The South Carolina Gamecocks put last week’s embarrassing loss to Texas A&M behind them as Steve Spurrier‘s squad rallied to beat the ECU Pirates 33-23 in Week 2 of the 2014 college football season. Junior running back Mike Davis, recovering from bruised ribs, rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns.
The 2014 season didn’t start the way the Gamecocks wanted, but positive strides were made in Week 2. Here’s a few takes from the ECU game and what that means for the season.
Mike Davis is back
Davis was MIA against the Aggies in Week 1. He only had six carries and honestly shouldn’t have even played because of the rib situation. South Carolina’s offense struggled mightily without their star tailback. Davis showed everyone what they were missing early against ECU by scoring on a 36 yard scamper to give the Gamecocks an early lead.
Having a strong running game let South Carolina control the tempo of the game and took the pressure off of Dylan Thompson. South Carolina’s game clinching 10-minute drive in the fourth quarter was exactly what the Gamecocks want to duplicate every week, and it all started because of Davis. South Carolina burned up the clock and was able to mix up the play calling. Davis being healthy means that defenses have to respect the run at ALL times.
The offensive line is clicking on all cylinders
Davis ran harder and became stronger the longer he was on the field. The offensive line fed off of that energy and finished the game brilliantly. Having a tailback like Davis behind them clearly gives them inspiration. While ECU’s defensive front grew more tired, South Carolina’s offensive line got hungrier. The blocking on the last drive was phenomenal. The line of scrimmage was pushed up a good five yards on each play.
Georgia will be a much stiffer test for the line than ECU, but the hog mollies up front will be brimming with confidence after Week 2. Having Davis and the line clicking will be crucial against the Bulldogs as Dylan Thompson has shown he’s still not quite there.
Dylan Thompson needs to make better decisions
Thompson showed off his arm strength against the Aggies, connecting on quite a few big plays and narrowly missing on many more, but he made quite a few questionable decisions in both games this year.
Connor Shaw was one of the smartest quarterbacks with the ball and always took care of the rock. That trait was incredibly important for the Gamecocks, and Thompson has been a huge letdown in that regard so far. There have been too many throws into double coverage. There have been too many throws thrown into the wrong spot for receivers to bring down. Thompson looked better once Davis caught on fire, but there will be times that Thompson will be forced to make tough decisions to win games, and he doesn’t look like he can make those right now.
The defense has made positive strides, still not the polished final product
The defensive line got more pressure on the quarterback in Week 2 which helped the secondary out some, but Shane Carden still had plenty of time to throw. The positive aspect of that though was the fact that most offenses aren’t run like A&M and ECU. Quick slants killed the Gamecocks, but the secondary reacted much better to them than last week.
The interceptions were crucial for South Carolina against ECU. Turnovers were the defense’s strength in 2013, and the 2014 edition will need to generate more than it has thus far. The win against ECU was good for confidence, but the defense will need to work hard this week to prepare for the Bulldogs.
This article South Carolina Gamecocks: Mike Davis is back appeared first on isportsweb by Chris Edel