East Carolina vs. South Carolina: Complete Week 2 Game Preview

Round 2 for the South Carolina Gamecocks brings a familiar foe to Columbia: last year's opener opponent, East Carolina. 

Who: East Carolina at South Carolina

When: 12:21 p.m.

Where: Columbia, S.C.

Stadium: Williams Brice Stadium (80,250)

TV: SEC Network

Radio: 107.5 "The Game"

Internet Stream: University of South Carolina Athletic Site, ESPN 3

Depth Chart for South Carolina

Offense

Quarterbacks:

1. Connor Shaw

2. Dylan Thompson

3. Seth Strickland

Running Backs:

1. Marcus Lattimore

2. Kenny Miles

3. Mike Davis

Fullback:

1. Qua Gilchrist

2. Connor McLaurin

Wide Receiver 1:

1. Ace Sanders

2. DeAngelo Smith

3. Shaq Roland

Wide Receiver 2:

1. D.L. Moore

2. Nick Jones

2b. K.J. Brent

Wide Receiver 3 (Slot):

1. Bruce Ellington

2. Damiere Byrd

Tight End 1:

1. Justice Cunningham

2. Jerell Adams

Tight End 2:

1. Rory Anderson

2. Kelvin Rainey

Left Tackle:

1. Brandon Shell

2. Corey Robinson

Left Guard:

1. A.J. Cann

2. Will Sport

Center:

1. T.J. Johnson

2. Kyle Harris

3. Travis Ford

Right Guard:

1. Ronald Patrick

2. Kaleb Broome

Right Tackle:

1. Mike Matulis

2. Cody Gibson

Defense

Left Defensive End:

1. Devin Taylor

2. Chaz Sutton

Right Defensive End

1. Jadeveon Clowney

2. Aldrick Fordham

3. Gerald Dixon

Defensive Tackle 1:

1. Byron Jerideau

2. Philip Dukes

Defensive Tackle 2:

1. Kelcy Quarles

2. Gerald Dixon Jr.

Middle Linerbacker:

1. Reginald Bowens

2.  Damario Jeffery

Weak-Side Linebacker:

1.  Shaq Wilson

2. Quin Smith

3. Cedrick Cooper

Spur:

1. DeVonte Holloman

2. Jordan Diggs

Corner 1:

1. Victor Hampton

2. Ahmad Christian

Corner 2:

1. Jimmy Legree

2. T.J. Gurley

Strong Safety:

1. Brison Williams

2. Kadetrix Marcus

Free Safety:

1. D.J. Swearinger

2. Jared Shaw

Special Teams

Kickoff Specialist:

1. Landon Ard

2. Adam Yates

Placekicker:

1. Adam Yates

2. Landon Ard

Punter:

1. Tyler Hull

2a. Patrick Fish

2b. Mike Williamson

Kick Returner:

1. Bruce Ellington

2. Damiere Byrd

Punt Returner:

1. Ace Sanders

Depth Chart for East Carolina

Offense

Quarterbacks:

1. Rio Johnson

2. Shane Carden

3. Brad Wornick

Running Backs:

1. Michael Dobson

2. Reggie Bullock

3. Vintavious Cooper

Wide Receiver 1:

1. Reese Wiggins

2. Jabril Solomon

Wide Receiver 2:

1.  Andrew Bodenheimer

2. Lance Ray

Wide Receiver 3:

1. Justin Hardy

2. Justin Jones

Wide Receiver 4:

1. Derrick Harris

2. Cedric Thompson

Left Tackle:

1. Adhem Elsawi

2. Isaac Harris

Left Guard:

1. Jordan Davis

2. Drew Gentry 

Center:

1. Taylor Hudson

2. C.J. Struyk

3. Josh Clark

Right Guard:

1. Will Simmons

2. Drew Gentry

Right Tackle:

1. Robert Jones

2. Grant Harner 

Defense

Left Defensive End:

1. Lee Peques

2. Chrishon Rose

3. Jonathan White

Nose Tackle:

1. Michael Brooks

2. Terrell Stanley

Right Defensive End:

