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Game 8: ECU 13, Central
Florida 10 (OT) |
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Game
Slants
Monday, November 3, 2008
By Denny O'Brien |
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Once again, the stage is set
By
Denny O'Brien
©2008 Bonesville.net
All Rights Reserved.
ORLANDO — Skip Holtz is facing his most
difficult challenge in four seasons as East Carolina’s head coach. After the
Pirates’ 13-10 overtime victory over Central Florida Sunday night, four
must-win games remain in a regular season that has taken its share of
puzzling turns.
Win all four and ECU is likely headed to
Tulsa and a spot in that elusive Conference USA championship game. One
stumble would severely jeopardize the Pirates’ title aspirations, perhaps
leaving them to fend for one of C-USA’s lower-tier bowls.
The latter would be a disappointment
considering that ECU started 3-0, rocketed into the Top 15, and beat
Virginia Tech and West Virginia. That goes without mentioning the historical
demons the Pirates must now exorcize to avoid a repeat of baffling
late-season losses to underdog opponents the past two seasons.
ECU finds itself in much the same position
as in 2006 and 2007, despite the fact that its eight-game record is an
improvement at 5-3 (3-1, C-USA). Just like the last two years, the Pirates
firmly control their own destiny and will likely be favored the rest of the
way.
“Every game is big at this point,” Holtz
said after Ben Hartman's 39-yard field goal in overtime capped ECU's
comeback from a 10-0 halftime deficit. “As I told the team, this is a
conference game on the road. Expect them all to be like this because this is
what they are.
“We’ve talked about all of the close games
that we were in a year ago – what we’ve got to do to turn and win them. It
sets up next week (at home against Marshall) to be an even bigger game than
this one. As big as this one was in the conference standings, next week is
even bigger because we won this one.”
But if East Carolina has any chance of
playing for the league title, it must quickly manufacture something that
resembles a balanced offense. At this stage the Pirates have a major
predicament in their passing attack, and it goes far beyond an inability to
execute.
That’s a perplexing scenario eight games
into a season. Sunday’s nationally-televised performance – 283 total yards –
was even more discouraging when you consider East Carolina had 15 days to
prepare for the UCF defense.
In the first half, East Carolina mustered a
measly 89 yards while quarterback Rob Kass completed only five of 15 passes.
Kass badly misfired at several open targets, though he wasn’t afforded the
luxury of time or a stable of sure-handed receivers.
About the only bright spot offensively was
running back Norman Whitley, who finished with 135 yards on 28 carries and a
touchdown.
“Norman Whitley did a great job tonight,”
Holtz said. “He made a couple of big runs on the toss sweep. I’m really
proud of what he did.
“We talked about it. Sometimes when the
opportunity presents itself, some of these guys have got to turn and step
up. I thought he stepped up tonight. He matured.”
The good news for the ECU offense is it
won’t play another defense of UCF’s caliber the rest of the way. The bad
news is that there appears to be little resolution to the Pirates’ QB
quandary, and the number of personnel challenges that confront the offensive
staff keeps growing by the week.
Sunday ushered the loss of left tackle
Stanley Bryant, the key cog along the Pirates’ offensive front. He joins an
MIA list that includes Jonathan Williams and Jamar Bryant, two of ECU’s top
playmakers entering the season.
Dealing with those types of casualties is
difficult at almost any level of major college football. It’s typically even
more significant when you reside in a league that is outside of the Bowl
Championship Series.
If East Carolina wins out, it would stand
as the most impressive accomplishment of the Holtz era. That includes the
restoration of the program’s pride in 2005 and that impressive streak
spanning the end of last season and the beginning of the current one of
three consecutive victories against Top 25 competition.
Those accomplishments seem easy in
retrospect compared to ECU’s current challenge.
Saturday’s showdown against Marshall now
stands as the most important game of the Holtz era. Win that and the game at
Southern Miss then earns that distinction.
It’s probably the most pressure Holtz has
faced in his tenure at ECU. Though his employment status isn’t on the line –
not even close – there is no denying that a huge emphasis within the fan
base is placed on earning a spot in the conference championship game.
East Carolina has too many questions to
consider that goal a gimme. But, when your offense is downright anemic,
beating UCF on the road in front of the ESPN cameras is a pretty good start.
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11/03/2008 02:47:06 AM |
