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BAILEY'S TAKE
ON PIRATE SPORTS
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From the Anchor Desk
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
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By Brian Bailey |
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From one shootout to the
next
By
Brian Bailey
©2007 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
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I stated in my live television
report Saturday night that I can’t remember watching a game in which one
team ran the opening kickoff back for a touchdown, while the other team ran
the second half kickoff back for a TD.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a
football team turn the football over five times in a quarter, either. Think
about it. Sometimes you don’t even get five possessions in a quarter, much
less get the chance to give out five gifts.
Dowdy-Ficklen was rocking to
the tune of the 52-38 win over Central Florida on Saturday night. It is a
win that puts East Carolina right back in the
fight for the East Division title in
Conference USA.
The Pirates have scored 89
points in their last two games. Next up is that cross-country trip to the
Sun Bowl in El Paso, TX.
UTEP has scored 96 points in
its last two games, 148 in its last three. All were victories, including two
within C-USA.
I asked Coach Skip Holtz if he
expected a high scoring game this time out.
“From a defensive standpoint,
you certainly don’t,” said Holtz smiling. “I don’t think (defensive
coordinator) Greg Hudson is looking at it that way.”
“As a head coach, though,"
Holtz continued, "you have to look at this game with the possibility that
you may have to score a lot of points. They have scored a bunch of points.
They have great balance as a football team. They like to spread things out
and that gives a lot of teams problems.”
East Carolina is also a bit
banged up on the defensive side of the football in areas that could really
cost the Pirates this week.
“I’m really concerned about
some of the injuries this week.” Holtz said. “We have three linebackers that
could possibly be out, plus Marcus Hands is struggling with his injury.”
I talked to Marcus this past
Saturday night. He hated not being able to play, but he told me he thought
he could make the trip to UTEP.
This week’s journey to El Paso
is the second longest football trip in school history at 1,905 miles.
I was a member of the
traveling party for the longest trip in school history. That was back in
1993, when the Pirates traveled to play the University of Washington. It was
a 3,049-mile adventure.
That was certainly a trip that
I’ll never forget. The Pirates were playing with a brand new quarterback,
and were totally beaten up as a team in a 35-0 loss.
The plane that we came back in
had about 90 seats for 90 members of the traveling party. (My numbers may be
off a bit, but the point is that there was barely a seat for each person.)
The Pirates sustained so many
serious injuries that we had guys lying in rows and in seats all over the
plane. Many of us stood around for most of the flight, trying to give the
guys as much room as possible. It was by far the longest trip I’ve ever been
on!
Hopefully, this trip won’t be
nearly as hard on the team. It will, however, be tough, both getting there
and getting home.
“It’s hard because it’s in the
middle of the season,” said Holtz. “If it were after a bye week, or the
first game of the year, it wouldn’t be that bad. A lot of people probably
take four-hour plane trips all the time and don’t think anything of it, but
I bet they're not 6-6 and 340 pounds. It does take a toll for sure.”
With the X’s and O’s aside,
Holtz's big concern this week is with the frame of mind of his football
team.
“We’ve had quite a ride and I
do worry about the team emotionally,” continued Holtz. “This is a young
team, and so we will continue to make Tuesdays and Wednesdays very physical.
We’ll work them as hard as we can, and whoever is left standing, we’ll get
on the plane Friday and head to UTEP.”
The Pirates can’t afford an
emotional letdown. This team has fought to get back into the division race
in Conference USA.
Let’s hope the Pirates head
west fully loaded for what should be a shootout with the Miners.
BB
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04/21/2008 07:04:42 PM |
