South Carolina football: Gamecocks vs. East Carolina odds and prediction
By Jacob Elsey
South Carolina football: Gamecocks vs. East Carolina Pirates odds and prediction for college football week 2 matchup.
The South Carolina football team opened up the Shane Beamer era with a shutout win over Eastern Illinois last weekend, taking down the Panthers by a score of 46-0 in Columbia. That 1-0 start gives the Gamecocks a bit of momentum heading into a week two meeting with East Carolina.
This will be the first matchup between the two programs since 2016, which resulted in a 20-15 South Carolina win. That win was the Gamecocks’ fourth straight in a series in which it holds a 14-5 overall advantage. This will be the first time South Carolina travels to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in more than two decades.
East Carolina enters the contest at 0-1 following an opening loss to Appalachian State last weekend. In the 33-19 defeat, the Pirates got down 33-9 before making things look a little more respectable in the fourth quarter. They’re trying to get in the win column against the Gamecocks as they look to build upon a three-win season from a year ago.
South Carolina football vs. East Carolina odds week 2.
The Week 2 betting odds on WynnBET have the Gamecocks as four-point underdogs on the road. They have +155 moneyline odds, while East Carolina is the favorite at -190. The total for the game is set at an over/under of 56.5 points.
South Carolina football vs. East Carolina prediction week 2.
The Gamecocks are coming off of a convincing win over Eastern Illinois last weekend, but the competition gets much stiffer in week two. Surprisingly, the Gamecocks aren’t favored despite East Carolina’s struggles in their season opener.
South Carolina should get quarterback Luke Doty and running back Kevin Harris back to help out on offense, while the defense will look to remain as stout as it was in game one.
That will be tough when facing off against a veteran quarterback in Holton Ahlers, who threw for 295 yards and two touchdowns a week ago.
The key to this matchup will be South Carolina’s ability to run the football. The Gamecocks tallied 254 yards on the ground without having the SEC’s leading returning rusher available. The Pirates surrendered 226 rushing yards to the Mountaineers last week, and they’ll face an even tougher ground game this weekend.
Look for the Gamecocks to control the clock and the line of scrimmage to pull the minor upset. We’re taking South Carolina to win outright while keeping the points under the total.
The Gamecocks keep things rolling with a 31-20 victory.