South Carolina Football Kickoff 2011: Why East Carolina is a Must-Win Game

South Carolina opens its 2011 football season with incredible hype and an underdog opponent in East Carolina. 

That doesn't mean Game 1 will be easy. In fact, it won't. 

In fact, please read my keys to the game piece to see what I think needs to happen in order for South Carolina to win. 

Dominique Davis has more talent than half of the SEC quarterbacks, and South Carolina seems to have caught the plague in their already underperforming secondary.

Sheldon Royster has been battling Type 1 diabetes (a new development), Martay Mattox is suspended, Devonte Holloman is suspended, Brison Williams is out for the season with an injury and Akeem Aguste is not at 100 percent.

It has gotten so bad that running back Kenny Miles has moved over to safety. 

This game won't be an easy win for the Gamecocks, but it is certainly a must-win. 

First of all, a loss to a team like East Carolina, who comes from Conference USA, would decimate the Gamecocks' morale heading into the game of the year against Georgia. 

If the team takes a wrong step against ECU and gets burned, this season could go from promising to disastrous in two games. 

A win against ECU, and even a loss to Georgia doesn't destroy the season. Will a loss to Georgia make things more difficult? Sure. However, it wouldn't destroy the psyche quite like a loss to East Carolina.

Also, South Carolina is in a position to be an intimidating team. In previous years, South Carolina lost games to Florida, Georgia and Tennessee as soon as those teams stepped on the field. They knew they couldn't beat those guys.

Right now, South Carolina has that type of swagger. Lose that, and you lose a major part of your weaponry. 

Without a doubt, this game is huge. No one knows what type of product you have until you take the field, and ECU's strengths match up well to South Carolina's weakness, so it is definitely going to be tough. 

It's great to be a Gamecock.