By
Denny O'Brien
©2009 Bonesville.net
All Rights Reserved.
There has been plenty of
banter about East Carolina’s schedule this fall. Regionally and
nationally, there is no shortage of interest in athletics director Terry
Holland’s scheduling philosophy.
That’s because most
athletics administrators would never subscribe to it, while the casual
football observer would advise against it. Even in an economic climate
that dictates the need for sellouts and financially forgiving road
trips, few have taken the Pirates’ ambitious approach to selecting
non-conference opponents.
If you survey the schedule
of schools with automatic qualifying access to the Bowl Championship
Series, you’ll find a dramatic increase in opponents from the Football
Championship Subdivision. North Carolina and N.C. State, for example,
are padding their win-loss records with two FCS schools apiece.
Meanwhile, the pundits are
pontificating how the Pirates’ non-conference schedule could be the road
block that prevents them from experiencing a special season. Considering
it is lined with a trio of contenders for BCS conference titles, it’s a
reasonable assessment.
But the schedule is hardly
the biggest obstacle ECU faces. Given the Pirates’ personnel upgrades
under head coach Skip Holtz’s direction, along with the experience of
beating higher-profile opponents, there aren’t too many programs for
which ECU would be considered a gimmee.
Or vice versa. And this
year is no different.
Though the margin for
error has widened significantly for ECU, it hasn’t reached the point
where a C-plus effort would be sufficient for ensuring a victory —
including the season opener against Appalachian State.
Likewise, you won’t find a
game on the schedule that the Pirates won’t have a reasonable
expectation of winning.
Including games at West
Virginia and at home against Virginia Tech.
Though both are
established, traditional powers, neither presents the biggest obstacle
in ECU’s path this fall. Facing the Mountaineers’ spread offense or the
Hokies’ swarming defense is no easy task, but the Pirates already have
shown the ability to resolve both with essentially the same personnel.
Positively answering the
following unknowns is perhaps the bigger challenge:
— Will the Pirates avoid
the injury epidemic that nearly derailed the special start to 2008?
Though it’s hard to imagine a repeat occurrence this fall, injuries in
this violent sport are inevitable. And there are certain positions at
which ECU can’t afford any attrition.
— Can ECU avoid the
disciplinary issues that it experienced last year? While the program is
far from renegade status, last year demonstrated that East Carolina
isn’t immune to off-the-field distractions. The mid-season suspensions
of Jamar Bryant and Jonathan Williams severely altered the offensive
profile.
— How will the Pirates
respond as a targeted bunch? Last year they followed a near defeat at
Tulane with surprise losses to underdogs N.C. State and Houston. With
plenty of hype surrounding them entering the season, you have to wonder
if inflated egos will be present when Appalachian State visits.
— Will ECU avoid critical
special teams blunders? That essentially cost them the Liberty Bowl and
to a lesser degree the game at Virginia. A shanked punt and missed field
goal nearly gift-wrapped Marshall a win.
— Can the offense shift
out of neutral? There should be plenty of playmakers to make the offense
more dynamic, but it could be tempting to remain conservative. Even so,
ECU must demonstrate an ability to stretch the field vertically, and try
to avoid winning games almost exclusively with defense.
At least the off-season
message has been reassuring.
From all accounts the
players seem focused on improving themselves both physically and
mentally. Senior leadership seems to be at an all-time high, injuries
have healed, and those who were suspended appear on a path to returning.
That’s an important
message with the start of fall camp just a couple of weeks away. And
it’s a message that must proliferate throughout the fall.
Because the last thing ECU
can afford is to get in its own way. Injuries aside, that was a
contributing factor preventing the Pirates from reaching double-digit
wins last fall.