By Denny O'Brien
©2012 Bonesville.net
All Rights Reserved.

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At times, quarterback Shane Carden demonstrates that he could be one of the most gifted to ever play the position at East Carolina. On other occasions, the Pirates’ redshirt sophomore provides confirmation that he still has miles to go.

Both were on display during East Carolina’s blowout victory over Memphis Saturday. Carden finished the day completing 25 of 33 passes for 308 yards and five touchdowns, but he also was sacked six times and had three fumbles.

With a strong arm, nice touch on deep throws, and nimble feet, Carden has the physical tools to develop into the complete package at the position. It’s the most diverse skill set we’ve seen at the position since David Garrard.

The next step is for Carden to improve his decision-making process amid the heavy pressure of a blitz. At times he doesn’t seem to recognize pressure, and he also has a tendency to hang onto the football too long.

But those seem like small, correctable shortcomings.

“He’ll get better,” Pirates Coach Ruffin Mcneill said after Saturday's game. “You’ll start seeing more things from him. I thought he ran tough. He’s a tough kid.

"I’m proud of the way Shane is approaching it. He’s really being very coachable and wanting information.

"As long as he keeps that, which he will, he’ll continue to get better."

The presence of Conference USA and Navy defenses down the stretch should aid the development process for Carden. With the Pirates possessing the talent advantage in each of their remaining games, he should gain more confidence as well.

By the time the season concludes, Carden, providing he remains healthy, likely won’t resemble the quarterback who played against South Carolina, Southern Miss and North Carolina. He should be sharper, more confident, and quicker with his reads.

With two and a half seasons remaining in his ECU career, the ceiling is high for Carden.

Bookend Justins

East Carolina offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley deserves credit for introducing a new wrinkle to the Pirates’ passing attack Saturday.

When you consider that Justin Jones was part of the equation, it was a pretty big one.

Jones and Justin Hardy both are listed at the same position on the Pirates’ depth chart, meaning they rarely see much time on the field together. That was until Saturday night.

“That can really screw up a defense,” Jones said. “Line Hardy up at outside receiver and I’m at inside receiver, and we can do all sorts of things.

“I can shift into a tight end, and now all of a sudden we’ve got a tight end in the game and they don’t have personnel for that. A lot of plays are designed for me to run my route, and I’ll pull a safety down and Hardy will run a post.”

The Justin package certainly worked for ECU. Jones snagged three touchdown receptions, while Hardy added a pair.

Juco philosophy

Junior college contributions have made a major impact for East Carolina this year. Running back Tay Cooper and linebacker Gabe Woullard are among those contributors, and both were a major factor in the Pirates’ victory over Memphis Saturday.

Cooper finished with 96 yards rushing, while Woullard was the Pirates’ leading tackler and all-out menace to Memphis quarterbacks.

Many college coaches try to keep junior college recruiting to a minimum in an effort to maintain program continuity and reduce risks. But McNeill is open to the junior college route provided players meet certain criteria.

“When we do go the junior college route, we want guys that fit needs,” McNeill said. “And once we find that, we want to explore who the kid is.

“We’re not going to recruit characters. We’re going to recruit character. I’m very big on that.”

That philosophy has paid dividends so far.