1. Matt Milner

2. Justin Dixon

3. John Lattimore

Linebacker 1:

1. Derrell Johnson

2. Chris Baker

3. Jake Geary

Linebacker 2:

1.  Maurice Falls

2. Montese Overton

3. Gabriel Woullard

Linebacker 3: 

1. Jeremy Grove

2. Ty Holmes

3. Zeek Bigger

Linebacker 4:

1. Kyle Tudor

2. Daniel Drake

3. Brandon Williams

Corner 1:

1. Jacobi Jenkins

2. Rocco Scarfone

3. Joshua Harkins

Corner 2:

1. Adonis Armstrong

2. Kristopher Sykes

Safety 1:

1. Lamar Ivey

2. Chip Thompson

Free Safety:

1. Damon Magazu

2. Justin Venable

3. Desi Brown

Special Teams

Kickoff Specialist:

1. Trent Tignor

Placekicker:

1. Warren Harvey

2. Connor Torruella

Punter:

1. Trent Tignor

2. Brendan Rowland

3. Phil McNaughton

Kick Returner:

1. Derrick Harris

2. Lance Ray

3. Hunter Furr

4. Vintavious Cooper

Punt Returner:

1. Justin Hardy

2. Derrick Harris

What Happened to the Gamecocks Last Week

Last week, the Gamecocks played the Vanderbilt Commodores to open up the college football season Aug. 30 on ESPN. The Gamecocks had to fight and claw, but they left Nashville with a hard-earned victory over a good SEC team. 

The big news from the game was Connor Shaw's shoulder injury. If he isn't 100 percent, the Gamecocks aren't nearly as dangerous. 

What Happened to the Pirates Last Week

After being down 7-0 and only up 14-13 against the FCS Appalachian State Mountaineers (albeit a very good school in that division), the Pirates blew them out with a 21-point explosion at the end of the game. 

It really wasn't an impressive victory for the Pirates, who will need to do much better to compete with the Gamecocks. 

What It Means to Both Teams

South Carolina needs an impressive win to shut up the critics. Apparently, blowing out a lower-level team is better than beating a good team on the road, for whatever reason. 

If the Gamecocks squeak out another win, regardless of who plays quarterback, look for the critics to really bring the heat. Shaw would love nothing more than to play this week and perform better than he did last year against the same team.

ECU would love nothing more than to announce that it is a good team and a capable Conference USA winner. This would be a huge win for a program trying to establish itself as a contender in its conference and may even give the Pirates a marquee win. 

Key Player for the Gamecocks

Marcus Lattimore has to be the key to this game. 

If Connor Shaw can't go (which it's looking to be about 50-50 at the moment), a heavy dose of Marcus Lattimore and the rest of the runners will be necessary. With the Pirates running a weak 3-4 defense, there should be plenty of space for him. 

How much can Lattimore's knees take? If he gets 30 carries, he could push for 300 yards, but will his knee hold up?

Key Player for the Pirates

East Carolina gave South Carolina a big scare last year with the excellent play of its quarterback, the excellent Dominique Davis. 

Now Rio Johnson has the reigns. With targets such as the 6'8" Justin Jones running around, Johnson could have a huge game. If he plays well, this game will be close—or even an ECU win.

The Gamecocks Will Win If...

...the passing defense contains the four-wide receiver passing attack of the East Carolina Pirates. 

The Pirates won't be able to run on the Gamecocks, but they sure can pass. If the Gamecocks allow themselves to fall behind early, this could be a loss. ECU can score through the air, so the passing defense must play well.

The Pirates Will Win If...

...their offensive line can give Rio Johnson time to throw, and Rio hits the opportunities he gets.

Tight end/wide receiver Justin Jones could be a nightmare for the Gamecocks. However, it will take a perfect offensive game for the Pirates to win. Johnson isn't the quarterback Dominique Davis was for ECU, but if he gets time, this team can score.

Prediction

ECU will be able to score. So will South Carolina.

Look for it to be another close game until the fourth quarter, when Marcus Lattimore takes over and runs the Gamecocks to victory. 

Prediction: South Carolina 42, East Carolina 28