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BASKETBALL
RECRUITING |
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Recruiting push starts with
backcourt |
 Guards
Shawn Williams (left) and Elijah
Hughes (right) each entertained
offers from a number of schools
before verbally committing to
join East Carolina basketball
coach Jeff Lebo's recruiting
class of 2016-17. ...
Thumbnail sketches... |
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Greg Vacek's Monday
Infographic |
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24 |
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31 |
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East Carolina's historical frustration
against SEC teams was prophetically summed
up by the Gainesville Sun's pregame 'Picks'
headline: "Different teams, same result."
The prediction by columnist Pat Dooley ahead
of the Pirates' Saturday matchup at Florida
was on the button as ECU fans experienced
another SEC 'Ground Hog Day' ...
Details and data from Greg Vacek... |
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Costly slip but Pirates moving
on |
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 GAINESVILLE,
FL � A wet ball after a day of
rain proved to be a deciding
factor Saturday night. East
Carolina was driving when
quarterback Blake Kemp lost the
handle in the closing seconds on
a 2nd-and-10 at the Florida
13-yard line. Alex McCalister
recovered for the Gators to
preserve a 31-24 win for the
tenants at Ben Hill Griffin
Stadium ...
More from Al Myatt... |
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Pictured: East Carolina coach Ruffin
McNeill contemplates the action
during the ECU-Florida game. (Al
Myatt photo) |
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Ruff post-game audio |
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  ECU
coach Ruffin McNeill
spoke with reporters
Saturday night after the
Pirates' loss at Florida
(recorded by Al Myatt):
Select audio clip... |
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By
Al Myatt
�2015 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
VIEW MOBILE VERSION OF THIS PAGE
East Carolina took on a talented program in a difficult
environment under tough conditions and had a chance to win at Florida
last Saturday night until the ball slipped out of quarterback Blake
Kemp's hands on a 2nd-and-10 play at the UF 13 in the final seconds.
The Gators
recovered the fumble for a 31-24 victory.
"We didn't
deserve to win the game," said first-year Florida coach Jim McElwain in
the aftermath.
The Pirates
were disappointed in the outcome but coach Ruffin McNeill was far from
devastated.
"A loss is
only a loss if you don't learn from it," said the ECU alumnus.
The Pirates
will look to apply the lessons learned in the Swamp as ECU opens
American Athletic Conference play at new member Navy at 3:30 p.m.
Saturday (CBSSN).
There was a
lot to take away from the contest in the Southeastern Conference hotbed.
An opponent such as Florida can be a developmental tool for a program
such as the Pirates regardless of the outcome.
McNeill saw
his boys keep their focus on winning despite trailing 31-17 with just
over three minutes remaining.
"Given a
chance to possibly change the outcome at the end of the game," McNeill
said Wednesday when asked about what he took out of the second game of
the season. "Facing adversity and being able to play the next play, we
saw it the other night, whether it was offense or defense.
"Like for
example, a defensive man had a tough play within the series and he had
to come back to make a play to force a field goal or affect the field
goal where a guy may have missed. Or it may have been a tough series,
they took it down and scored. And we came back the next series and held
up and made some plays. We had five three and outs.
"You learn
to go on the road and face a very talented opponent and face some
adversity and react to the adversity. We take that from it. I thought
the offense did a good job of throwing the ball downfield. The first
game, we took what the defense gave us but this game we felt like we had
to go downfield. Maybe a lot of games the rest of the year we'll have to
go downfield and compete for the football, competitive plays by our
receiver guys."
Kemp
completed 34 of 54 passes for 333 yards with three touchdowns and one
interception.
"I thought
we did a good job of making competitive plays, our skill kids," McNeill
said. "From Isaiah (Jones), to Bryce (Williams) to Davon (Grayson) to
Jimmy Williams. Those guys did a very good job of making competitive
plays at the receiver position."
Smith steps up up front
An injury
early in the season opener to right tackle Dontae Livingston has meant
an unanticipated number of snaps for sophomore Brandon Smith. The right
tackle becomes the blind side protector for a left-handed quarterback
such as Kemp, who was sacked three times on the soggy turf at Ben Hill
Griffin Stadium.
Smith is
typical of some of the inexperienced elements of the ECU program.
