East Carolina Receiving Corps Key Against South Carolina

Justin Hardy has a history playing against the South Carolina Gamecocks.

As a freshman in 2011, the Vanceboro native made a name for himself against them in the Pirates’ season-opener in Charlotte. Although his efforts were in a 56-37 defeat, Hardy shined with 11 catches and a touchdown in his collegiate debut.

Hardy and the Pirates visited Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia the following year and caught eight passes for 111 yards and a touchdown. Once again, his efforts weren’t enough as the Gamecocks routed the Pirates in another landslide win, 48-10.

ECU will travel to Columbia Saturday, looking for revenge against No. 21 South Carolina, which is looking to avoid falling to 0-2 for the first time in 15 years. 

In one of college football’s shockers in week one, Texas A&M sophomore quarterback Kenny Hill picked apart the Gamecocks defense, completing 44 of 60 passes for 511 yards and three touchdowns.

The Aggies rolled to a 52-28 road win, while South Carolina’s 18-game home winning streak came to a screeching halt.

From the outside looking in, the Pirates’ receiving core seem to be treating preparation for its upcoming road test no differently than it did for the season-opener win against N.C. Central.

“We’re very deep at that position,” said Hardy on ECU’s receivers. “I can honestly say that out of my five years being here, this is probably one of the best groups that we’ve had.”

Sophomore wide-out Davon Grayson added, “Our receiving core is stacked. It’s a great thing to know that when you step off the field, there’s a guy that’s going to step on the field without the offense losing track.”

Aside from the Pirates four main receivers —seniors Hardy and Cam Worthy and sophomores Grayson and Isaiah Jones— ECU has several capable reserves, led by sophomore Jimmy Williams and junior Cedric Thompson.

In ECU’s 52-7 victory over N.C. Central, senior quarterback Shane Carden had 283 passing yards in three quarters played. He played particularly well with Jones, who picked up a career-high 150 receiving yards from ten catches.

The Pirates know that their success against a Football Championship Subdivision opponent won’t matter much when they take on the Gamecocks Saturday.

“What happened last week with them and what happened last week with us really has no bearing,” said ECU Offensive Coordinator Lincoln Riley. “We have to go in there and play as hard as we can.”

The result of this upcoming game could say many things about South Carolina and the Southeastern Conference.

If the Pirates can thrive in the passing game like the Aggies did, critics will further question the legitimacy of South Carolina’s secondary. If not, Kenny Hill’s record-setting performance will look even more special.

“We’re going to give them our best shot,” said Worthy, who will be making a homecoming this weekend. “They have a great defense. I think what happened with Texas A&M was first-game jitters. I know they will be ready to play against us.”

For the Pirates, a victory against the Gamecocks on the road would be an ideal way to start off a tough three-game stretch that continues with Virginia Tech on the road and then North Carolina at home. However, a win over a motivated team coached by Steve Spurrier won’t be easy to come by.

“It’s going to be a great matchup,” said Carden. “We went down there two years ago and got our ass kicked so we have to be ready go. They have a very good team and coach. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to play them.”