After reviewing South Carolina and ECU so far this season, some thoughts on both in advance of Saturday’s matchup….
In some ways, the Gamecocks’ challenge on defense here will be similar to what was presented by Mississippi State. ECU’s mode of operation on offense is to get the ball to playmakers in space. USC will have to defend the entire field horizontally and vertically, and there will be a huge emphasis on tackling much better on the perimeter. USC was bad in that area last week, and it was a primary reason that Mississippi State had such success particularly in the first half.
Players to know/scouting reports
QB Phillip Nelson – Has already put up big numbers this season for the Pirates, and does a good job of operating ECU’s QB-friendly offense. He spreads the ball around and can make the throws needed within the offense. He’s not going to be like Mississippi State’s Nick Fitzgerald in that he’s not as fast or physical a runner, but Nelson is capable of buying time, escaping, and making some throws on the run.
RB Anthony Scott – Most think of the passing game when thinking of ECU, which is fair. However, the Pirates will still try to get Scott going on some running plays including keeping the defense honest with plays up the middle. He has some tackle-breaking ability and some burst, so USC will need to be aware of him as well.
All-purpose – James Summers – He’s listed as a receiver, but ECU will line him up in the backfield and let him take direct snaps as well. He’s a physical runner and broke multiple tackles en route to a rushing touchdown last week against ECU. He’s a versatile player.
WRs Zay Jones/Quay Johnson – Unfairly lumped together even though they’re different types of players. Brown is bigger at nearly 6-foot-2, but Johnson caught 13 passes against NC State. Both are savvy route-runners who know how to get open.
OLB Dayon Pratt – This is a player who really flashed to me when watching ECU/NC State from Saturday. He’ll line up as an outside backer on the edge and can really cause problems with his ability to rush the passer or knife inside to stop running plays.
NG Demetri McGill – He can cause some problems lined up over the center in ECU’s three-man look. He’s got some power and some quickness and blew up some plays against NC State by collapsing the interior.
There will be some similarities to the first two games this season in that USC is going to get see multiple fronts, some three and even two-down alignments from ECU defensively. I also noticed that ECU will blitz from multiple angles and try to create some confusion.
In addition to just the simple fact that ECU distributes the ball to several different players in space, there is just a lot to account for within the offense. There are shifts and motions to try to get the defense out of position pre-snap, handoffs to backs out of unconventional positions, quick throws in space, and deep shots.
I did notice that Nelson put the ball in danger on some of his deep balls. Winning up front and forcing ECU to make throws deeper down the field will be a priority for the Gamecocks.
USC’s linebackers will be a key in this game because ECU likes to do a lot that can stress the linebacking corps of a team. There are crossing routes, pick plays, play action, etc.
NC State got a pick on a deep ball from Nelson and broke some others up; the Gamecocks need to do a better job of playing the ball in the air and taking advantage of any opportunities to create a turnover. The Gamecocks dropped multiple potential picks against Vanderbilt and Will Muschamp was not pleased with how the USC defensive backs played the ball when “in faze” with receivers at times against Mississippi State.
I said the same about Mississippi State – did not come to fruition in part because of the play of USC’s OL up front – but I think there are some vulnerabilities in the ECU back end in terms of being able to make some big plays.
ECU gets the ball out quickly a lot, but USC has to find a way to affect Nelson even on shorter throws. He nearly had two other balls picked against East Carolina and was under pressure a decent amount.
Speaking of the offensive line, I think that’s the weak link for ECU. The offense can certainly help hide that because of how it’s structured, and if USC does not play well up front they’ll still look good. However, NC State was able to rack up many tackles for loss during the course of the game and as I stated Nelson was flushed from the pocket numerous times due to pressure.
I noticed that when ECU did get some protection on downfield throws, that NC State was sometimes too soft in coverage and gave up completions. USC will need to be physical in coverage.
I think USC’s group of tight ends could have another nice game on Saturday, based on some of the routes I saw NC State have some success with against ECU. Obviously, playing well up front for the Gamecocks will be a priority as the offensive line has not played well aside from pockets this season. ECU has enough movement up front to create some issues.
NC State’s quarterback is not a “runner” by any means, but he did make some plays with his legs including breaking through for a zone read touchdown. I expect Brandon McIlwain to play a big role in Saturday’s game, and he will give ECU something else to account for defensively.
