PRE-GAME ANALYSIS
-----
 |
Keys to the
Game
Friday,
September 28, 2012
By Kevin Monroe |
|
ECU vs. Texas-El Paso
Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012 • 7 pm
Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium (cap. 50,000)
TV: WITN
|
For the seventh
straight year,
Kevin Monroe, color analyst for the Pirate
ISP Sports Radio Network, provides “Kevin’s
Keys to The Game,” his weekly breakdown of
what East Carolina must do to beat its
upcoming opponent. Monroe brings a unique
perspective to the task as a member of the
broadcast team and as a former star
defensive back for the Pirates (1995-99).
|
|
|
|
By
Kevin Monroe
©2012 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
View the Mobile Alpha version of this page.
East
Carolina can defeat Texas-El Paso on Saturday if it performs well in these
key aspects of the game:
PASSING GAME
Shane Carden had a setback in the second start of his career
last week at North Carolina. The Tar heels turned up the heat on Carden in
the second half and the quarterback was hurried or sacked on almost every
possession. The North Carolina rush seemed to affect Carden’s decision
making. The negative that came from last week’s game is that Carden started
to look at the rushers instead of keeping his eyes down field and getting
the ball out quickly. The positive was that he still did a great job of
taking care of the football by throwing the ball away or taking sacks
instead of throwing interceptions. The offensive line needs to play better
as well. The 7 sacks from last week were partially on the quarterback, but
Carden needed more time to make his reads. It is essential for the line to
provide better protection this week. This offense is motored by passing the
football. The running game was successful last week but, with the passing
game suffering, only 6 points went on the scoreboard.
PASS DEFENSE
I discussed this key last week, but the Pirates had another tough day
against North Carolina QB Bryn Renner, who completed 27 of 43 passes for 321
yards and 2 touchdowns. The Pirates seemed to be in position in the backend,
but failed to make plays on the ball in the air. Tackling was also an issue
— both touchdowns receptions were the result of broken tackles. UTEP is
averaging 222 yards passing per game. Quarterback Nick Lamaison hasn’t been
the most accurate quarterback this season, only completing 55%, but he has
yet to throw an interception. Senior wide receiver Michael Edwards and
sophomore Jordan Leslie are the Miners' top two pass catchers with 21 and 19
receptions, respectively. With the ECU secondary still a little banged up,
the Pirates will need to once again rely on a committee of corners and
safeties to make plays on Saturday.
PLAYMAKERS
The
Pirates have a number of talented players but none better than wide receiver
Justin Hardy. Justin’s route running and uncanny catching ability make him
one of the top wideouts in Conference USA. Justin comes back to the ball
really well and always seems to be open. Carden needs to rely on him heavily
the rest of the season, specifically when he starts getting pressure from
the defensive line and linebackers. Getting Hardy 10-15 touches a game
spread among passes, runs and punt returns would be ideal. Wide receiver
Lance Ray is another big-time performer that needs to step up. He is a
speedy runner that has a knack for the big play in the passing game and in
the kickoff return game. There were not many deep ball opportunities for the
ECU receivers against the Tar Heels, but Carden must stretch the field this
week to keep the UTEP defense honest. Running back Ta Cooper has proven to
be a very dynamic runner over the first few weeks. He still has some work to
do in the passing game and blocking, but his ability to find holes where
there aren’t any is amazing. His efforts in the running game on Saturday
will be a huge factor.
BOTTOM LINE
In the
relatively short history of the East Carolina-UTEP series, there have been a
couple of great games. The Pirates lead the series 2-1 with two of the games
being decided by a total of 8 points. ECU
won a 45-42 overtime thriller in
2007 and
captured a 53-21 blowout victory in
2008, but absorbed
an agonizing 22-17 loss to the
Miners last season that was a factor in keeping the Pirates out of the
postseason. In this year's matchup, turnovers will be key and controlling
the offensive and defensive lines are crucial to success. This should be
another great game as the stature of this young series continues to evolve.
Send an e-mail message to
Kevin Monroe.
Dig into Kevin Monroe's
archives.
09/28/2012 03:31:15 AM
----- |
