East Carolina vs. South Carolina: Game Grades & Analysis for Pirates & Gamecocks

An unstoppable running game and an opportunistic defense led the 21st-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks to a hard-fought win over East Carolina, 33-23, on Saturday night. 

You can check out the stats from the game here. You can find grades and analysis for both teams below.

Position Unit	First-Half Grade	Second-Half Grade
Pass Offense	A	D
Run Offense	B-	C-
Pass Defense	B+	C
Run Defense	C	F
Special Teams	B	C
Coaching	B+	C

East Carolina Pirates Grade Analysis

Pass Offense: Shane Carden was good in the first half, not so good in the second half. South Carolina's pressure forced Carden into some bad decisions in the third quarter, and that proved to be the difference in the game. Senior quarterbacks must make better decisions with the ball than Carden did in the second half.

Run Offense: The Pirates ran well, they just didn't run enough. Of course, ECU's offense is designed to throw the ball a lot, but when something is working, you should stick with it. The Pirates ran for 132 yards on 21 carries. They should have run the ball more, specifically with Breon Allen.

Pass Defense: The Pirates did a good job against Dylan Thompson and South Carolina's talented receivers, but they didn't get to the passer enough. More pressure would have likely led to bad decisions by Thompson. Cornerback Josh Hawkins was all over the place for ECU. 

Run Defense: ECU was thoroughly dominated up front. In the second half, South Carolina was routinely getting six or seven yards per carry. The Gamecocks held the ball for over 10 minutes in the game-clinching drive late in the fourth quarter. East Carolina had no answer for Mike Davis.

Special Teams: Pirates kicker Warren Harvey connected on three of his four field-goal attempts. He did, however, have one blocked. The Pirates couldn't get anything going in the return game, either. ECU's only punt of the night went for 52 yards. 

Coaching: Play-calling was an issue for the Pirates on Saturday. When the momentum was turning because of turnovers, the Pirates refused to run the ball. Defensively, ECU did a good job in the first half, but struggled to commit more defenders to the run game in the second half. In the end, though, the talent disparity is what lost this game for East Carolina, not coaching. 

Position Unit	First-Half Grade	Second-Half Grade
Pass Offense	C	B
Rush Offense	B+	A+
Pass Defense	D	A
Run Defense	B-	B+
Special Teams	B+	A
Coaching	B-	A

South Carolina Gamecocks Grade Analysis

Pass Offense: Thompson's overall stat line was solid, but his play was erratic. Especially in the first half. Thompson was 10-of-20 to start the game and missed several throws high and wide. South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier is hard on his quarterbacks, and if Thompson doesn't play better moving forward, he will be benched.

Run Offense: Davis is a serious Heisman contender. Davis, who some thought may not play this week, changed the game once he entered it. Davis routinely made guys miss and broke several tackles. Brandon Wilds is very good, but the Gamecocks will go as Davis goes. The offensive line can run block as well as anyone in the nation. 

Pass Defense: The Gamecocks struggled to defend ECU star Justin Hardy. Hardy finished the game with 10 catches, but only 133 yards. They did a good job of not letting him get too many yards after the catch. USC was bad in the first half, but the two third-quarter interceptions were the difference in this game.

Run Defense: The Gamecocks weren't bad against the run, as they committed more defenders to stopping the pass and rightfully so. Outside of one big run, USC did a good job overall of defending the run. Defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward knew the way to beat ECU was to defend the pass first and worry about the run later. 

Special Teams: Elliott Fry is automatic. USC's kicker connected on all four attempts, and Spurrier has a lot of confidence in his young kicker. For a team that plays a lot of close games, Fry is a weapon. Just like ECU, the Gamecocks punted only one time. Shon Carson had a big return to open the game, but little else. 

Coaching: Spurrier and Ward both adjusted in the second half. Everyone knows Spurrier loves to chuck it deep—and often—but he did a good job of sticking with the run. Also, he called several short passes to get Thompson into a rhythm. Ward's defense was completely different in the second half.