|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FOOTBALL RECRUITING |
|
ECU lands Georgia
stalwart |
|
 Locust
Grove (GA) TE/OLB
Aubry Payne has
signaled his intent
to sign with East
Carolina. He also
had offers from
Cincinnati, Georgia
State and
Presbyterian. After
playing significant
roles on offense and
defense last season,
Payne started the
2015 campaign with 4
receptions for 107
yards in the
Wildcats' first two
games. ...
Thumbnail sketches... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FOOTBALL RECRUITING |
|
DE Futrell stays close to home |
Rangy Greenville (NC) South Central
defensive end Kendal Futrell will
follow in the path of former
teammate Shawn Furlow and play his
college football at East Carolina.
Futrell was also being courted by
Clemson, N.C. State, North Carolina,
Old Dominion and Purdue. ...
Thumbnail
sketches... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Towson tests Pirates in opener |
|
GREENVILLE — East Carolina coach
Ruffin McNeill tells his players
not to apologize for wins. The
Pirates were challenged Saturday
night in a 28-20 win over Towson
at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium but
that might have been just what
ECU needed. ...
More from Al Myatt... |
|
|
|
|
 |
Ruff & players post-game
audio |
|
  ECU
coach Ruffin McNeill
spoke with reporters
Saturday night after the
Pirates defeated Towson
(recorded by W.A.
Myatt):
Select audio clip... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By
Al Myatt
©2015 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
VIEW MOBILE VERSION OF THIS PAGE
First-year Florida football coach Jim McElwain didn't
provide any bulletin board material in advance of Saturday's 7 p.m. game
with East Carolina at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
McElwain was
very complimentary in his remarks regarding the Pirates after the Gators
opened their season with a 61-13 win over New Mexico State before 90,227
at the Swamp.
"This is a
ball coach in Ruffin McNeill that I've got the utmost respect for,"
McElwain said. "He's a guy I consider a friend. I love the way his team
plays. They play with passion. They're physical. They fly around and
play with a lot of speed.
"They're a
team that's obviously not going to come in here at all and be wowed by
the Florida Gators. They're a team that obviously a year ago we played
in a bowl game and put up (536) yards on us. ... It starts up front.
They've got four returning O-linemen with (J.T.) Boyd the guy that kind
of triggers it at guard. That experience really helps you. I think what
makes them so hard to defend is this (Bryce) Williams guy, the tight end
in the multiple formations. They list him at tight end but he plays
running back, fullback, H-back, flex him out in the wide receiver.
"What that
allows you to do and I love that versatility at that position. It's
something that we look to get to but now you don't have to personnel sub
to get into certain things of what you want to do package-wise. So now
you don't become predictable based on who's on the field. He really keys
that.
"Both
running backs played a ton last year. Obviously, they have the guy
(Chris Hairston) who had four touchdowns his last game. Although they
run that spread, the balance rushing and passing is something that
causes you issues on that side of the ball.
"Defensively, I think you really see a team that has Ruffin's
fingerprints all over it. Very, very physical and fast, triggered by one
inside backer (Zeek Bigger) and the outside backer (Montese Overton),
that kind of key everything that they do. They disrupt you when they
pass rush. They're able to cover in space and they cause you issues with
their different pressures and kind of coming from everywhere out of that
odd stuff that they run.
"(Josh)
Hawkins is a secondary guy that's got a bunch of picks. He had one
against us last year and obviously had one in the first game.
"But I think
the overall thing is you see a guy, the program is what he wants. A team
that's been to a bunch of bowl games, plays everybody and doesn't back
down. We've got a heckuva challenge."
Focus on corrections
ECU's 2015
starting point was
a 28-20 home win over Towson,
a Football Championship Subdivision program. The Gators, incidentally,
took a 28-20 win over the Pirates
in the Birmingham Bowl on Jan. 3.
"Lot of
corrections," McNeill said. " ... There's always corrections after every
game. We had a good practice Sunday and we had a good one on Tuesday.
... The guys saw the film and saw the things they did well and things
they can improve on."
Darius
Victor ran 28 times for 137 yards for the Tigers. ECU allowed just 111.8
yards per game on the ground in 2014, ranking 11th in the Football Bowl
Subdivision and second in the American Athletic Conference.
"We knew
going into the game that he ran well against everyone last year,"
McNeill said. "He's 230 (pounds), 5-8, low gravity. They had 19
returning starters coming back. The offensive line was good. Our part,
defensively, we did some good things. We ran to the ball well. Tackled
well. Won three out of four fourth downs. Doing our job educating guys
trying to do too much. That's always going to happen that first live
action. Nothing that cannot be corrected."
