Before South Carolina's 20-15 victory over East Carolina on Saturday, the last time the Gamecocks held a first half lead was in the 2014 Independence Bowl against Miami. In the 15 games since their last halftime lead, South Carolina has cycled through three different head coaches and five different starting quarterbacks. The early advantage helped the Gamecocks withstand an unabating offensive attack put forth by ECU en route to their second win of the season.
South Carolina's inability to get off to a fast start has been scrutinized to no end over the past several months, but redshirt freshman AJ Turner took things into his own hands when he returned the opening kickoff for 80 yards down to the ECU nine-yard line. In his home debut and first career start freshman Brandon McIlwain scored on the first play of the drive on a nine-yard keep, giving South Carolina a lead before many fans had even settled into their seats.
On the following offensive possession, McIlwain lead South Carolina on an 84-yard scoring blitz. The drive lasted just two minutes and spanned six plays, but McIlwain capped the scoring possession with a 10-yard rush, once again entering the end zone virtually untouched.
After Mississippi State's quarterback Nick Fitzgerald carved up South Carolina's defense the previous week — to the tune of 195-rushing yards — the defense entered this game under a lot of pressure. In a battle of endurance the defense was on the field for 91 snaps, and while they did allow 519 total yards, they did not break. Three critical turnovers in the red zone helped mitigate the Pirates' relentless offensive attack.
The pass rush game for the Gamecocks had been essentially nonexistent in the first two games, compiling just one sack. In the first half alone of their third game South Carolina got to ECU quarterback Philip Nelson three times. The benefit provided from the pass rush alleviated pressure felt by the secondary unit as they tried to defend ECU's strong passing offense.
Junior cornerback Jamarcus King was truly unleashed in the South Carolina defense for the first time against ECU, using his versatility to make an impact all over the field. He recorded six tackles while providing solid coverage against the pass game. King's crucial interception in the second quarter crushed a promising drive from ECU and ensured that South Carolina could end their infamous streak with a halftime lead still intact.
Junior defensive back Chris Lammons was singled out by Coach Will Muschamp for his poor performance after Mississippi State, but against ECU he rebounded with a career game and served as a major factor in South Carolina's durable red zone defense. In the first quarter he forced a fumble after sacking Nelson. His biggest moment came in the third quarter when he recorded the second South Carolina end zone interception, crippling yet another drive for ECU.
Statistically there is no denying that ECU outperformed South Carolina despite the final score. Zay Jones reeled in 22 receptions for 190 yards while Nelson passed for 400 yards on 44 completions.
Despite the numbers, Muschamp was pleased with his defense's performance. "You hold an offense like that to 15 points — it's an outstanding performance — first of all by our defensive staff but mostly by our kids," he said.
In his first showing as South Carolina's starting quarterback, McIlwain completed 16 of 28 passes and displayed composure well beyond his experience. Moving forward, Muschamp says he plans to make McIlwain his starting quarterback.
Running back David Williams also made the most of his opportunities after hardly being featured in the offensive game plan against Mississippi State. The redshirt junior netted 67 yards on seven carries.
Aided by their early lead and key red zone stops, South Carolina will head to Kentucky next weekend with two wins on their resume. It will be their third road effort in SEC play after defeating Vanderbilt in the season opener and then falling to Mississippi State in week two. For the time being, however, they will be thankful just to have earned their first home victory.