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As a lanky, wide-eyed adolescent, Paul Troth spent most of
his fall Saturdays at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, fantasizing about one day
replacing Pirate greats Jeff Blake and Marcus Crandell under center.
That dream, now a reality, must have felt like a nightmare
Saturday, as his third quarter re-entry was greeted by a chorus of boos from
the same contingent with whom he has long so closely identified.
That on a day which will go down as the 12th-best effort by
a Pirates quarterback, throwing for 339 yards against one of the nation's
stingiest defenses.
I would have booed me if I was watching, Troth said after
the game.
The question is Why?
Take away one mistake albeit a costly one and Troth
performed near flawlessly. At times, the sophomore field general appeared
to be in that "zone" in which former Pirates great David Garrard rarely
entered throughout his stellar four-year career.
"He had one bad play where he was trying to throw it out of
bounds and he threw it to their linebacker," head coach Steve Logan said.
"That was a bad play, but it was the only bad play that he had.
"He played a wonderful game."
Indeed he did. In fact, Troth played arguably his best
stretch of football to date after re-entering the game for Desmond Robinson,
completing 11 of his final 16 attempts for 159 yards and a touchdown.
Perhaps the time on the sidelines provided the perfect
jumpstart. Or, maybe the negative crowd energy served as motivation for the
player who most embraces East Carolina's us-against-the-world attitude.
Whatever the reason for the late-game resurgence, Troth
showed no side effects from the Boo Birds' outbursts.
"Oh, he don't give a hoot about that, and I don't either,"
Logan said. "People that were booing when we took Desmond out because he
was too far under center and getting stepped on by the guard three times in
a row, (were cheering when) Paul comes back and throws a 20-yard
completion. It didn't bother anybody really."
What it did reveal was the young quarterback's maturity and
an innate ability to perform with his back against the wall. Troth played
the final 15 minutes as if there was a gigantic chip on his shoulder, one he
seemed more than proud to carry.
That's what he envisioned as a teenager eager to fulfill his
dream a dream that was never accompanied by a flock of boos.
Two left feet
Whether or not the boos were intended for Troth, or rather Logan's
decision to remove Robinson for his inability to keep his balance, the
negative outbursts were unwarranted.
It was a timely decision made to protect a young quarterback, while
keeping the hopes of a comeback victory alive.
"Desmond has got to separate from the center quicker," Logan said. "He
was hesitating under center and taking a false step that we've got to
continue to coach to get it out of him. That false step was leading his
right foot under center the guard in pass protection obviously steps back
on his set and he got stepped on three times."
"That happens in pro football from time to time and its happened to us
once in a game, but I've never seen it three straight times. I took Desmond
out to protect Desmond. He was very frustrated and I calmed him down and put
Paul back in the game and went about our business. We need Desmond to
produce and be a change-up guy and that hurt us."
Leach adds more punch
Logan has developed quite a reputation for making midseason adjustments.
This year is no different.
Noticing the Pirates were in need of a little offensive push, the
Pirates' master of improvisation moved Vonta Leach from linebacker to
fullback in an attempt to clear more room for Art Brown and Marvin Townes to
operate.
"Over the open date, all of my instincts told me that we needed to do
something to change the dynamics of what we were doing offensively for a
final piece of the puzzle," Logan said. "Getting Art and Marvin into the
secondary, to me, was the answer.
"We couldn't get them into the secondary on their own, so we reverted
backwards. Vonta was a high school fullback this is something that he's
not foreign to."
The adjustment worked, as Brown rushed for a career high 188 yards on 30
carries, while adding 102 yards receiving on six receptions.
At 6'0", 248-pounds, Leach possesses the bullish size of a bruising NFL
blocking back. What's more, his catching and running ability will allow him
to get more involved in the offense, as Logan expects his new battering
ram's role will expand as the season progresses.
"Vonta can run the ball and catch the football," Logan said. "He has
always been in our goal line, short yardage (situations) this year. But
putting him in front of those guys helps push them through the front seven
and getting them into the secondary.
"And of course you see what happens when Art and those guys get into the
secondary, they are very hard to bring down. It was an experiment that
worked. I think that his role will expand as we go on, I think that we
probably made a good move there for Vonta and for us."
Saturday's knee injury to inside linebacker Chris Moore could call for
more double-duty for Leach, who spent his first two seasons primarily as
Pernell Griffin's backup at the position. If that's the case, the Rowland
native will be more than ready.
Though he prefers defense to offense, Leach puts personal preference
aside when it comes to filling team needs.
"I'd rather be on the defensive side of the ball," Leach said. "But I'm
here to help the team, and whatever the team needs me as, that's what I'm
going to do."
Brown shouldering the load
Leach's presence as a lead blocker provided a springboard for much of
Brown's 188 yards. That statistic was also aided by the fact that the
junior running back was forced to play 70 of the Pirates' 106 snaps due to
Townes suffering from what Logan described as a full-body cramp in the
second half.
"We had to pack Art in ice and Advil over the weekend," Logan said. "He
played really courageously. He was banged up and needed some rest but could
not get it.
"I was really proud of the way Art responded. It was one of the better
games maybe ever played by an offensive player at East Carolina."
Saturday marked the second-consecutive game that Townes was unable to
perform following intermission. The unique ailment remains a mystery, says
Logan, who has a team of doctors overseeing the situation.
"With Marvin (Townes), we are really into some curious territory," Logan
said. "I don't think the doctors and certainly none of the coaches have
ever dealt with anything like what we're dealing with.
"He is fine the first half. Once he comes in during the second half he
goes into an almost full body cramp and he cannot play in the second half.
We have got to make some adjustments and we're still searching. Maybe we can
find a way to keep him, I don't know, heated up, healthy or whatever the
case may be. But we need some help there."
A battered and bruised Brown will second that.
When to hold 'em, when to fold 'em
Kenny Rogers stated in his country chart-topper that a good gambler
"knows when to hold 'em" and "when to fold 'em." That's a little advice
which Logan and offensive coordinator Doug Martin should heed in the future.
Though the decision to run the "Gamecock" play early in the first quarter
certainly isn't to blame for Demarcus Fox's fumble, you have to wonder if
the call was timely.
In the midst of a ten-play, 51-yard drive, the Pirates were clicking on
all cylinders. Troth had completed five of his six attempts on a possession
that seemed destined to end with the Pirates leading 14-3.
Nonetheless, Martin dug deep into the Pirates' bag of gimmicks, hoping to
catch South Florida off guard. Ideally, Logan says, "Gamecock" either
produces a touchdown or ends with no gain.
But this hasn't been the ideal season for East Carolina. Given the
Pirates were moving at will on one of the nation's top defenses and
considering this season's track record for trickery, perhaps they would have
been better served playing the hand they were dealt.
