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Pirate Notebook No. 84
Wednesday, September 18, 2002

By Denny O'Brien
Staff Writer and Columnist

Moments after his team lost to Wake Forest, East Carolina quarterback Paul Troth said the Pirates needed a win to get them off and running.

As it turned out, ECU needed a strong running game to get that first win — that, along with a turnover-free performance and a solid outing from its defense.

Such must be the case for the Pirates to be successful this year, as life without David Garrard has proven more difficult than originally thought.

Much of the burden will rest on the shoulders of fullbacks Art Brown and Marvin Townes, who on Saturday night at least, proved capable of carrying the load, combining for 272 yards on 41 carries against an improved Tulane defense.

"What I saw tonight, and really a little bit last weekend as well, was what I spoke to in the preseason," head coach Steve Logan said after the game. "I thought we had two really wonderful running backs, and our offensive line should be able to run block.

"Well, we didn't get that done too well in the first game, we did it better in the second game, and we did it better in the third game. That is what I hope we can do — hand the ball off, throw play-action passes, and let Paul (Troth) grow up step by step."

Each step will become easier for the young quarterback, providing the offensive line and running backs continue to churn out yardage by the bushel. If not, Logan's talented prodigy will likely struggle directing the offense, and the Pirates could find the wins tough to come by.

History suggests the 150-yard rushing mark is the Pirates' benchmark for success. When East Carolina doesn't meet that total, victory is rarely the outcome.

Future opponents will likely deploy defensive gameplans similar to that of Tulane's, which called for a heavy dose of man-coverage and all-out blitzes. The Green Wave's chaotic formula led to a night of indecision by Troth, who was sacked three times, losing 37 valuable yards.

"They came with absolute, all-out blitzes when they saw the noose tightening around their neck," Logan said. "They were in what we call zero coverage. They were in man-to-man coverage.

"You've got to know where to go to get rid of it. He (Troth) did beautifully a couple of times, and a couple of times he took a couple of sacks that I think can be coached. I was surprised that he took them. He hasn't done that in practice."

Logan and offensive coordinator Doug Martin preached the importance of a no-turnover night while preparing for the conference opener, perhaps even to the extent that Troth was over-conservative on gameday. At times, he looked timid, as his statistics — 8-of-18 for 92 yards — would attest.

It was apparent from the get-go that the running game would have to deliver a "W" in this one, as Tulane showed its hand with jailbreak blitzes on the Pirates' first possession.

For Townes, the message was clear well before he took the field, as he witnessed the damage a powerful ground attack could present when Virginia Tech pummeled Marshall with a stout rushing performance.

"(Thursday) night, we sat back and watched Tech," Townes said. "We talked about how they came in and ran the ball hard — they called them a one-two punch.

"I said, 'Art, that's how we've got to be.' We practiced well all through the week, and we said we've just got to bring it on over to the game."

They did just that. And in order for the Pirates to keep winning, they'll have to do it again.

For Brown and Townes, competition in the Pirates' one-back system hasn't caused a strain in their relationship. For both, it has been a positive experience, with each pushing the other on the practice field and in games.

"We're very, very competitive," Townes said. "But I'll tell anybody, anytime that Art should be ahead of me. I look up to him. He makes me run hard and I make him run hard."

Having a capable backup is a luxury for Brown, who says the occasional rest keeps him fresh.

"Last week I was kind of getting cramps against Wake Forest," Brown said. "To have Marvin Townes come in for a couple of series is a big load off me and keeps me with fresh legs."

Brown used those fresh legs to gallop for 185 yards and two touchdowns, including the deciding score. More importantly, the Winston-Salem junior didn't put the ball on the ground after fumbling in each of the Pirates' first two games.

Because of his previous bout with fumble-itis, Logan issued a serious challenge to his talented runner: “If that continues to be a characteristic of his, he can’t play," Logan said.

"It's more of a mental thing with me," Brown said. "Once it happens, it kind of gets into your head. I just wanted to come out and take care of the ball. I did that tonight."

Logan's main concern following his team's first win was the Pirates' inability to close out the Green Wave.

East Carolina appeared to have the game well in hand after Terrance Copper's 48-yard punt return gave the Pirates the ball at the Tulane 32-yard line with 5:25 left to play. But a quick three-and-out and missed field goal left the door wide-open for the Wave and raised the anxiety level of the Pirates head coach.

"I'd like to see us put the game away," Logan said. "Like after the long punt return, you've got to get points after that. I think we started a drive with five minutes left and went three-and-out.

"We had two opportunities I thought offensively to put the game away and failed. Part of that is we're still a work-in-progress on offense as far as maturity goes. Art Brown made a cut late in the game that, if he cuts the other way — and I think when he's a senior, he'll see it — we put the game away."

Because the young Bucs were unable to slam the door shut on upstart Tulane, defensive coordinator Tim Rose's retooled defense was put to the test.

The Pirate D proved worthy of the challenge, showing promise with its play on third downs, which last season was near-automatic for the opposition.

"It became incumbent on the defense that they've got to go play," Logan said. "The biggest change defensively from last year to this year, including the very first football game, is that we are getting off the field on third down some, now.

Tulane, which specializes in the short-to-intermediate passing game, converted just 10-of-20 third-down conversions. And as the game progressed, the Green Wave found it tougher to extend drives, as the Pirates held Tulane's high-powered offense scoreless over the final 23 minutes of play.

With Richard Alston battling mononucleosis last week, receiver Terrance Copper took over the punt return duties for the Pirates at Wake Forest and responded with 56 yards on six returns, including a 31-yard jolt on his first effort.

Against Tulane, the Washington, NC, junior proved that performance was no fluke, dashing 48 yards on one return, en route to a three-return, 56-yard effort.

Though he lacks the open-field speed of others who man the position, Logan likes what Copper has to offer as a return specialist.

"Terrance is a unique character from the standpoint that, straight-ahead, he's a 4.6 (40-yard dash) guy," Logan said. "But he moves in space much faster than that.

"He's a great broken-field runner. He's great with the hands — great decision-maker. He's one of the guys that I really, really trust."

The Pirates did suffer a scare late when Copper went down with an ankle injury, but Logan says the off-week will provide enough time for him to heal.

Kevin Miller found a nice surprise waiting for him when he made it to the Pirates' locker room Saturday afternoon.

On the cover of ECU's first game program was a shot of Miller nailing a field goal, something that entering the game he had done 13-consecutive times.

"It was exciting to walk in the locker room and see that," Miller said. "I got a little bit of ribbing from the guys. I was just hoping that I didn't have the SI cover jinx."

Miller was true on his first attempt, sending a 44-yard attempt through the uprights to give the Pirates an early 10-7 lead and extending his field goal streak to 14. However, the streak ended when the Virginia Beach senior failed to convert a 47-yarder late in the fourth quarter that could have iced the game.

It was a pressure kick that Miller says he expects to make, even though its one that, in the past, has been troublesome.

"It was a big kick," Miller said. "You know, 47 yards is not a gimme, but it's something that I expect to make. Going out there, we had a four-point lead. If we could have gotten three more points on the board it would have been huge. I was disappointed that I didn't hit it.

"I did hit it solidly and just missed it about two or three yards to the right. The right hash has kind of been my nemesis, so it's something that I work on every day."