SOUTH CAROLINA [SIZE= 20px]AT[/SIZE] EAST CAROLINA
Gamecock Fanatics Official Game Thread
GAME DATE AND TIME: Saturday, Sept. 11th 12:00 P.M.
LOCATION: Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, Greenville, N.C.
VIDEO BROADCAST:
AUDIO BROADCAST: 107.5 The Game
LIVE STATS: Statbroadcast
Greenville, N.C. - The South Carolina Gamecocks Football team continues its season by stepping up in competition and on the road as it travels to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, N.C. to take on the East Carolina Pirates. The game kicks off at 12:00 p.p. noon today, and will be broadcast on ESPN2. Brian Custer will call the action for the deuce. He will be joined in the booth by former Colorado State standout Kelly Stouffer. Lauren Sisler will patrol the sidelines. The familiar voices of Carolina Hall of Famers Todd Ellis and Tommy Suggs handle the call for the Gamecock Radio Network with Jamar Nesbit on the sidelines.
The Gamecocks (1-0) are coming off of their season-opening win against FCS member Eastern Illinois, while the Pirates (0-1) opened with a loss against Appalachian State.
BATTLE OF CAROLINAS: This is the 20th gridiron matchup between South Carolina and East Carolina, with the Gamecocks holding a 14-5 advantage in the all-time series, including an 11-4 record when the games have been played Columbia, a 2-1 mark when the game has been played in Greenville and a 1-0 mark at a neutral site (Charlotte in 2011). The schools met for the first time in 1977, then played in 11-straight seasons from 1984-94 and three more times in the '90s ('96, '97 and '99), before renewing the rivalry four times in the last decade ('11, '12, '14 and '16). The Gamecocks came out victorious in each of the first eight meetings before ECU won five of the next seven. South Carolina has won each of the last four contests.
THEY CALL IT A STREAK: The Gamecocks have come out on the winning side in each of the last four meetings between the two schools, with East Carolina's last win coming in the 1999 season, a 21-3 win in Columbia. Carolina has tallied at least 33 points in three of its last four wins.
THE LAST TIME THEY MET: Freshman Brandon McIlwain threw for 195 yards and rushed for two touchdowns in his first career start to lead the Gamecocks to a 20-15 win over East Carolina on Sept. 17, 2016 in Columbia. After not scoring in the first half in the season's first two games, Carolina put 17 points on the board in the first seven minutes of the contest and made it stand up. The Pirates outgained the Gamecocks, 519-312 while running 91 plays to Carolina's 53, but the Gamecocks won the turnover battle, 4-0, including three in the redzone, to preserve the win.
LIGHTING UP THE SCOREBOARD: It's not uncommon for the scoreboard operator to stay busy when these two teams meet. In fact, two of the top five highest scoring games in South Carolina history have transpired when the Gamecocks and Pirates do battle. The 1994 game saw 98 total points scored in a 56-42 ECU win, then South Carolina returned the favor with a 56-37 win in the 2011 contest, which was played in Charlotte. The winning team has scored 31 or more points in 11 of the 19 meetings between the two schools. Here are the top combined scoring games in South Carolina history:
MOST POINTS COMBINED
1. 104 at Mississippi State (65-39), Oct. 14, 1995
2. 101 at Ole Miss (42-59), Nov. 14, 2020
3. 98 vs East Carolina (42-56), Oct. 8, 1994
4. 93 vs Troy (69-24), Nov. 20, 2010
93 vs East Carolina (56-37), Sept. 3, 2011
IT'S BEEN AWHILE: The Gamecocks are making their first trip to Greenville since the 1997 season, a 26-0 Carolina win, and just their second trip since the 1991 campaign, which is also the last time ECU defeated the Gamecocks in Greenville, a 31-20 decision.
OLD FRIEND ALERT: Matthew Symmes is now a senior defensive analyst for the Pirates. Symmes was a G.A. for the Gamecocks in 2016 and '17.
FOR OPENERS: East Carolina opened its season in Charlotte on Thursday, Sept. 2, dropping a 33-19 decision to Appalachian State. Holton Ahlers completed 22-of-40 passes for 300 yards with two touchdowns and an interception for the Pirates.
CAROLINA VS. THE AAC: South Carolina owns a 32-17 record against the 11 teams that currently make up the American Athletic Conference. In addition to their 14-5 mark against ECU, the Gamecocks have also played Navy (5-3), UCF (5-0), Memphis (2-2), Houston (1-2), Tulane (0-3), Cincinnati (2-0), Temple (1-1), USF (1-1) and Tulsa (1-0). They have never faced SMU.
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS: The Gamecocks are 33-11 in their last 44 non-conference games, with six of the 11 losses coming against Clemson.
DEPTH CHART:
Last edited by a moderator:
Would be a huge loss right off the bat for us.....