In some ways, the Gamecocks’ challenge on defense here will be similar to what was presented by Mississippi State. ECU’s mode of operation on offense is to get the ball to playmakers in space. USC will have to defend the entire field horizontally and vertically, and there will be a huge emphasis on tackling much better on the perimeter. USC was bad in that area last week, and it was a primary reason that Mississippi State had such success particularly in the first half.
Players to know/scouting reports
QB Phillip Nelson – Has already put up big numbers this season for the Pirates, and does a good job of operating ECU’s QB-friendly offense. He spreads the ball around and can make the throws needed within the offense. He’s not going to be like Mississippi State’s Nick Fitzgerald in that he’s not as fast or physical a runner, but Nelson is capable of buying time, escaping, and making some throws on the run.
RB Anthony Scott – Most think of the passing game when thinking of ECU, which is fair. However, the Pirates will still try to get Scott going on some running plays including keeping the defense honest with plays up the middle. He has some tackle-breaking ability and some burst, so USC will need to be aware of him as well.
All-purpose – James Summers – He’s listed as a receiver, but ECU will line him up in the backfield and let him take direct snaps as well. He’s a physical runner and broke multiple tackles en route to a rushing touchdown last week against ECU. He’s a versatile player.
WRs Zay Jones/Quay Johnson – Unfairly lumped together even though they’re different types of players. Brown is bigger at nearly 6-foot-2, but Johnson caught 13 passes against NC State. Both are savvy route-runners who know how to get open.
OLB Dayon Pratt – This is a player who really flashed to me when watching ECU/NC State from Saturday. He’ll line up as an outside backer on the edge and can really cause problems with his ability to rush the passer or knife inside to stop running plays.
NG Demetri McGill – He can cause some problems lined up over the center in ECU’s three-man look. He’s got some power and some quickness and blew up some plays against NC State by collapsing the interior.
There will be some similarities to the first two games this season in that USC is going to get see multiple fronts, some three and even two-down alignments from ECU defensively. I also noticed that ECU will blitz from multiple angles and try to create some confusion.
In addition to just the simple fact that ECU distributes the ball to several different players in space, there is just a lot to account for within the offense. There are shifts and motions to try to get the defense out of position pre-snap, handoffs to backs out of unconventional positions, quick throws in space, and deep shots.
I did notice that Nelson put the ball in danger on some of his deep balls. Winning up front and forcing ECU to make throws deeper down the field will be a priority for the Gamecocks.
USC’s linebackers will be a key in this game because ECU likes to do a lot that can stress the linebacking corps of a team. There are crossing routes, pick plays, play action, etc.
NC State got a pick on a deep ball from Nelson and broke some others up; the Gamecocks need to do a better job of playing the ball in the air and taking advantage of any opportunities to create a turnover. The Gamecocks dropped multiple potential picks against Vanderbilt and Will Muschamp was not pleased with how the USC defensive backs played the ball when “in faze” with receivers at times against Mississippi State.
I said the same about Mississippi State – did not come to fruition in part because of the play of USC’s OL up front – but I think there are some vulnerabilities in the ECU back end in terms of being able to make some big plays.
ECU gets the ball out quickly a lot, but USC has to find a way to affect Nelson even on shorter throws. He nearly had two other balls picked against East Carolina and was under pressure a decent amount.
Speaking of the offensive line, I think that’s the weak link for ECU. The offense can certainly help hide that because of how it’s structured, and if USC does not play well up front they’ll still look good. However, NC State was able to rack up many tackles for loss during the course of the game and as I stated Nelson was flushed from the pocket numerous times due to pressure.
I noticed that when ECU did get some protection on downfield throws, that NC State was sometimes too soft in coverage and gave up completions. USC will need to be physical in coverage.
I think USC’s group of tight ends could have another nice game on Saturday, based on some of the routes I saw NC State have some success with against ECU. Obviously, playing well up front for the Gamecocks will be a priority as the offensive line has not played well aside from pockets this season. ECU has enough movement up front to create some issues.
NC State’s quarterback is not a “runner” by any means, but he did make some plays with his legs including breaking through for a zone read touchdown. I expect Brandon McIlwain to play a big role in Saturday’s game, and he will give ECU something else to account for defensively.
