After a weekend of celebration following the Gamecocks 46-0 shoutout of Eastern Illinois, USC football turned its attention to Carolina’s first road trip of the season at East Carolina. The Pirates will enter the game 0-1, following a 33-19 loss to Appalachian State last Thursday in Charlotte.
On Tuesday, USC head coach Shane Beamer held his weekly press conference. Several Gamecock players were in attendance, including quarterback Luke Doty, to speak with the media. Doty was asked several different ways about his status for Saturday’s matchup with the Pirates, but played his answers close to the vest.
“My foot is feeling better each and every day,” the Myrtle Beach product stated. “I feel like I’m pretty close. I did a lot of stuff today at practice. Still have a little ways to go, but I’m feeling good about it.”
Beamer says ECU has his team’s full attention, noting that the Appalachian State game was not indicative of how talented the Pirates are. This will be USC’s first trip to Greenville since the 1997 season, a 26-0 shutout for Carolina. The Gamecocks have won the last four matchups and lead the overall series 14-5. Kickoff is set for 12pm on ESPN2.
Other highlights from Beamer’s presser ..
- Beamer notes that a Virginia Tech squad in 2014 beat Ohio State then lost to ECU at home the next weekend. “We know what we’re walking into Saturday. If we don’t, we will figure it out real quick.”
- Says the atmosphere at ECU is better than many he’s experienced in the ACC and Big-12.
- Felt the team should have blocked 4 punts on Saturday night but had some errors that prevented that. It was exciting for coaches and team to see success on special teams.
- RB Kevin Harris will play on Saturday.
- Despite displaying some excellent run after the catch skills, Beamer notes that DE Jordan Burch is, “right where he needs to be.”
