From the Anchor Desk Tuesday, October 13, 2015 - By Brian Bailey WNCT-TV 9 Sports Director

By Brian Bailey
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Against Southern Methodist and Virginia Tech it was James Summers that played the leading role.

Many weren’t buying into Coach Ruffin McNeill’s ‘two-quarterback’ system. Most in the Pirate Nation were thinking that it was only of a matter of time before Summers took the reigns as the lead man in charge at the quarterback position.

Coach McNeill continued to preach the two-quarterback concept.

Blake Kemp played to Ruff’s gospel, proving his worth in East Carolina's 45-38 loss at Brigham Young. Kemp completed 28-36 passes for 371 yards and two touchdowns in leading ECU down the comeback trail. He rallied the Pirates from 17 points down in the second half and had the game tied until the final seconds.

Kemp collected those great stats in just over two quarters of action.

Summers had his moments, especially his fourth down, 34-yard scamper that put the Pirates on the board in the first quarter. He was only 2-6 through the air for 14 yards before he exited late in the second quarter.

This shotgun offense is double-barreled. Summers from the right and Kemp from the left will keep defenses guessing. Get used to it because the two-quarterback system appears to be a key in this offense going forward.

Coach McNeill addressed his quarterback situation in his opening comments at his weekly Monday press conference. [Presser: Select audio clip in a new window...]

“I know there are quarterback questions, but James (Summers) and Blake (Kemp) are playing well together, and we will keep that system,” said McNeill. “That’s what we’ll do. I like the way they make each other better. I like they make our team better and I like the way, on the team, they are the epitome of selflessness.”

The Pirates complete the first half of their season at three up and three down. With four of the team’s final six games this season at home, optimism is rampant in the ECU camp.

““I think we’ve handled adversity well,” explained McNeill. “I think we’re able to play the next play, the next series, and the next half (and) next game. We’ve learned that. We’ve made competitive plays and I think routine plays have improved. I think when they’ve fallen behind, we’ve found ways to get into the game. I think our offensive line, defensive line and special teams have been doing what I’ve asked them to do.”

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The rest of the way features six big league games in the American Athletic Conference.

East Carolina is just one of three teams in the AAC East Division with a record at .500 or better after two league games. Temple is 2-0, while the Pirates and Connecticut are both 1-1. South Florida, Cincinnati and Central Florida are all 0-2. This is certainly any team’s division to win.

First up is Saturday's homecoming matchup with the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (Noon; TV: ESPNN).

Then it’s a short week with unbeaten Temple in town the following Thursday. (7 p.m.; TV: ESPN2]

Coach Ruff should have fond memories of Tulsa. ECU is 3-0 against the Golden Hurricane in the Ruffin McNeill era.

The very first game in the series was the most memorable for Coach McNeill. That was the “Hail Mary” game, when Dominique Davis hit Justin Jones on the last play of the game to give the Pirates the win, 51-49 in 2010. It was Coach Ruff’s first game and first win as the head coach at his alma mater.

The Pirates will be favored to pick up their fourth win over Tulsa with Ruff in charge. ECU is a double-digit favorite to win for homecoming.

“We know we’ll face a Baylor-type offense at quarterback and the wideouts,” concluded McNeill. “We have a tough task coming up, but I’m glad to be back at home. The road brought a lot out of us as a team to rely on one another and that was a positive thing. Tulsa’s up next (at) 12 o’clock Saturday.”

That puts the Golden Hurricane officially on the clock.

BB