Three and out: What we learned from ECU

South Carolina got back into the win column Saturday with a 20-15 victory over East Carolina in its home opener Saturday. Three and out helps put what we learned from that contest in perspective.

Don't count out David Williams yet - After he failed to register a snap two weekends ago at Mississippi State, some thought David Williams' time in a South Carolina backfield might be over. But Williams, who has been challenged multiple times by Will Muschamp and Co., responded by leading the team in rushing Saturday against ECU with 67 yards on seven carries. What was more important is how Williams picked up his yardage. The redshirt junior back hit the hole hard and made decisive cuts as he looked the most comfortable he ever has in a Carolina uniform. Muschamp said at his presser Tuesday that Williams still has to follow it up with a solid performance this week to show consistency, but we've said Carolina needs more than just A.J. Turner to perform at running back, and Williams' day was certainly a positive sign for him.

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The youth movement is on - As if South Carolina wasn't already playing enough young players, the Gamecocks doubled down on giving their newcomers and second-year players opportunities in Saturday's game. Brandon McIlwain's first career start gathered the headlines, but wide receiver Randrecous Davis, defensive end D.J. Wonnum, defensive tackle Keir Thomas, nickelback Antoine Wilder and safety Steven Montac -- all first- or second-year players -- made major contributions to the win. There were certainly mistakes that the coaches will look to clean up as the season progresses. But Carolina will look to build on a foundation this season, and the young players playing now have the opportunity to be the core that Muschamp creates his program around.

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Staff will adapt - We all know that South Carolina prefers to be a bump-and-run football team but with issues in its secondary and the tough task of slowing the explosive ECU passing offense, the staff decided to drop back into zone coverage and employ a bend but don't break philosophy. The Pirates racked up a ton of yardage but strugggled to find the end zone as Carolina created multiple turnovers in the red zone. The Gamecocks probably won't be able to count on all those turnovers against other teams, but it should give the defense confidence and shows that the staff is going to adapt until it has the proper players in place to run their scheme. Muschamp, who often punted the ball in fourth down situations at Florida, showed an aggressiveness in his fourth down decision-making Saturday that should serve him well moving forward.

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