"Brandon
Smith is a young guy who we did not think would have to play 150 plays
in two games," McNeill said. "He's had to step in because Dontae
Levingston is still banged up. He may not play this week either. I was
proud of Brandon. He did not flinch. If he made a mistake, he kept
battling against some NFL draft choices. Florida had some. That was a
pleasant surprise. ... From the second or third play of the Towson game,
Levingston got hurt, he's had to come in and he's gotten a ton of reps
put on him in a first time situation. He has not backed down. Talk about
a young kid that just attacks it and goes after it. Going against a guy
like (Alex McCalister). That's one of those draft choice guys.
"The guy
last year in the bowl game (Dante Fowler Jr., third pick overall to
Jacksonville in 2015), this guy (McCalister) is just like that, only
taller. Elusive. I thought Brandon did a good job of competing. Even if
he may have gotten beaten one time, I liked what I saw after that. He
came back and played the next play. He had his share of wins in there,
too. A guy like that at that position going against a guy like that � he
was able to keep fighting and competing. He was one of the names I
brought up on Sunday on offense, how he enjoyed the competition. Even
when he made a mistake, he didn't hold his head down but kept fighting.
He really enjoyed the challenge of that game. I was proud of Brandon and
what he's showing.
"We've got
to continue to work on our pass protection. I thought our quarterbacks,
Blake (Kemp) did a good job of staying calm in the pocket, not getting
itchy feet. You hate he threw the pick six but you've got to give
Florida credit. Both quarterbacks (Kemp and James Summers) had a lot of
moxie on the sideline. Great attitudes. They were great teammates the
entire night. That's what people wonder about, having those two guys in
there. Those guys, you ought to see them work together in practice and
during games."
Defensive positives, special teams
ECU's
defense got the ball back with a three and out after the Pirates had
pulled within 31-24 on a 7-yard pass from Kemp to Bryce Williams with
3:04 to go.
"Defensively, I thought we ran to the ball well," McNeill said. "That
was good to see. We did a good job of being very disciplined in our gap
assignments, our run game assignments. Just doing our job over and over
again. You still see guys maybe trying to do a little bit too much every
now and then. But I saw more consecutive, consistent execution of our
defense. We handled adversity well.
"We had
turnovers. We had two turnovers but then we also count five three and
outs as a turnover. That's a turnover for us. Whenever you can stop the
offense and force them to punt, a three and out, that's a good play for
the defense. We had some long plays we wish we could have over again and
some turnover opportunities. We've been talking about that � that we had
right there in front of our hands. A couple of picks that we could have
had to maybe give us some field position.
"I thought
special teams and Caleb Pratt, our kickoff guy, did a good job for us.
He kicked three touchbacks in the game. Quay Johnson is one of those
guys who's coming on. Last year, he played as a freshman. He's given us
some confidence back in our return game. We can do a better job of
giving him some run lanes. Our punt coverage team against a team that I
was really concerned about their punt return. We held Florida to two
yards per punt return. That's great punt, great protection and great
coverage by our guys.
"Kickoff
return, like I mentioned, we've got to improve on that."
Over-preparing for conditions
Rain was in
the forecast for the trip to Gainesville and showers fell for most of
game day.
"We knew we
had a chance of rain so we took extra footballs, more than normal,"
McNeill said. "We learned from last year to over-prepare for conditions.
The humidity was high. We also knew that could happen. It's one of those
deals. It's a freak deal. We were moving the ball well. The drive was
going well. It was hot down on the field. It was hotter down on the
field than in the stands or in the press box. The ball, you hand it off,
you toss it around. It's been caught by guys with sweat. But no excuses,
we've got to make that play and adjust to it. There were some conditions
there. It's pretty hot here in Greenville and humid during the summer so
all of our kids are exposed to that and then during camp as well. We
thought we were really overly prepared for wet weather. Humidity is
something you have to deal with."
Kemp played
on the high school and junior college levels in Arizona, which is known
for its lack of humidity. He probably has not played with a wet football
much, if at all, in his career.
Run game stymied
There was
not much to ECU's run game. It added up to minus-13 yards for the night
against the Gators.
"They did a
good job," McNeill said. "I mentioned I think they've got three draft
choices up front. ... They do a good job and they did a lot of movement
to knock us off. I thought (running back) Chris (Hairston) made some
things sometimes out of nothing.
"There was a
lot of penetration and they blitzed us a little bit more � about like
what Randy (Shannon) does. I knew Randy, he would come after you, but
Randy's not normally a blitz guy. I thought they felt they had to blitz
our run game to control it. That's something we know we have to control
and have answers for it up front. There were sometimes where those
(Florida) guys up front were pretty good. They did a good job but we
have to be able to run the football. That's a part of our deal, to be
able to run the football to give us some balance. In the game we had to
throw the football. I thought we did. We were able to do that. ...