Towson coach pleased
Towson coach
Rod Ambrose guided his program to the FCS title game in 2013.
"If you
could be proud in a loss, I am," Ambrose said after battling the
Pirates. "It is one of the most hostile environments to play in college
football."
Ambrose and
the Tigers didn't get the full Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium experience. The
crowd of 40,712 was 81.4 percent of 50,000 capacity.
Dontae Levingston's status
A shoulder
contusion sent right offensive tackle Dontae Levingston to the sideline
against Towson.
"Hopefully,
he can get some reps," McNeill said Wednesday, noting that Levingston
did not practice Tuesday.
With a
left-handed quarterback such as Blake Kemp, the right tackle protects
the passer's blind side.
"That's an
important side," McNeill said. " ... We've got to make sure we do a
great job at that. We hope Dontae is back but if not, Brandon (Smith)
has got to step up and be ready to play."
Gator changes
McElwain was
in Birmingham for the bowl game but his staff did not actively coach.
"They were
in disarray when we played them last time," McNeill said. "Jim (McElwain)
has done a great job. He's a very good ball coach. They're well-coached,
fundamentally sound on both sides of the ball. A ton of talent. A lot of
draft choices on the field. Defensively, very sound gap control. Gap
discipline. Gap integrity. Up front, those four guys can really get
after you. On the back end, they've got two first round draft choices I
think at corner. I know one, particularly, Vernon (Hargreaves).
"Offensively, they've got two really good mobile quarterbacks, Will
Grier and Treon (Harris). Those guys are mobile and Jim uses their
ability. They both play equal. They both do both things well, run,
throw. Similar personnel, different look. Different fingerprint."
Grier's dad,
Chad, lettered at quarterback for the Pirates in 1990 and now coaches on
the high school level at Davidson Day in the Charlotte area.
Florida will
present multiple formations.
"Spread,
three wides. two tight ends," McNeill said. "They use them. They've got
really good tight ends. ... Shifts and motions. Athletic, young
offensive linemen. Very athletic. Tight ends are very physical. Jim uses
what he has. He came up the same way I did. There's no specific deal.
He'll adjust to what he has. ... He's got some speed at the wideout
positions so you'll see everything from empty (no backs) to three wides,
tight ends with shifts and motions.
"They've got
good backs. They run hard and run tough."
"They'll
play a four front. You might see a 4-2-5. The two backers, they run
well. A lot of speed on the back end. Speed and length on the back end."
James Summers progressing
There has
been a sense of anticipation with the arrival of James Summers late in
ECU's preseason camp. Summers quarterbacked Greensboro Page to a state
4-AA title and was recruited by N.C. State and North Carolina before
detours to prep school and junior college.
"James is
just one of those team guys," McNeill said. "We signed him and he had
been thinking the position that Justin Hardy played. We call it a Y. ...
With the injury to Kurt (Benkert, projected starting quarterback), he's
working at quarterback, along with Cody Keith and Blake (Kemp). He's
catching on and learning and listening. He's got big eyes and big ears.
He's been a really good team player."
Shawn Furlow
McNeill
appears reluctant to take the redshirt off Shawn Furlow, a running back
out of South Central, who showed promise in preseason scrimmages.
"He's still
young," said the ECU coach. "We've got a stable of backs there. Marquez
(Grayson) is practicing. He's back. Devin Anderson is a guy that's back.
Ant (Anthony) Scott and Chris Hairston (senior). Derrel Scott (Tennessee
transfer) and Ant gives us two guys to fill in there next year as well.
He's doing a great job over there. He's a joy to be around. He's going
to be a really special player at East Carolina."
Nichol's grade
McNeill was
asked how Dave Nichol graded out in his first contest as offensive
coordinator.
A. A-plus,
like a I knew he would," McNeill said. "He had a good plan. He did a
great job of not giving them too much but giving them what they could
handle, especially in the first game. I knew Dave would perform well. I
think the staff did well. Brad (Davis, offensive line coach) came in and
got the offensive line guys where we could count on them heavily. I
thought Garrett (Riley) did a very good job with the wide receivers,
doing a good job blocking down field. Any time you see long runs, that
means the receivers are blocking well down field. I thought the
offensive staff did a really good job in their first outing together."
Hairston
carried18 times for 154 yards in the opener, with a 45-yard touchdown
run on ECU's opening possession.
