DENNY O'BRIEN: Holtz giddy about defensive progress

Many predicted Greenville to be the fourth stop of a 12-week Heisman campaign tour for West Virginia running back Steve Slaton. But somebody forgot to tell the East Carolina defense.

Though No. 4 West Virginia endured its most difficult bout to date, it was forced to do so fighting left-handed. ECU held Slaton to a season-low 80 yards, forcing the Mountaineers offense out of its comfort zone and into the air.

WVU finished with 153 yards rushing, its lowest total since a loss against Virginia Tech last season. And while it is tempting to think the ECU staff conjured some magical formula to halt the Mountaineers' high-powered running game, Pirates coach Skip Holtz said his team stuck to what it knows best.

"We played our (base) defense," Holtz said. "I think our players are starting to understand the defense and how they fit in it.

"I think it takes only one guy to get out of his gap against a zone scheme to go and it's into the secondary. When everybody holds in their gap with a foxhole mentality, I think that's when you have a chance to be successful. I think they're starting to understand."

DENNY O'BRIEN'S HARRIS POLL BALLOT

Bonesville columnist Denny O'Brien is a member of the 2006 voting panel for the Harris Interactive College Football Poll, commissioned by the Bowl Championship Series. O'Brien is also the editor of The Pirates' Chest, a senior writer for Bonesville Magazine and co-host of WNCT-AM Talk 1070's Game Day Countdown Show.

When selected to the panel, O'Brien indicated he would disclose his ballot each week in conjunction with his regular Monday column on Bonesville.net. Here is O'Brien's ballot for this season's first Harris Poll, which was released Sunday by Harris Interactive:

1. Ohio State
2. Auburn
3. USC
4. West Virginia
5. Michigan
6. Louisville
7. Florida
8. Texas
9. LSU
10. Notre Dame
11. Virginia Tech
12. Georgia
13. Oregon
14. Tennessee
15. TCU
16. Iowa
17. Oklahoma
18. Clemson
19. California
20. Nebraska
21. Florida State
22. Missouri
23. Michigan State
24. Rutgers
25. Boston College

View this week's full Harris Poll.

Considering the Pirates' last six quarters of play, that certainly seems to be the case. The ECU defense completely dominated Memphis in the second half of a 35-20 win last week. That domination was underscored by surrendering only 80 yards after intermission and seizing four turnovers in the process.

But the performance against West Virginia is more revealing about the Pirates' defensive improvement. It was a more complete effort from start to finish and was against a far more powerful attack.

"I thought it was a battle up front," Holtz said. "They've got a great offensive line.

"But I tell you, the way our defensive line is improving, the intensity and the enthusiasm that our defensive staff coaches with, I think they have a chance to be an excellent defensive football team. We've made unbelievable strides in the last year as a defensive football team. Unbelievable."

Especially when you consider the source of many of ECU's defensive contributions. Five freshmen combined for 19 tackles and ten yards in losses against the Mountaineers.

That's even more impressive considering that three of the five play along the defensive front.

"When you look at how young they are," Holtz said, "That front seven had Dontre' Brown who is the only senior who played.

"Those guys are all back and they are getting better each and every game. I look at the young guys. Heck, we played Nick Johnson tonight, the true freshman linebacker. He's going to be a heck of a player."

Making his ECU debut, Johnson finished with seven tackles, including a team-high 2.5 for losses. He represents a small fraction of the Pirates' future on defense, which is peppered with talented young players who improve with each game.

Much of that is a credit to the experienced faction of East Carolina's youthful defense, which includes playmakers Marcus Hands, Pierre Bell, and Quentin Cotton — all sophomores. Toss in a veteran secondary that is the best since 1999 and you have the ingredients for a defense that should consistently improve.

And if Saturday's game against West Virginia should serve as a new foundation for the ECU 'D,' that could spell trouble for the Pirates' eight remaining opponents.

"I thought our defense played their rear ends off," Holtz said. "I thought our defensive front and our linebackers played extremely well. I think our safeties — Pierre Parker, Jamar Flournoy, and Kyle Chase — came up and did a great job of tackling in space.

"I tell you what now, our defense isn't going to back down from anybody. I mean, we'll stand toe to toe from a physical standpoint, and they're getting better."