From the University of South Carolina Media Relations
COLUMBIA, S.C. (September 6, 2012) -- The ninth-ranked University of South
Carolina football team (1-0, 1-0 SEC) went through a lighter workout on Thursday
afternoon as it continues preparations for Saturday's home opener against the
East Carolina Pirates (1-0, 0-0 C-USA). Game time is set for 12:21 p.m. at
Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia. The game will be televised regionally by the
SEC Network with Dave Neal, Andre Ware and Cara Capuano describing the action.
Approximately 4,000 tickets priced at $40 each remain for the
contest.
Defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward knows his defense will be
tested by the fast-paced Pirate offense. "That's the style of offense they play.
They're not going to sit back and hold the ball a lot. The quarterback is going
to get rid of the football. We're definitely going to have to play well in space
so it puts a lot of pressure on us. Hopefully we can take all the technique and
fundamentals that we've taught in the spring and fall camp and utilize
it.
We didn't play bad the first game," continued Ward. We gave up three
big plays. If we eliminate those, I thought we played pretty good, based on the
field position we had. Most good teams show the most improvement from their
first game to the second and we expect that from the guys on Saturday. We're
going to do what we do and hopefully execute better than they do."
Ward
indicated that his defense is relatively healthy for game 2. "We've got guys
that aren't 100 percent but they're going to give it all they got and hopefully
hold up."
The Gamecocks will have a short walk-thru on Friday as their
final tune up before Saturday's non-conference clash.