"I thought
the defensive guys, because they had been together, made adjustments and
did a good job of making plays when we had to," McNeill said. "Right
after half there was a big stop, hold them to a field goal, even after a
penalty. Then the last series. I thought between both the offense had
more routine plays in a row. We call it consistent execution in a row.
Our defense had some but they were not as consistent on execution.
They'd go about six to eight, nine plays where they didn't have a space
but I liked the way they began and ended the second half. I liked the
way they calmed down after those first couple of drives."
Josh Hawkins
Hawkins drew
an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty at the ECU 20 on Towson's first
possession of the second half that clearly put him in disfavor with
McNeill.
But Hawkins
has apparently worked his way out of the dog house.
"Josh has
done what we asked him to do this week," McNeill said. "I expect Josh to
learn and grow from it. I don't want to ever speak to Josh about that
again, ever in his life. I expect him to come out and repay his team
with a great effort."
First game for Ruff in Swamp
McNeill has
never coached a game in the Swamp but he's had some football-related
activity in the neighborhood.
"I went to
study ball at the Swamp when Coach (Steve) Spurrier and Charlie Strong
were down there but I've never coached in the University of Florida
stadium," McNeill said.
McNeill has
known former Miami coach Randy Shannon, who is Florida's associate head
coach, since McNeill recruited the Miami area for Texas Tech.
"Mack (McElwain)
and I have known each other for a long time as well," McNeill said. "I
coached against Geoff Collins (Florida defensive coordinator) at Western
Carolina. I was at App State. Chris Rumph (Florida defensive line
coach), good defensive line coach. Know him. Skipper. Timmy Skipper,
coached him. He was a linebacker for us at Fresno State. He's the
running backs coach so I know a lot of guys on that staff. I went and
studied with Coach Spurrier's staff.
Important factors
Even though
he hasn't coached there, McNeill knows what it will take to be
successful at Florida.
"I think
what's important is that we do our job well," said the ECU alumnus.
"Everybody just do their job well. Help the team and don't hurt our team
with penalties. Do a great job of helping our team. This team had one
penalty in that first game, Florida did, and that was three minutes to
go in the game with the third-team guys in there. We've got to be ready
to make competitive plays. Everyone. Not just receivers or offense.
Every group has to be ready to make competitive plays. Critical makes on
offense or defense and make sure we have a consecutive and consistent
amount of execution in a row against this team. They're going to be
talented and ready to go. It's going to be a hostile environment. It's a
good test for us, a great test for us. A great opportunity but a great
challenge as well.
McNeill
didn't know Wednesday what conference would provide the officiating
crew.
"I haven't
gotten the email from them yet but I would hope we'd get our guys (AAC),
but last year at South Carolina we had their guys (SEC)," he said. "I'm
ready for either one."
What's playing
ECU's Friday
night movie last week, 'Straight Outta Compton,' about the 1980s hip-hop
culture, got a thumbs-up from Ruff.
"It was
excellent," McNeill said. "Brought back memories. ... You had heard
pretty good reviews on it. I enjoyed it. I think the kids did, too."
The Pirates
coach likes for his team to see an action movie the night before a game.
This week's
selection is 'Hitman: Agent 47.'
Days of yesteryear
The Pirates
have played in Gainesville once before, losing 24-17 on Oct. 22, 1983.
That team
went 8-3 with all of its losses in the Sunshine State by a total of 13
points. That included a 47-46 setback at Florida State in the season
opener and a 12-7 defeat at Miami.
Dave Thomas
Jr. was a safety on the '83 team. He now coaches Harnett Central High
School.
"I just
remember in '83 we had a pretty good team," Thomas said. "I think it
might have been homecoming or something for them and for some reason we
couldn't practice at the stadium on Friday when we got down there. I
remember Big Ed (former ECU coach Ed Emory) being upset. We did our
Friday walk-through at some shopping center parking lot. That's probably
my biggest memory of that game."
One of
Thomas's Pirate teammates was Curtis Struyk, whose son, C.J., is
starting at center for the current Pirates.
Thomas and
the elder Struyk watched ECU's season opener.
"Since we
know C.J., I watched him every play," Thomas said. "I thought the
offensive line did a pretty good job Saturday night. We were pretty
pleased. C.J. did a great job."
ECU
coach Ruffin McNeill addressed
members of the media on Monday in
his weekly press conference. (Audio
courtesy of Pirate Radio 1250; file
photo by Al Myatt:
The
Brian Bailey Show airs on Pirate
Radio 1250 on Mondays at 6:30 p.m.
Brian's guest this week was ECU
running backs & special teams coach
Kirk Doll (right):
