(21) Gamecocks Notch First Win vs. ECU

It wasn’t pretty, but the (21) South Carolina Gamecocks (1-1; 0-1 SEC) notched their first win of the 2014 campaign with a 33-23 victory over the East Carolina Pirates. The big story of the week was the Gamecocks defense. Though they looked improved, there are still a lot of holes to fill.

ECU was able to hold Carolina to a three-and-out on their first possession. They then kicked a pair of field goals to take a 6-0 lead before Mike Davis ran one in from 36-yards out to give the Gamecocks their first lead of 2014. They traded touchdowns and field goals, and East Carolina had a 20-16 lead at the half.

The Gamecock D held strong on the first possession of the second half, with Sharrod Golightly coming up with a big third down interception. When the Gamecocks got the ball back, it led to a Dylan Thompson touchdown to K.J. Brent from 16 yards out. The Gamecock D grabbed another interception on the very next drive, with T.J. Gurley getting in on the action leading to another Elliot Fry (4-4 on tries) field goal.

The game drew to a close, as South Carolina was able to run the ball efficiently in the fourth quarter. They milked the clock and were able to kick a field goal with 1:30 left to hang on for the 10-point victory.

The offense looked better this week. Dylan Thompson went 25-38 with 266 yards. He threw one touchdown and one interception. He still seems to be locking his lead knee on release, causing the ball to sail on receivers.

Mike Davis looked much improved, and near healthy as he ran for a game-high 101-yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns.

Though this was a nice win, the Gamecocks still need to improve if they want to keep their SEC-East championship hopes alive. Georgia will come into Williams-Brice with something to prove, after getting hit in the mouth the last time they visited South Carolina’s capital.

 

*Section Photo credit to Brett Flashnick, Getty Images: Featured Photo (above) credit to FitsNews

UCF, Stanford Agree To Home-and-Home
UCF, Stanford Agree To Home-and-Home