By Denny O'Brien
©2008 Bonesville.net
All Rights Reserved.

The 2008 East Carolina football team will likely be remembered as two distinctly different groups.

There was the bunch that opened 3-0 and climbed into the national Top 15, followed by the slimmed-down version that scratched and clawed its way to, at the very least, a Conference USA East division title.

The former captured the hearts of the American sports media, which marketed East Carolina as the latest fad in BCS-busting programs. It also gave ECU fans a sudden craving for Sugar, Oranges, and bags of Tostitos.

Those Pirates milked every ounce of attention they could from season-opening wins over Virginia Tech and West Virginia, wins that at the time rivaled many of the program’s greatest.

The hoopla kept the phones in the ECU Media Relations office buzzing and the press box at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium overflowing.

But it’s the Blue Collar Bucs with whom I personally have grown most fond given the adversity with which they have successfully dealt. They represent a team that has navigated through the bulk of its C-USA schedule in relative anonymity, a national afterthought in a sports culture that flocks to the flavor of the day.

It was almost fitting that the division-clinching victory occurred in front of a generously announced crowd of 11,453 at cavernous Legion Field. The depleted roster of no-name Pirates took C-USA’s East division in front of virtually no one and with hardly anyone outside of Greenville noticing.

“We’ve worked extremely hard,” senior defensive end Zack Slate said of ECU’s East division title. “With the limited numbers that we have, as far as depth and all the players that we’ve had injured, we’ve kind of thrown it out of our mind.

“It was a great team win tonight. It gets to a point where the offense is struggling. But you know what, they’re going to finish the game and we know it. So, we’re not exactly panicking. That’s why we stay together.”

There surely have been many opportunities for East Carolina to fall apart. Almost too many to count. And on isolated occasions throughout this season, there were hints that the Pirates could take a fatal plunge and never recover.

It started with that humbling loss to Houston that some believed could become a microcosm of what was to follow. That it followed an emotional loss at rival N.C. State bore credence to the possibility that a double body blow had knocked the collective air out of the Pirates’ season.

There also was that forgettable second quarter in Charlottesville when Virginia running back Cedric Peerman opened a rushing clinic, while the Cavaliers defense shifted the ECU offense into neutral. It no doubt marked one of the low points of a season that, at 7-4, almost anyone would have taken in early August.

But like it has proven on many occasions this season, this is one tough team that refused to stay on the mat.

“There are a lot of names out there catching balls and running around,” Coach Skip Holtz said following the Pirates' 17-13 win over UAB. “There at the end, we couldn’t get in our three-down because we had so many corners out. We’re a shell of a football team right now.

“I think it speaks volumes for these guys — their attitude, the way that they are playing and their heart and soul. I’m really proud of them.”

ECU’s fans should be, too. Because when East Carolina lands in either Houston or Tulsa for the final step in its C-USA title quest, it will do so with a depth chart that doesn’t remotely resemble the one from early August.

Missing will be the Pirates’ top two running backs, three best receivers, top offensive lineman, No. 1 linebacker, and possibly C-USA’s best defensive end. That goes without mentioning several backups — and their backups — who now cautiously roam the sidelines on crutches or with their arms in slings.

It’s a strong testimony to the resourcefulness of the East Carolina staff and the determination of players who dismiss the notion of fatigue by battling until the final horn. Collectively, they all endured their share of criticism beginning the moment expectations exceeded reality.

For the staff, critics specifically targeted an offensive philosophy that has taken a more conservative approach. With the players, it’s been the mental mistakes and physical blunders that have raised the frustrations of those craving consistency.

While neither the staff nor the players can be praised for perfection during this season of ebbs and flows, they shouldn’t be critical targets each time a play doesn’t meet the desired result. More than anything, injuries have dictated a slimmer playbook and serve as solid reasoning for inconsistent execution.

Yet despite the steady flow of attrition, neither this team nor this staff has cried surrender. They’ve not taken pity on their peril or pointed fingers at teammates for self-inflicted wounds.

If anything, the adversity with which the Pirates have dealt has made them stronger, closer, and even more determined to meet their goals. And more then ever, you sense that each player wearing an East Carolina uniform does so proudly, fully appreciating each second that he is on the field.

It’s a far cry from the well-stocked crowd that spent three weeks in the national polls. But how could you not like this patchwork bunch?