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East Carolina's
defensive
performance has
undergone a
renaissance under
the oversight of
Rick Smith, pictured
in the midst of
celebrating players
after the Pirates'
victory last
December over Ohio
in the Beef 'O'
Brady's Bowl. Since
Smith took over as
defensive
coordinator in 2013,
the unit's
effectiveness as
measured by
statistics has been
on a notable
upswing. (Archive
photo by W.A. Myatt) |
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FOOTBALL |
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Big win means bigger opportunity |
East Carolina
made it three in a row over
ACC teams on Saturday,
beating Virginia Tech 28-21
in Blacksburg. More
impressive is the fact that
each of the three wins came
on the road. Now the Pirates
can go for four in a row
...
More from Brian Bailey... |
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MULTIMEDIA |
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Audio: The
Brian Bailey Show |
  The
Brian Bailey Show
airs on Pirate Radio
1250 on Mondays at
6:30 p.m. Brian's
guest was ECU RBs
coach & recruiting
coordinator Kirk
Doll:
Replay
show... |
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Audio: Coach Ruff
Weekly Presser |
  ECU
coach Ruffin McNeill
spoke with the media
at his weekly press
conference on Monday
(courtesy of Pirate
Radio 1250;
Bonesville file
photo):
Select
clip... |
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Carden leads poetic triumph |
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BLACKSBURG, VA — The late
British poet laureate, Rudyard
Kipling, probably would have
liked Shane Carden. In the poem
'If' Kipling says, "If you can
meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors
just the same ..."
The
Captain, Carden, has experienced
both triumph and disaster in the
span of two weeks on the road
against nationally-ranked teams
as East Carolina quarterback.
...
More from Al Myatt... |
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Game Day Pix
from Lane Stadium |
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ECU quarterback Shane Carden gives offensive
coordinator Lincoln Riley a bear hug after
putting the Pirates ahead of Virginia Tech
in the game's final minute. [W.A. Myatt
photo] |
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View W.A.
Myatt's complete photo gallery... |
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Audio: Ruff & Players
Post-game... |
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ECU
coach Ruffin McNeill and
some of his players spoke
with the press after the
Pirates defeated Virginia
Tech on Saturday (recorded
by W.A. Myatt; file photo):
Select audio clip... |
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FOOTBALL |
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Kevin's Keys to the Game |
Today’s game
is a big one for both East
Carolina and Virginia Tech.
The Hokies are 2-0 coming
off a huge win over Ohio
State in the Horseshoe in
front of 108,000 screaming
Buckeye fans. The Pirates
are 1-1 coming off a tough
loss in which they went toe
to toe against South
Carolina and, arguably,
outplayed the Gamecocks
everywhere but on the
scoreboard.
...
More from Kevin Monroe... |
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FOOTBALL |
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Pirates seek to break Bud's
shackles |
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East Carolina averaged 40.2
points per game in 2013. The
potent Pirates exceeded 50
points five times. Against
this week's opponent,
Virginia Tech, ECU was on
the short end of a 15-10
score last season. After a
22-yard scoring pass from
Shane Carden to Bryce
Williams in the first two
minutes, the end zones were
off limits to the Pirates.
...
More from Al Myatt... |
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FOOTBALL RECRUITING |
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Florida talent pool still
producing |
 C.J.
Maybin has always like to
hit people on the football
field, even when it wasn’t
appropriate. “When I was
younger my Dad started me
off by signing me up for
flag football,’’ Maybin
recalled recently. “But it
wasn’t fun to me just
grabbing somebody’s flag. I
wanted to hit. So I
immediately started tackling
the other players. “The
other parents did not like
it. So they moved me up to
the tackle league.’’ ...
More from Sammy Batten... |
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By
Al Myatt
©2014 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
View ECU's Football
Schedule
With the big games that Shane Carden and Cam Worthy had
offensively in
a 28-21 win at Virginia Tech on Saturday,
it's easy to lose sight of the contributions of the East Carolina
defense in a 2-1 start as the Pirates get ready to host North Carolina
(2-0) on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. (ESPNU).
In the second season with Rick Smith as defensive
coordinator, ECU is better statistically thus far than a year ago.
