COLUMBIA, S.C. -- For a team outside the Power Five, East Carolina has done a great job of taking down some marquee programs.The Pirates have won six of their past eight Power Five matchups, including last weeks 33-30 victory over North Carolina State. Next up, the Pirates (2-0) take on a Southeastern Conference opponent in South Carolina (1-1).East Carolina coach Scottie Montgomery said the challenge for his team is using the confidence gained from defeating the Wolfpack at each practice, film session and workout until the team arrives at South Carolina for Saturdays game.Im not really concerned with last week as much as people probably think, the first-year Pirates coach said. It means a lot more outside of the building than it does in the building because were in season. Were so focused on the day and thats kind of the way were trying to raise our kids.Gamecocks coach Will Muschamp, also in his first season, couldnt agree more with his counterpart. South Carolina is searching for consistency on offense and defense and it matters little that this will be his first time on the Williams-Brice sidelines since taking over the permanent job from Steve Spurrier.South Carolina has yet to score in the opening half, trailing Vanderbilt 10-0 and Mississippi State 24-0 at the break. The Gamecocks rallied to beat the Commodores 13-10, but fell last week in Starkville, 27-14.At the end of the day, its about playing the right way, Muschamp said. Its about playing with effort and toughness and discipline and representing this university the right way, and we didnt the other nightEast Carolina, part of the American Athletic Conference, completes a three-game stretch against Power Five teams next week at Virginia Tech. Montgomery knows it will be difficult to add to the programs Power Five success.Were going into a big-time SEC environment against a big-time SEC school with a big-time SEC coach and some big-time SEC talent, he said. We are looking forward to the challenge of going on the road with our guys.---Some things to watch when East Carolina faces South Carolina:WHOS QB? Gamecocks coach Will Muschamp is again playing coy with his starting quarterback choice. Senior Perry Orth started the first two games, but freshman Brandon McIlwain played the entire second half against Mississippi State and led his team to two touchdowns. Smart money says McIlwain will see his first start at sold-out Williams-Brice Stadium for the teams home opener.ZAYS STREAK: East Carolina receiver Zay Jones has caught at least one pass in 37 straight games is fourth among current Football Bowl Subdivision wide outs. The senior has 258 career catches, most among active FBS receivers.SOUTH CAROLINAS RUN GAME: The Gamecocks have started slowly on the ground this season, ranking 124th out of 128 FBS programs with 155 yards on 61 carries -- less than 2.5 yards per rush. Freshman A.J. Turner leads with 102 yards. Nobody likes to see that, guard Zack Bailey said. We know thats on us.FAST START: East Carolina quarterback Philip Nelson, who started nine games at Minnesota in 2013, has picked things up quickly with the Pirates. He threw for 398 yards and five TDs in an opening win over Western Carolina and 297 yards with a touchdown to beat North Carolina State.BAD HOME RUN: Things havent gone well at home recently for South Carolina. Besides losing their past two openers at home, the Gamecocks closed last years 3-9 season with consecutive defeats to FCS opponent Citadel and then-No. 1 Clemson.---OnlineAP College Football website: www.collegefootball.ap.orgChina Jerseys Cheap . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. 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SAN FRANCISCO -- Nate Thurmond, the tenacious defensive center who played with Wilt Chamberlain and was an iconic figure in two cities, died Saturday after a short battle with leukemia. He was 74.The Golden State Warriors announced the death of one of the teams most respected players less than a month after they lost the NBA Finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games. Both franchises previously retired the Akron, Ohio, natives No. 42.Thurmond played 11 of his 14 seasons with the Warriors and retired after the 1976-1977 season, one year after leading the Miracle Cavaliers to an improbable trip to the Eastern Conference finals.Without a doubt, he is one of the most beloved figures to ever wear a Warriors uniform, Golden State owner Joe Lacob said.Current Cavalier and Akron native LeBron James said on Twitter: Knowing u played in the same rec league as me growing up gave me hope of making it out! Thanks!The 6-foot-11 Thurmond was voted as one of the best 50 players in NBA history and is considered among the most dominating centers in the game. He was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985.Nate Thurmond was a giant of his era and one of the greatest players in the history of our game, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.Thurmonds play and numbers werent flashy, but he earned the respect of his peers and knowledgeable basketball fans for his consistency, defense and strength.Looking back, he was as ferocious as any player in the history of the game on the court, but one of the kindest and nicest souls in his everyday life, former teammate and coach Al Attles said.Thurmond recorded the first official quadruple-double in NBA history as a Chicago Bull when he had 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists and 12 blocked shots against the Atlanta Hawks in 1974. He is one of only four players to grab more than 40 rebounds in a game.Thurmond starred at Bowling Green, averaging 17.8 points and 17.0 rebounds in three seasons. He was selected third overall by the Warriors in the 1963 draft.Thurmond apprenticed under Hall of Fame ccenter Wilt Chamberlain until the Warriors traded Chamberlain to the Philadelphia 76ers in the middle of the 1964-65 season.dddddddddddd Thurmond went on to average 15 points and 15 rebounds during his career and still holds the Warriors franchise records for career rebounds and minutes.We have lost an incredible person and someone whom I admired as much as any player I ever went to battle against on any level, Hall of Famer Jerry West said. Nate Thurmond was, without a doubt, one of the fiercest competitors that I played against during my entire career. He played with unbelievable intensity and was simply a man among boys on most nights, especially on the defensive end.The Warriors traded Thurmond to the Bulls prior to the 1974-75 season. The Bulls dealt him after 13 games the next season to his hometown Cavaliers, where he closed out his career in style.He played a key role in the Cavaliers most memorable season before James. They beat the Washington Bullets in seven games to get to the 1976 Eastern Conference finals, where they lost to the Boston Celtics in six games, but Thurmonds leadership that season made him a local legend.Cleveland teammate Campy Russell said Saturday that the Cavaliers franchise will always love and respect him as a true Cavalier legend.Though he played less than two seasons for the Cavaliers at the end of his career, his jersey number was the first retired by the team.After the seven-time All-Star selection retired, he worked for the Warriors as a community liaison and broadcast analyst until his illness sidelined him earlier this year.Nate brought the same passion to his longtime community-relations role with the Golden State Warriors, who benefited from his deep knowledge of the game and warmth and kindness to everyone he encountered for more than 30 years, Silver said in his statement.Thurmond also opened a popular barbecue restaurant in San Francisco called Big Nates BBQ, which he sold in 2011. 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