The East Carolina Pirates emerged from Week 1 unscathed, collecting an easy win against Appalachian State (at least score wise). \u00a0They always schedule up in the non-conference so it is no surprise to see them making the short trip to South Carolina. <\/p>\n
East Carolina Pirates vs South Carolina Gamecocks Matchup<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Preview<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n East Carolina<\/strong><\/p>\n These teams met last year in a real barn burner with 93 total points. \u00a0The Pirates were dominated but fought hard. \u00a0A scenario likely to be repeated again.<\/p>\n It will be interesting to see if East Carolina can come up with the kind of offensive performance they did last year. \u00a0QB Dominque Davis has moved on and the receiving corps may not be as explosive as it once was. \u00a0Against App State QB Rio Johnson was OK but the offense didn\u2019t dominate, despite the lopsided score. \u00a0In fact they were outgained for the contest. \u00a0Which is not a good sign heading to SEC country.<\/p>\n Last year these two teams met and ECU was the ATS victor in a game that nearly doubled the total. \u00a0ECU has been playing it fast and loose the last couple of season under the new regimes of Ruffin McNeil but this will be the first real test we will have this season to see if that strategy is still in effect and effective. \u00a0Tread carefully, week 1 did not show a ton about either of these teams.\u00a0\u00a0[soliloquy id=”82219″]<\/p>\n South Carolina<\/strong><\/p>\n South Carolina may have big plans this season but they barely escaped the first week intact. \u00a0First they lost starting QB Connor Shaw for a portion of the game then they nearly lost the game itself. \u00a0Starting the season on the road at an SEC venue – even at Vanderbilt – is a tough way to go. \u00a0Hopefully \u2018Cock fans will see more of the kind of performance they expect this weekend against the Pirates.<\/p>\n The best thing to take away from the opener is that Marcus Lattimore looked pretty good. \u00a0He might have been a bit tentative but with 110 yards and a full workload there is a lot to be excited about. \u00a0He was the leading receiver too but that might actually be a problem. \u00a0If SC is going to compete with the really big guys in the SEC they need to have a receiver or two emerge. \u00a0They have to get some big plays in the passing game and I expect them to open things up more this week where they can take some more chances.<\/p>\n 22 points is a big number for a team that scored just 17 points last week. \u00a0If you are going to back SC than do so because you think their defense is going to bludgeon the Pirates not because you are expecting an offensive explosion. \u00a0A little bit of value on ECU but I would probably look elsewhere on the board this week.<\/p>\n
\nSaturday September 8
\nWilliams-Brice Stadium – Columbia, SC
\n12:20PM
\nMoneyline: \u00a0South Carolina -1518, East Carolina +1132
\nSpread: \u00a0South Carolina -22.5
\nO\/U: \u00a0Not currently available<\/strong><\/p>\n