Gamecocks Beat ECU Pirates 48-10: 10 Things Learned in the Win
The South Carolina Gamecocks defeated the East Carolina Pirates by the score of 48-10 today. The win moves USC to 2-0 (1-0 SEC) for the year and should keep them in the Top 10. Here is ten things we learned through this win:
1. USC does not have to rely on Marcus Lattimore to win as Latti had only 40 rushing yards. He did have a TD that tied the school record for career TDs at USC (33).
2. Dylan Thompson is a quality quarterback as he had a 21-37 for 330 yards and three passing TDs type day. Not too shabby after his shaky week 1 showing.
3. USC defense is aggressive as they forced turnovers as they got five of them overall. That is the type effort needed each week...active hands. Out of those five, four were interceptions.
4. The "Bruce Ellington run sweep" is a nice wrinkle to the offense and gets him in space with Lattimore as his lead blocker.
5. Tyler Hull needs to be more consistent on his punts. The 51 yarder helped his average but we need a consistent 42-47 yards each time.
6. Jadeveon Clowney is a man this season on the defensive line. He might not have shown up with a ton of stats but for the second week in a row he was a disruptor which is vital for the defense.
7. Coach Steve Spurrier can still call a great game on the offensive side of the game. He had a great balanced attack today and got a lot of kids involved.
8. The new video board is amazing and money well-spent by the school. Having that in the stadium adds greatly to the overall experience inside Willy B.
9. USC has good wide outs once you get them the ball, unlike in game 1, as DL Moore, Damiere Byrd, Ellington and even the likes of DeAngleo Smith got in the mix.
10. Shaq Wilson now has a two game interception streak. He is having a great year at linebacker thus far and is very active on defense. Good to have him back in 2012.
Well, there you have it. A great win by USC today as the 48 points was the most at a home opener since 1995. Needed that type win as it increased the confidence amongst the team and fans. Should set the stage for a great season.
Go Cocks!
Wow, was that enjoyable to watch or what? I cannot remember laughing during a Carolina game in my life, and I was honestly hoping for bad field position each drive so that we could rack up more yardage!
Dylan Thompson (330 yds, 3 Tds) was on fire. Welcome to the big league. Looking forward to seeing him mature in the SEC with his arm and that attitude, which was amazing.
Marcus Lattimore, not a ton of miles, but a TD and some fantastic blocks. You dont need 40+ touches when your backup QB is slinging 330 in the air. Marcus, even with all the hype, shows he is a solid team player. I think everyone, including myself, was expecting Thompson to be handing off to Marcus all day long in the old carolina grind game - what a nice surpise.
Was not thrilled with seeing ECU pass for 333 yds, but thats the ECU game and well with 5 turnovers it really didnt matter that much.The secondary has been tested and will hopefully not give as much a cushion in future games.
Thompson managed to connect with ELEVEN different Carolina receivers, who averaged 17.3 yds per reception. Thats sharing the wealth, to be honest, i couldnt get the names of all 11 without looking at the depth chart again.
What a great start to the weekend.
