Three matchups to watch as South Carolina travels to East Carolina for Week 2 test
South Carolina’s season gets an early test in Week 2.
Saturday, USC hits the road for a meeting with East Carolina and former Citadel head coach Mike Houston. The Gamecocks and Pirates have met 19 times previously (South Carolina holds a 14-5 edge), but they haven’t played in Greenville since 1997.
Here are three matchups to watch this weekend:
ECU QB Holton Ahlers vs. South Carolina secondary
Holton Ahlers could be playing just about anywhere in the country.
The former three-star recruit had slews of offers coming out of D.H. Conley High School in Greenville, North Carolina in the class of 2018. South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer even revealed he would’ve been the second quarterback in Georgia’s 2018 group that included eventual first-round NFL draft pick Justin Fields had the Bulldogs taken a second signal caller that year (Beamer was an assistant coach on that Georgia staff).
Sticking with the hometown Pirates, Ahlers has thrown for almost 7,500 yards and boasts a nearly 2-to-1 touchdown to interception ratio over the past three seasons.
South Carolina’s secondary has been maligned throughout the offseason and rightfully so. The Gamecocks lost first-round pick Jaycee Horn and stalwart Israel Mukuamu to the NFL. Beamer and his staff pieced things together with a smorgasbord of transfers and unproven returners.
USC was stout defensively last week against Eastern Illinois, holding the Panthers to just 78 yards through the air. South Carolina also corralled a pair of interceptions and had a third wiped out when a defender lined up offsides.
This side of Georgia’s JT Daniels, Ahlers might be the best quarterback South Carolina sees until a November meeting with Clemson’s D.J. Uiagalelei. The Gamecocks will have to stay sharp to slow East Carolina’s offensive roll.
South Carolina QB Luke Doty/Zeb Noland vs. East Carolina pass rush
Following in tune with South Carolina’s depth chart released earlier this week, I’ll keep this as an “or” at quarterback for the Gamecocks.
It’s unclear whether Zeb Noland or Luke Doty will start Saturday. Whoever does, though, is going to be under pressure all day.
The Pirates employ a blitz-heavy scheme that brings pass rushers from all corners of defensive coordinator Blake Harrell’s unit. Noland avoided any forces last week, but it’d be surprising if he didn’t see more hands in his face come Saturday should he start.
It’s also worth noting South Carolina’s offensive line was abysmal in pass protection Week 1 — finishing tied-for-12th out of 14 SEC teams according to Pro Football Focus despite facing an EIU squad that hasn’t won more than three games since 2017.
South Carolina’s quarterbacks are going to feel the heat in a ramped-up Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. The offensive line will have to help stall the pass rush enough to give Noland or Doty enough time to make plays downfield. From there, USC’s quarterbacks have to make the right reads.
South Carolina defensive line vs. East Carolina offensive line
South Carolina defensive line coach Jimmy Lindsey’s unit ran circles around Eastern Illinois’ offensive line a week ago. This week, though, they’ll face a full step up in competition.
During East Carolina’s season-opening loss to Appalachian State in Charlotte, the Pirates surrendered 3.5 sacks, 4.5 tackles for a loss and five quarterback hurries. The Pirates also ranked 107th out of 130 FBS teams in pass blocking during Week 1 per PFF.
The Gamecocks’ front that included former five-star recruits Zacch Pickens and Jordan Burch and potential first-round pick edge rusher Kingsley “JJ” Enagbare should have a physical advantage again Saturday.
If the South Carolina secondary can’t do enough to slow Ahlers and his receivers down, it’ll fall on the USC defensive line to create muddied pockets and force ECU’s starter out of a routine to keep the Pirates’ offense at bay.
This story was originally published September 10, 2021 at 8:00 AM.