The Pirates are allowing 20.3 points per game at present,
which is tied for 42nd among 125 Football Bowl Subdivision teams.
Last year, ECU yielded 24.8 points per game and was 49th
in the FBS.
Rushing defense is better, too. The Pirates are allowing
112.0 yards on the ground per game this year, which is 34th in the FBS.
That compares with 116.7 yards in 2013, which put ECU 13th nationally.
The Pirates' pass defense has given up 222.7 yards per
game this season, 60th in the FBS. Last year, opponents averaged 252.1
yards through the air per game, which put ECU 93rd nationally.
The totals thus far have come against one Football
Championship Subdivision program, North Carolina Central, at home, and
two nationally-ranked FBS foes, South Carolina and Virginia Tech, on the
road.
With only three starters back, the Pirates are getting it
done on defense, but don't give Smith too much credit.
"I get upset when I read Rick Smith's defense," said
Smith, whose position responsibility is the secondary.
ECU alumnus Marc Yellock coaches the defensive line. John
Wiley is the inside linebackers coach and Duane Price works with outside
linebackers.
"It's the defensive staff," Smith said. "They're a great
bunch of guys to work with. ... The game plan is more those three guys
than it is me. As a coordinator, you try to see what your guys are good
at, what are their strong points and then you let them do what they're
good at.
"You watch Marc Yellock on the sideline getting the
D-line adjusted. You don't see me talking to the D-line. John Wiley gets
that clipboard out and he's getting those linebackers straight. I'm
trying to get the secondary straight. ... The eyes are upstairs. Duane
is the one telling them whether they're pulling the guard and blocking
back. It's truly a staff effort.
"I'm embarrassed sometime when I get credit for it."
Adjustments in rush defense
The Pirates allowed 31.6 points per game in 2012 before
coach Ruffin McNeill changed defensive coordinators and brought Smith
back to the program. Smith coached the secondary for Skip Holtz at ECU
from 2005 to 2009, including Conference USA championships in 2008 and
2009. He spent three seasons at South Florida with Holtz before the
Bulls relieved Holtz of his duties.
"Rick Smith was a Godsend," McNeill said. "I was looking
for a person who was an expert in secondary coaching. I was looking for
a person who had success as a coordinator and a person who understood
East Carolina University. Rick fit those needs to the T."
Smith, who was defensive coordinator at Tulane during an
unbeaten season in 1997, wasn't entirely happy about the Virginia Tech
game.
"The challenges will be, as always, our corners one on
one versus their wide receivers," Smith said. "That's what happened to
us last week. We gave up 14 points in the fourth quarter and both of
them were double moves. ... Josh Hawkins gave up a double move in man
coverage and Detric Allen gave up a stutter and go in a three-deep zone.
We're working on the stutters and go, the double moves.
"Great defenses have to have great corners. Great
defenses don't give up 14 points in the fourth quarter when they can win
it themselves."
The Pirates were better against the run against the
Hokies than they were at South Carolina when the Gamecocks used a
ground-oriented drive to take over 10 minutes off the clock in the
fourth quarter before kicking a field goal.
ECU limited the Hokies to an average of 2.8 yards on 33
rushes. South Carolina averaged 4.6 yards on 38 rushes.
"We didn't play the tight end wing very well against
South Carolina," Smith said. "We got tired and we were kind of doing it
like we did when we had Derrell Johnson, who weighs 260. The guy we've
got now is 220. We can't play it like we did with a guy who weighed 260.
We just got mashed. We changed the way we were playing that and it
helped. We got a safety more involved in that part of the running game."
Smith liked the improvement he saw in Wednesday's
practice.
"Yesterday, the new stuff we put in, there were some
mental mistakes," Smith said. "Today, we had very few mental mistakes. I
thought they played a lot faster today, more confidence and moved
around."
Coach Dye to speak to team
Coach Pat Dye, who coached McNeill at ECU, will be on
hand for Hall of Fame ceremonies and the game this weekend.
Dye had a 48-18-1 record from 1974 to 1979. He guided the
Pirates to an 8-3 record in 1977 in the program's first year as a
Division I independent.
Dye subsequently compiled a 99-39-4 record at Auburn and
won four SEC championships.
Improvement was a daily goal for the former Georgia
All-America.