That's why it's not like the Red Raider with what coach (Mike) Leach
does.
"We want to
run the football. (Florida) did a good job up front I thought and we
learned from that, too. We took that from the game, 'OK, what do we have
to do to help that?' That's the first level with the offensive line.
You're going against a talented group. You have to maintain your double
teams a little bit longer before you come up to the linebacker. Against
the talented guys up front, you have to do a great job of getting to
them. ... We took that from that game and it will help us be better down
the road."
Plowman connects
Kicker Davis
Plowman was undaunted as he hit a 30-yard field goal with 12:25
remaining to get ECU within 24-17.
Plowman
moved ahead of Connor Torruella after week one.
"I like
Davis," McNeill said. "It was really a tight race all camp. Last week we
watched it again and said, 'You know what? Let's give Davis a chance.
He's been around. He's traveled. He understands the routine. He's been a
part of the game routine.'
"He's
stepped in. He's got that 'Whatever, whatever,' type of mentality. Let's
go get it. I'm not intimidated by the moment or if I miss one or
anything like that. That type of deal. I was proud to see him go in
there. It was one of those tries. I told Dave (Nichol, offensive
coordinator) we need points. We're not going for it. It's a
conversation. Sometimes it will be, 'Dave you've got four downs here.'
When we're in range, which we found out before the game, what's our
range? What yard line do we get it to? Then when it was a 10-point
deficit, we had to go for it (a field goal). Let's get it to seven. We
had to have that to give us a chance. Davis came in and made it. I was
glad to see that happen. We need him to continue doing that."
Prep for Navy
Pirate fans
have painful memories of Navy's last two trips to Greenville,
a 76-35 loss in 2010 and
a 56-28 drubbing in 2012. In
between, the Pirates prevailed 38-35 in Annapolis in 2011.
Navy's
option offense is so unique in college football today that game week
itself is not sufficient for preparation. The Pirates have been able to
work on what the Midshipmen present at various stages in the offseason
and preseason.
"We did
during spring, more during preseason," McNeill said. "During the mock
week before Towson, we hit it one more time. The speed of it is hard to
duplicate in practice. Sunday we had to go back in. You talk about
adjustment for everyone. The scout or look units having to show us as
close a look as we can get it, the lowness of the offensive linemen.
They come out really low and are technique sound. The speed of the
quarterback and the way they run the path of the option, like the way
they run the fullback path � is it tight or is it a little bit wider?
The speed of the slotback.
"Tuesday was
a big day for us. Of course, I expect perfection and the guys I think
will be a lot better. As the practice went on defensively, we got better
each time. Trust your reads and fit where you've got to fit. They're
going to hit some plays on you because they do it for a living and they
know how to adjust it. Whatever you put out there, they've seen some
type of deal before. You're not going to surprise them with anything.
"It comes
down to defense being very disciplined in assignment and technique,
having great eye control and eye discipline is what I call it. Where are
your eyes on every particular call? Doing your job over and over again.
This is the first time I've seen this type of depth at fullback with
this offense. Kenny (Niumatalolo, Navy coach) has got three good
fullbacks. The starter (Chris) Swain. Kenny said this, 'He's a big
bruising back. He breaks tackles.' He had 11 carries, 126 yards in the
first game against Colgate. Kenny said this, 'He's an SEC-type running
back.' He's that kind of guy. But he has two other guys that run the
same. Along with the speed at slotback and halfbacks they have and with
Keenan Reynolds at quarterback, that fullback presence will have to be
handled by our guys that are responsible for the fullback at that time.
"Another
thing they've added � Georgia Tech, when Paul (Johnson, Georgia Tech
coach) was at Navy, they always share, all the option teams. The
receiver, Calvin Johnson, that plays for Detroit, from Georgia Tech.
Kenny's got a big receiver, 6-4 receiver, that can make you be honest
and, if you're a cornerback, have your eyes in the right proper space.
He's added the throwing game to the offense with Keenan. He's an
experienced quarterback. At this stage of his development, Kenny can
expand the offensive package for him and they've done that."
Being
consistent in assignments is essential for ECU's success.
"Run
discipline and doing your job over and over again," McNeill said.
"Knowing that they may get a play or some yardage here but you've got to
play the next play, defensively and offensively. Both sides. We've got
to have great 1st-and-10s. We call them 10-10s production on defense.
