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FOOTBALL |
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History adds spice to
matchup |
When you look back at the
history of the South
Carolina-East Carolina
series, it is one that has
been competitive at times —
the Pirates have won five of
the last nine matchups. The
gridiron relationship has
also had ties that cross
both programs. ...
More from
Greg Vacek... |
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FOOTBALL |
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Pirates face ol' ball coach |
Steve Spurrier may be the
biggest active legend in
college football over the
last six decades. If you're
among the fan bases at
Alabama, Clemson or North
Carolina, you may regard him
as the biggest something
else. ...
More from Al Myatt... |
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MULTIMEDIA |
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Audio: The Brian
Bailey Show |
  The
Brian Bailey Show
airs on Pirate Radio
1250 on Mondays at
6:30 p.m. Brian's
guests were ECU
defensive
coordinator Rick
Smith (right) and
Mike Steele:
Replay
show... |
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Audio: Coach Ruff
Presser |
  East
Carolina coach
Ruffin McNeill spoke
with the media at
his weekly press
conference on Monday
(recorded by Brian
Bailey; Bonesville
file photo):
Select
clip... |
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Pirates check out personnel,
systems |
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GREENVILLE — College football
doesn't have scrimmages like high schools or exhibitions as
NFL teams do and financial circumstances haven't always
allowed East Carolina a tune-up outing as the 2014 season
opener with North Carolina Central provided at Dowdy-Ficklen
Stadium on Saturday night. ...
More from Al Myatt... |
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Devaris
Brunson (34) and DaShawn
Benton (6) have a little
fun after East
Carolina's
season-opening win over
N.C. Central Saturday
night in Dowdy-Ficklen
Stadium. Photo by W.A.
Myatt. ...
View W.A.
Myatt's complete
gallery... |
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Audio: Coach Ruff
Post-game... |
 East
Carolina coach Ruffin
McNeill met with the press
after the Pirates won their
season opener Saturday night
over N.C. Central (recorded
by W.A. Myatt; file photo):
Select
clip... |
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FOOTBALL |
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Kevin's Keys to the Game |
The first
game of the year is all
about fundamentals. No
matter the season, the coach
or the players, there are
certain things that have to
happen in order for a team
to win. Strategy and
schematics are important,
but none of that matters
without blocking, tackling
and protecting the ball.
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More from Kevin Monroe... |
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FOOTBALL |
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Reformulated defense may
surprise |
We’ve all
heard that offense sells
tickets, so it shouldn’t
come as a great surprise
that earlier this week, East
Carolina – which already
ranks first in attendance
among programs in non-“Power
Five” conferences –
announced that it has
surpassed the 20,000 mark in
season ticket sales again
this year.
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More from Brett
Friedlander... |
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View Mobile Alpha version of this page.
By
Kevin Monroe
©2014 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
View ECU's
2014 football schedule
In the
preseason, today’s South Carolina-East Carolina game projected as a
matchup between one of the nation’s best teams and an unranked
up-and-comer. Fast forward to the present and things have changed a bit.
The Pirates didn’t play their best game last Saturday against North
Carolina Central, but still put up 52 points on offense and pitched a
shutout on defense. On the flipside, the Gamecocks had a poor showing in
their season-opening thumping by Texas A&M.
The
caliber of each team's competition last week makes it hard to draw
conclusions about how ECU and USC stack up against each other. But
South Carolina was a preseason top 10 and played way below its hype
in giving up over 50 points and 512 yards passing to a first-time
starting quarterback. The Pirates noticed that showing and will be
confident going into Columbia today. The Gamecocks will be better
today than they were nine days ago, but ECU can beat them if it
executes effectively in some key facets of the game.
FAST
START AND QUICK PACE
The
Pirates scored a touchdown on the opening drive of all but three
games last season. They lost two of those games, to Tulane and
Marshall. They didn’t score on either of their first two possessions
last week, but rallied to score 52 points. ECU will need to start
more quickly today in order to put pressure on South Carolina and to
take the crowd out of the game. Williams Brice Stadium seats over
80,000 and the fans will be wild and crazy by the time of the 7 p.m.
kickoff. Scoring early and often is one way to quiet the stadium.
GIVEAWAYS AND TAKEAWAYS
East
Carolina turned the ball over only one time in its opener, but it
was a big one as Breon Allen’s fumble was returned for an NCCU
touchdown. That kind of mistake today could be fatal against an
angry Gamecock team determined to demonstrate that it is better than
it looked last week. South Carolina didn’t get any turnovers against
the Aggies, but as a unit the Gamecocks had 18 interceptions last
season. On the Pirates' last trip to Williams-Brice Stadium, South
Carolina picked off 4 passes and caused a fumble. ECU was unable to
survive that many mistakes and a lost by 38 points.
DON'T GIVE UP THE BIG ONE
The
Pirates cannot afford to let South Carolina score quickly on big
plays. The ECU defense must make the Gamecocks earn points the
old-fashioned way, by going on long, sustained drives. USC running
back Mike Davis has a ton of big play ability with 4 rushes of 50
yards or more over the past two seasons. In the passing game,
quarterback Dylan Thompson is a fifth-year senior with a big arm.
Just last week, he burned A&M for touchdown passes of 40 yards and
46 yards. Avoiding the the lightning strike and making the Gamecocks
use the clock is a huge key in this game.
BOTTOM LINE
Let’s not be fooled by USC's loss to to the Aggies. The 21st-ranked
Gamecocks are still one of the best teams in the country. There is a
reason they had won 18 straight at home prior to last week. South
Carolina is a powerful team with a great fan base. In order to win
in that challenging environment, the Pirates will have to play their
best game and South Carolina will need to make some mistakes. I
expect this to be a close game late, which means the team that makes
the big plays and doesn’t turn the ball over has the best chance to
win.
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