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FOOTBALL |
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It's time to lighten the load |
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 The
East Carolina football program takes great pride in its
philosophy of playing anyone, anytime, anyplace. As well it
should. That aggressive approach to scheduling has helped the
Pirates claim plenty of high-profile victims over the years ...
More from
Brett Friedlander... |
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Reynolds, Navy too much |
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ANNAPOLIS, MD — East Carolina
seems to bring out the best in
Navy. Maybe it's that old thing
with pirates and the Navy that
ultimately led to Blackbeard's
demise. The factor that produced
a 45-21 win for the Midshipmen
at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium on
Saturday was more about Navy
senior quarterback Keenen
Reynolds and ECU's inability to
stop him or keep pace with his
offensive production. ...
More from Al Myatt... |
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View Al
Myatt's game day photo gallery... |
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Ruff post-game audio |
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  ECU
coach Ruffin McNeill
spoke with reporters on
Saturday after the
Pirates' loss at Navy
(recorded by Al Myatt):
Select audio clip... |
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By
Al Myatt
©2015 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
VIEW MOBILE VERSION OF THIS PAGE
The forecast for Saturday could definitely impact East
Carolina's 3:30 p.m. home football game with Virginia Tech. Rain could
be heavy at times, according to the outlook.
"We got to
keep playing no matter what the weather is," Pirates coach Ruffin
McNeill said. "We're not going to cancel the game. We've got to prepare
for it and take care of the ball. Try to get some turnovers from them as
well on defense. Take care of the ball and value possessions. Whenever
you play a team like a Virginia Tech on a wet day or a messy day,
possessions on offense are of value because they could be few. If we can
get an advantage, take advantage of it defensively and special
teams-wise."
ECU
topped the Hokies 28-21 last season
on a postcard of an afternoon in Blacksburg and opposing coach Frank
Beamer has a good handle on what's in store.
"No. 1,
we've got a lot of respect for East Carolina," said Beamer, an alumnus
of the program he coaches, like his Pirate counterpart. "They've earned
it. They beat us here last year. The last three games have been
seven-point games. We understand what kind of game this is getting ready
to be."
Like the
Pirates, Virginia Tech will be without their anticipated starting
quarterback. The Hokies lost Michael Brewer in the season opening 42-24
loss to No. 1 Ohio State at home. Brenden Motley passed for 220 yards
and two touchdowns in a 51-24 win at Purdue last week.
ECU turned
to left-handed junior Blake Kemp after a right knee injury in the
preseason to sophomore Kurt Benkert sidelined him for 2015.
Kemp has
been effective at times. There have been issues with ball security and
consistency at others.
"It's an
adjustment," McNeill said of the quarterback situation. "Kurt (Benkert)
had a great spring. We felt like Kurt would just continue what we had
with Shane (Carden). There are always some growing pains but Kurt goes
down and Blake steps in and has to learn the starting position quickly.
He's handled the ball well. Really, in three games, at Florida and at
Navy, he's done some good things. There have been some learning curves
we knew would be there with anyone. I'm proud of what we've done and we
just need to keep improving at it at that position with he and James."
James
Summers is the X factor at quarterback. He appeared briefly in the first
half of
a 31-24 loss at Florida and
has been absorbing the offense as quickly as possible since joining the
program late in preseason.
Neither ECU
quarterback has had a lengthy span to mentally prepare to lead a team
over the course of a season. Summers expected to come in as an inside
receiver, similar to Justin Hardy and some other former quarterbacks in
the Pirate program.
Benkert's
injury and the apparent exit from the program of Cody Keith have
enhanced the value of Summers' return to quarterback, the position he
played in junior college and in leading Greensboro Page to a 4-AA
championship.
The Hokies
have been studying Kemp.
"Very
accurate," Beamer said. "We know they're always going to have good
receivers, always have, always will. I believe, including their tight
ends. Their offensive line is all back."
The
experience up front has not resulted in the ground game production that
might have been anticipated for the Pirates.
The last two
games at Florida and Navy have resulted in a net total of 67 yards
rushing.
"It's a big
part of our offense," McNeill said. "We have to be able to run the
football. Because of the newness at quarterback, I would do it if I was
on defense – load the box up, blitz us quite and bit and try to put the
ball in the quarterback's hands. They did the same thing with Shane
early in his career. Once we become comfortable at that position, when
they load the box he'll be able to take advantage of it with some throws
and big plays. We'll keep getting better."
This is the
fourth game of the season for the Pirates. At this point on the schedule
in 2014, the Pirates
defeated North Carolina, 70-41
before a crowd of 51,082 in Greenville. ECU trailed 20-14 before taking
control with 28 straight points.
Another
sellout crowd has been announced for another ACC opponent this week. The
Pirates are going for their fifth straight win over an ACC foe.
"Those games
like this and the (North) Carolina game, the record of games like this,
to be able to beat those teams the last few years has been a blessing,"
McNeill said. "When you take the history, those games are very tough for
East Carolina and for us, even when I was playing. I was very thankful
for the crowd, thankful for our fan base. We have a great, great fan
base. They travel. They've traveled to both Florida and Navy. I'm glad
to be home. It's good to be home. ... We want to play the best we can on
Saturday."
The fan
support for the win over the Tar Heels was incredible on Sept. 20, 2014.
So was the purple sky that appeared over Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in the
late stages of that contest.
The purple
sky for the fourth game this season looks unlikely.
We won't see
Shane Carden, Justin Hardy, Cam Worthy or Breon Allen playing either.
What's
important in the big picture is for the fan base to support the team
this Saturday or beyond. A good showing, win or lose against the Hokies,
can be a building block toward contending for the American Athletic
Conference championship.
The fourth
game last season was probably the most complete offensive performance of
2014, perhaps in ECU history, but the Pirates did not play on that level
again.
As Kemp and
company hopefully progress this season, the best games may come later in
the year, a contrast to the 2014 team, which ascended to the Top 25
before losing four of its last six.
The 20-10 loss last year at Temple,
which began ECU's slide, looks less like an upset since the Owls have
started 3-0 this year with a win over Penn State.
The
turnovers – five lost fumbles – which led to the setback at Temple are a
plague to be avoided, especially with the wet footballs that may be
generated by the possibility of precipitation this week.
"Routine and
competitive plays," McNeill said when asked about important factors.
"All three sides of the ball playing together. That's big. We've got to
be able to do that with the competition we face. Offensively, value
possessions. Defensively, get off the field on third down and get some
turnovers. Those things are key."
ECU
coach Ruffin McNeill met with
reporters on Monday in his weekly
press conference. (Audio courtesy of
Pirate Radio 1250; archive photo):
The
Brian Bailey Show airs on Pirate
Radio 1250 on Mondays at 6:30 p.m.
Brian's guest this week was ECU
assistant head coach Donnie
Kirkpatrick (right):
From
Justin Jones to Bryce Williams, East
Carolina has featured a tight
end-sized pass catcher in its
receiving corps since the “Air
Raid'' offense arrived with head
coach Ruffin McNeill in 2010. ...
