GREENVILLE — You can hardly blame James Pinkney for icing
his back after East Carolina's 41-28 Rice Saturday. The junior quarterback
spent much of the evening carrying the Pirates' offense.
All he did against the Owls was complete 22 of 34 passes
for 355 yards and three scores. He added another 32 yards on the ground with
a touchdown and at times was a one-man show.
If there was a big play to be made, it was executed by
either the right arm or two legs of Pinkney. When the Pirates needed a
critical first down or an immediate answer to a Rice score, they turned to
their field general who seemingly was at his best with his team against the
wall.
"He has played super," East Carolina coach Skip Holtz
said. "I feel right now like I can put the ball in his arm, spread everybody
out, and he's not going to beat us. He's going to make the throws, he's
going to make the reads, he's not going to put the ball in danger.
"He's growing as a quarterback. He's making those
decisions now. He made some plays tonight, made some great throws."
Pinkney did more than just that. What he ultimately did
was show his ability to win a game on his own, something ECU has been
missing under center since David Garrard last commanded the offense.
And if Pinkney hadn't done it Saturday, it wouldn't have
been done. He was the Alpha and Omega of ECU's offense, what with Chris
Johnson and the rushing attack stymied to a screeching halt.
"We came into this saying we wanted to run it," Holtz
said. "I said in my press conference on Monday the best part of their
defensive football team was their front four. I feel they are a lot better
now than I did before we came into this game — and I thought that was the
strength of their defense.
"We couldn't block them. We couldn't move the ball. We
couldn't develop anything consistently."
Except for Pinkney.
Though the Rice defensive front at times played like the
famed Steel Curtain, the Pirate QB proved the neutralizing force from start
to finish. He eluded the rush, ran through progressions, threw with
precision, and tucked and ran when the opportunity was there.
The end result was zero sacks and zero turnovers,
statistics that Holtz afterwards said he long has been seeking.
That Pinkney did so with the running game in hibernation
is a fact that shouldn't be overlooked. That he did so while distributing
the ball to seven receivers and twice brought the Pirates back from deficits
is evidence of his maturity and ability to lead.
"He's the center of this offense," receiver Bobby Good
said. "We all rally around him. He's doing great this year. He's real tough.
He's getting up after some really tough hits. He comes back every play for
us and just makes some huge plays to get big-time first downs.
"I think that's going to be the big reason for the success
of this team this year."
No doubt about it. How far East Carolina goes rests firmly
on the health and right arm of its quarterback.
If No. 7 can survive the season physically and continue to
progress in Holtz's system, the Pirates have a legitimate shot to win
against anyone remaining on their schedule. And the odds of both are
favorable, given the track record.
Pinkney has proven his comeback ability off the field by
regaining eligibility when the odds against him weren't promising. He has
proven it on the field countless times with his resilience to stand tall in
the huddle after punishing sacks.
On Saturday, he proved it where East Carolina needed it
most.
