevin Monroe.

PAGE UPDATED 09/06/14 02:38 AM.