Four yards on offense for them on first down is big. Now it's 2nd-and-5,
2nd-and-6. They like getting in 3rd-and-3s or better. They like getting
in that type of distance. So it's going to be a game of wills and
conflict is the word of being able to control the run game and do a
great job, not getting impatient defensively as a player. Keep doing
your job and keep fighting your hindparts off. Come up and make a play.
We need some turnovers on defense to give our offense extra possessions.
Our offense has to take care of the ball, value each possession and
force them to defend us."
Summers expected to play
James
Summers completed 3 of 4 passes for 13 yards in his first action as a
Pirate.
McNeill said
he expects the junior college transfer to take more snaps this week.
"Yes, I'm
sure he will," McNeill said. "Dave has got a plan for him and Blake will
keep progressing. ... We've got to remember when we first touched base
with James last November or December, we talked to him about being a
wideout like we did with Justin Hardy, Zay Jones, Jimmy Williams, those
guys. From that point on, his comment was, 'I will do whatever you want
me to, Coach, to help the team.'
"From that
point on, spring, summer, preseason, he was preparing mentally and
otherwise for being moved to a wideout position, the same spot that
Justin played. When Kurt (Benkert) got hurt, it was, 'James, now we've
got to put you back at quarterback, which you've played all your whole
life.' That's an adjustment, learning the offense from another
perspective. Talking to Dave, (Summers) is really a smart kid. He grasps
things well. His first contest as a Division I quarterback was against
Florida at Florida. You're talking about a tough test. I was proud of
how James responded. Those two guys are working together, Blake and
James. We'll get James some reps this week."
Second game vs. SEC
The Pirates
lost their second game in 2014 on the road
against an SEC opponent, 33-23, at South Carolina. ECU obviously
regrouped well last season,
winning 28-21 at Virginia Tech
the following week.
"They were
disappointed they lost," McNeill said of the team after the loss at
Florida. "We went down there to win the football game. That last drive,
we were going for two. I decided that during the comeback. ... Time ran
out on us. Sunday was a resilient day. I thought we bounced back well.
We lifted well for Coach (Jeff) Connors on Sunday and ran well. Tuesday
we put in the game plan. ... You've got pads on, you're cut blocking.
... I thought as the day went on we got better. I'm always shooting for
a perfect practice. Perfect reps."
Not the first league meeting
This will be
Navy's first AAC game as football-only league members but the Pirates
and Midshipmen have met before within a conference framework.
Both were
members of the East Coast Athletic Conference-South in basketball from
the 1981-82 season through the 1984-85 campaign. ECU's last game in that
league was a 94-73 loss to Navy in the first round of the conference
tournament in Williamsburg, VA, in 1985. Navy had a guy who was growing
his way out of active duty at the time, David Robinson. "The Admiral"
was 6-8 when he arrived in Annapolis and had reached seven-feet when he
was the No. 1 NBA draft choice in 1987.
Full speed ahead
The Pirates
need to play with intelligent aggression at Navy.
"This is a
different offense," McNeill said. "It is. You don't see it every week.
You don't practice against it. You've got to try to expose it as much as
you can. Try to overload them with their assignments and
responsibilities as much as you can and tell the guys don't hold back.
Go full speed, which they will. Do your job and attack. Attack each time
as you're doing your job. Keep attacking. Keep attacking. They'll play
hard. They're trained to do that. We've just got to make sure we keep
doing our assignments. We're facing another tough opponent on their road
and they've had a week off to plan for us. So we have to overcome that
and be ready to go."
Different mindset
The Naval
Academy has had a few players go on to the NFL, notably Roger Staubach
and Napoleon McCallum, but those are exceptions.
The Pirates
faced some NFL draft choices last week. For the most part football is
over with graduation and a military obligation awaits ECU's opponents
this week.
"We're
facing a program that the kids are being trained and raised and brought
to defend our country," McNeill said. "Football is almost like recess
time. They train all day long, all year long. We're facing a team with
the mentality that they're going to defend our country to the end.
That's why we have the freedom that we have. I respect that so much
about them. So mentality-wise that's what we're facing. Kenny's doing a
really good job of getting some guys in there that can go, who can play.
Mentality-wise, we've got to make sure we match their mentality and
physicality because they'll bring it so we've got to make sure we bring
ours, too."
ECU
coach Ruffin McNeill met with
reporters on Monday in his weekly
press conference. (Audio courtesy of
Pirate Radio 1250; file photo by Al
Myatt:
The
Brian Bailey Show airs on Pirate
Radio 1250 on Mondays at 6:30 p.m.
Brian's guest this week was ECU
defensive line coach Marc Yellock
(right):
