First look: Top story lines, betting odds for South Carolina vs ECU football game
South Carolina will hit the road for the first time in 2021, traveling up Interstate 95 into North Carolina and then over to Greenville for a meeting with the American Athletic Conference’s East Carolina Pirates.
Don’t expect East Carolina to be the same kind of matchup as FCS Eastern Illinois. The Pirates pose more of a challenge for the Gamecocks. Early betting odds reflected that when they fluctuated between both teams Sunday.
South Carolina vs. East Carolina game info
Who: South Carolina Gamecocks (1-0) vs. East Carolina Pirates (0-1)
Where: Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, N.C.
When: Noon Saturday
TV: ESPN2
Line: ECU by 2
This week’s SEC betting odds, TV times
The point spread for South Carolina’s first road test jumped back and forth throughout Sunday. Early bets, according to Circa Sports, favored the Gamecocks by 2. After an hour, Circa Sports had already shifted its line to favor East Carolina by 4.
There isn’t a consensus across other books. VegasInsider.com reported the opening line favoring South Carolina by 3. FanDuel’s line has East Carolina by 2.5.
According to VegasInsider, the consensus line moved as high as 5 points in favorite of the Pirates but was down to ECU by 2 on Sunday night.
College football open point spreads, according to VegasInsider.com
- Noon: Alabama State at Auburn — no line
- Noon: South Carolina at East Carolina (-2)*
- Noon: Pittsburgh (-2) at Tennessee
- 1 p.m.: Florida (-29) at South Florida
- 3:30 p.m.: UAB at Georgia (-26)
- 3:30 p.m.: Texas A&M (-17) at Colorado
- 4 p.m.: Mercer at Alabama — no line
- 7 p.m.: Texas (3.5) at Arkansas
- 7 p.m.: NC State (-2) at Mississippi State
- 7:30 p.m.: Missouri at Kentucky (-5)
- 7:30 p.m.: Austin Peay at Ole Miss — no line
- 8 p.m.: McNeese at LSU — no line
- 10 p.m.: Vanderbilt at Colorado State (-5.5)
Gamecocks looked sharp against Eastern Illinois
The Gamecocks handled their business on Saturday — and did it well — but a win against an FCS program on home turf is one that should be expected.
Still, South Carolina looked the part on both sides of the ball and on special teams.
The offense put up 46 points and showed some of the creativity offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield had alluded to throughout the preseason. Graduate assistant-turned-quarterback Zeb Noland threw four touchdown passes and had a poised demeanor under center. The three-tailback tandem of ZaQuandre White, MarShawn Lloyd and Juju McDowell showed the Gamecocks have promise on the ground even without Kevin Harris, who wasn’t present on Saturday due to an illness.
Couple the solid offense with a shutout defense that allowed just 109 total yards, collected two interceptions (including Jordan Burch’s 61-yard touchdown return) and came down with two sacks. South Carolina’s special teams unit forced two blocked punts that both set up touchdown drives.
East Carolina seeks first win after loss to Appalachian State
ECU opened the 2021 season against Appalachian State on Thursday night as part of the Duke’s Mayo Classic held at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. The Pirates lost to the Mountaineers 33-19, but now get to play host to the Gamecocks at home in search of a first win.
East Carolina head coach Mike Houston, who won a national championship at the FCS level in 2016 with James Madison, is looking to get the Pirates’ program off the ground. He hasn’t struck gold yet, compiling a 7-14 record in his first two seasons at ECU, but he’s focused on moving forward.
“I told them I already decided this morning if we won the game tonight, I’d tell them that one game doesn’t make your season,” Houston told reporters on Thursday following the App State loss. “We lost to a quality opponent. We’ve got to learn from those mistakes. It’s going to be a great film to learn from, because they’re good at what they do. So it’s correct your mistakes, come back and start getting ready for next week.”
Pirates offense set to give the defense its first test
There’s a reason Vegas moved the line around so much in just the first few hours on Sunday. Sure, the Gamecocks looked great against Eastern Illinois, but they won’t be at Williams-Brice Stadium against an FCS opponent this week.
East Carolina has an experienced quarterback in Holton Ahlers, who’s already put up over 7,300 career passing yards in four seasons with the Pirates. ECU knows how to score quickly and has a versatile offensive weapon in running back Keaton Mitchell, who proved to be just as much of a threat in the passing game in week one.
Mitchell showed off his speed on a 63-yard touchdown reception early against Appalachian State and again with a 39-yard rush. He finished the Pirates’ season opener with 79 yards on five catches and 50 yards in four carries.
Gamecocks and Pirates players to watch
- ZaQuandre White, RB, South Carolina: Even if Kevin Harris comes back to the field against East Carolina, Beamer said you shouldn’t expect White’s touches to taper. The senior totaled 172 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns on Saturday.
- Jaylan Foster, S, South Carolina: South Carolina coaches named Foster the defensive player of the game against Eastern Illinois, and he’s a solid choice. The senior hauled in one of the Gamecocks’ interceptions of the night and could’ve come down with two if not for an offside penalty in the third quarter.
- Keaton Mitchell, RB, East Carolina: Mitchell led the Pirates in both rushing and receiving against Appalachian State, helping ECU to an early lead with a 63-yard touchdown reception despite the Pirates’ eventual loss. He earned 50 yards on four carries and caught six passes for 79 yards in week one.
- Ja’Quan McMillian, CB, East Carolina: McMillian hauled in his first interception of 2021 against Appalachian State and likely has much more in him as the season rolls along. He picked off seven passes in his first two years with the Pirates and is one of the top cornerbacks in the American Athletic Conference.
