ECU vs. South Carolina (Against the Spread)

Last week didn't go as planned for me or the Gamecocks. I thought that South Carolina would come out focused and with few mental mistakes. I was wrong. From the intial fumble and interception to the missed tackles, it was a sloppy game from our Gamecocks. Nevertheless, a road win in the SEC is a very good thing. A win is a win, even if South Carolina didn't cover the spread. In any event, onwards to the East Carolina game, which is the home opener for the Gamecocks 2012 campaign.

My breakdown and pick against the spread is below the jump.

East Carolina Pirates against South Carolina Gamecocks
Date: 9/8/12
Time: 12:21 Eastern Time

Television: SEC Network/ESPN3

Point Spread: South Carolina -21

First of all...wow. Twenty-one points is a big number. Ok, we all know that Connor Shaw has a bruise the size of Montana on his throwing shoulder, and he will not be 100% at game time. Whether Shaw, Thompson, or Strickland is in at QB, look for South Carolina to lean heavily on our All-American running back (Marcus Lattimore) to be the engine for the offense. A heavy dose of hard-nosed running should be the staple of the Carolina offense on Saturday in any event, and this will be emphasized even more if Shaw is not in the game.

ECU runs the air-raid offense, which South Carolina saw last year in Charlotte. The big difference for ECU's offense is that ECU's QB from last year (Dominique Davis) has graduated. Davis ran the Air-Raid offense about as well as it could be run, and their new QB, Rio Johnson, while workman-like in his ability, is certainly not Dominique Davis.

ECU defeated Appalachian State last week 35-13, with Johnson putting up 242 yards through the air with two TDs and one INT. South Carolina's back seven will need to bring their A-Game on Saturday, as the bulk of the defense will be played in pass defense. I don't see Clowney or Taylor getting too many sacks in this game, as a feature of the Air-Raid system is to get the ball to the recievers very quickly in short routes. Accordingly, I'm hoping to see our DBs play solid defense. If Carolina shuts down the ECU passing attack, game over.

However, I don't think the ECU offense will be kept totally in check. They'll move the ball on a couple of drives, and I wouldn't put it past the Gamecocks to give ECU some good field position (see last year's game). Having said that, I think the Gamecock offense will put up more points against ECU than they did at Vanderbilt. Carolina will win, but I like taking the points and ECU here.

Pick: ECU +21 points