"Coach Dye said, 'Every day two things happen. You get
better or you get worse.'" McNeill said. "You never stay the same.
"I use that same term with our guys now. You want to make
sure you get better every day. Not just every day but every play and
it's not just on the field but in life and in the classroom, too."
Dye is scheduled to speak to the team Friday.
Ruff at Dean Smith camp
McNeill had a good experience in Chapel Hill long before
a 55-31 win over the Tar Heels
in Chapel Hill last year.
He attended former Tar Heel basketball coach Dean Smith's
camp as a youngster.
"It was the only camp I ever went to," said the ECU coach
who grew up in Lumberton. "I worked in tobacco like I always did from
probably 10 years old to 15. My mom and the church saved up enough money
for me to go to basketball camp.
"That was a first experience with a hall of fame coach
like Coach Smith.
"It was a great opportunity and I had a great time. It
was great competition. I thought it was well organized. We played a lot
of games. There was a lot of teaching as far as fundamentals, which I
still respect today."
McNeill's dad, Ruffin McNeill Sr., was a basketball
coach. He had an unbeaten team at E.E. Smith High School in
Fayetteville. McNeill's first coaching assignment was guiding the hoops
program at Lumberton High.
"I learned the importance of fundamentals from my dad and
from Coach Dye when I went to college," McNeill said. "My team (at camp)
wasn't made up of higher-ranked players at that time but we did pretty
good. I think we got down to the finals. We may even have won it. I
can't remember. It was a long time ago, about '74 or '75."
Penalty flags flying
ECU averaged just 5.3 penalties per game and 44.9 yards
in walkoffs during a 10-3 season in 2013.
The ACC crew calling the game at Virginia Tech called 13
penalties on the Pirates for 114 yards.
The SEC crew the previous week at South Carolina made
some mystifying calls.
Contract terms allowed the conference of the host team to
provide officials the last two weeks. Sources said ACC officials will
work this Saturday's game.
"We talk about making sure we're doing things technically
right," McNeill said. "There's three kinds of penalties. There's
administrative penalties and that's jumping offside, formation
alignment, illegal procedures. Those are what we call administrative
penalties and we can fix those pretty quickly. Then there's what we call
technique penalties. There may be a hold call where we need to move our
feet a little better offensively. Get our body in a little better
position. A facemask call. Those are technique penalties. They can be
corrected by shoring up a player's technique.
"Then there's what we call selfish penalties, those
personal foul penalties and after the whistle. Those penalties are
selfish.
"We want to eliminate penalties, get them down to a small
margin and we'll continue to work on that."
Breakdown in field goal operation
Warren Harvey didn't appear to strike a 37-yard field
goal attempt very well at Virginia Tech in the second quarter and it
went wide right.
There were extenuating circumstances.
"It was very loud and a lot of excitement on the field,"
McNeill said. "On offense, we have a silent count. On field goals, we
have to go by movement. A nod means 'I'm ready.'
"The holder, which is Worth Gregory (punter), who has
done fantastic for us (47.1 yard average on eight punts at Virginia
Tech) but he's also a first-year player. His job is to watch the play
clock. He looked back and he thought he saw Warren nodding but he was
just going through his movements.
"The ball was snapped a little bit early but we can fix
that."
Wiley appraises challenges
Wiley is heavily involved in ECU rushing defense and that
aspect of the upcoming game figures to be a factor.
"We've got to make formation adjustments," said the
Pirates inside linebackers coach. "We've got to make any checks and
adjustments that we have. We've got to do our job in the run game. We've
got to get the defense as a whole set. Their offense is very similar to
ours in the passing game that we see every day. They've got a few more
run plays with some guard pulls. One of the things I think is going to
be key for us to be successful this Saturday is to control this
quarterback (Marquise Williams) and his feet. The one play that scares
me maybe is the quarterback draw. Other than that, it's going to be him
scrambling on a pass play.
"I think that's where he poses his greatest threat.
"If we're in zone coverages or any time we're in a spy
situation, it's going to fall on one those two insides (mike Zeek Bigger
or buck Brandon Williams) maybe to come out of coverage and go contain
him."
Williams has averaged 57.5 yards rushing in wins over
Liberty (56-29) and San Diego State (31-27).
