VIEW THE MOBILE ALPHA VERSION OF THIS SITE

Bonesville: The Authoritative Independent Voice of East Carolina
Daily News & Features from East Carolina, Conference USA and Beyond

Mobile Alpha Roundup Daily Beat Recruiting The Seasons Multimedia Historical Data Pirate Time Machine SportByte™ Weather
---
East Carolina 38, William & Mary 23
---
---
Box Score
---
---
Game Capsule
---

-----
GAME NO. 3 CAPSULE - DENNY O'BRIEN


East Carolina vs. William & Mary
Saturday, September 22, 2001
Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium (43,000), 3:30 PM EDT
Television: None
Weather Fx: Partly cloudy, very warm temperatures

Pirates and Tribe at a Glance

After a week layoff due to the tragedies in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania, East Carolina and William & Mary return to the gridiron this week. The game not only marks a continuance of the 2001 season, but also the renewal of a rivalry that dates back to 1966. The Pirates and Tribe haven't teed it up since 1983.

The Tribe enters Saturday's meeting ranked 19th in I-AA, and has faired admirably against I-A opponents during Laycock's tenure, winning 11 times. The last time William & Mary defeated an upper-division school was in 1998 when it defeated Temple, 45-38. Last year, the Tribe fell to Central Florida, 52-7.


William & Mary Facts and Notes

Record: 2-0. The Tribe is currently ranked 19th in I-AA.

Head Coach: Jimmye Laycock, 142-96-2 (21st year).

Venue: Nestled in Colonial Williamsburg, Walter J. Zable Stadium at Cary Field (13,100 ) is one of the more scenic settings in all of college football, regardless of division.

Last Week: Did not play. The Tribe beat then 21st-ranked UMass, 31-10, on September 8 in Amherst. William & Mary surrendered only 141 yards of total offense.

The Series: East Carolina leads, 11-4-1. Though the Pirates have dominated the series, the Tribe has found success in Greenville, winning three times.

Last Meeting: 1983. In a memorable 8-3 season marked by losses only to heavyweights Florida, Florida State, and Miami, the Pirates defeated the Tribe, 40-6.

Last time in I-AA Playoffs: 1996. The Tribe finished 10-3, losing a second-round playoff game at Northern Iowa, 38-35.

In the Spirit:

The East Carolina football team won the Disney Wide World of Sports Spirit Award in 1999 for its courageous efforts in overcoming the tragedy of Hurricane Floyd to finish 9-3. In 2000, that award went to a member of the William & Mary football team, running back Hameen Ali.

Ali hurdled many obstacles en route to Williamsburg, which included an adolescence spent moving from foster home to foster home. Ali left his home after courageously defending his sister when attacked by his mother's boyfriend. When the boyfriend turned his rage toward Ali, the young boy fled to a stranger's house, never to return. Ali eventually landed at the Elizabeth Murphey School.

Football Claim to Fame:

The College of William & Mary isn't exactly known for manufacturing NFL talent, save for Buffalo Bills kicker Steve Christie. But when it comes to national leaders, the Tribe has produced its share, including Thomas Jefferson, who was our nation's third president. In addition to being the Chief Executive, Jefferson is also credited with designing the buildings at the University of Virginia.


The Breakdown

Quotes of Note:

"I think our mentality right now is much like it was when we were dealing with the flood issue in '99, which is to just be flexible and focus on the next thing, whether it be a practice or a game. I would think that probably everybody is getting to the point where it's time to get back to routine, and I'm on that side of the issue. I know that people are talking about whether we should or shouldn't play, but I think there's a great strength in routine." -- Steve Logan on how his team is handling the national tragedy.

"When you look at their game film, their top 22 is as competitive as a lot of people that we'll play. Their offensive line is big — equal to ours. Their defensive front is as big as ours. They look a lot like us offensively. They've got a very diverse presentation on offense, with a very mobile quarterback, a young man that would remind you a lot of Marc Crandell — a 5'11", 200-lb guy that runs really well and throws a beautiful ball." -- Logan on the similarities between ECU and William & Mary.

"I showed our players some film of a I-AA team beating a Division I opponent badly, just to give them a graphic illustration of what it looks like. So, I'm doing my part to make sure that they understand that they're getting ready to play a very good football team from a program that's got a proud tradition. I think they've had eight winning seasons in a row up until last year when they were a 5-6 team. They've got 17 starters coming back from last year's 5-6 team. They expected to be good this year, and in fact they are." -- Logan on playing a I-AA opponent.

"We are going to have to play very, very well. We have gotten off to a good start this year, we’ve played pretty well in our first two ball games, but we’re going to have to play very well. We are going to have to get some breaks here and there." -- William & Mary coach Jimmye Laycock on what it will take to beat the Pirates.

William & Mary Players to Watch:

QB David Corley, WR Rich Musinski, DL Chris Stahl, RB Komlan Lonergan, OL Dwight Beard.

Striking Stat:

William & Mary has surrendered just ten points in two games this year.

When the Pirates have the ball:

Look for the Pirates to keep the ground attack going with Leonard Henry, who rushed for 218 yards against to Tulane, getting plenty of work. Logan will keep his backs fresh, giving sophomore Art Brown and freshman-sensation Marvin Townes spot duty throughout the game.

The Tribe will blitz on every down, playing press coverage on the corners. Look for quarterback David Garrard to take his shots downfield with split ends Derrick Collier and Torey Morris. Tight ends Seth Yates and Corey Floyd will be reliable safety valves when Garrard is under pressure.

The Pirates are much stronger up front, and have too many weapons to throw at the outmanned Tribe defense.

Advantage: East Carolina.

When the Tribe has the ball:

William & Mary has found most of its success through the air, with David Corley at the controls. The Tribe uses spread formations, much like the Pirates, and likes to spread the ball.

William & Mary hasn't found much success on the ground, rushing for only one score thus far. When the Tribe does keep it on the ground, look for the ball to go to running back Komlan Lonergan, who is averaging just 2.9 yards per carry.

The Pirates tend to fair well against spread offenses, and Saturday should be no exception.

Advantage: East Carolina

Special Teams:

Both the Pirates and Tribe boast capable return specialists. ECU's Marvin Townes is averaging 37.2 yards per kick return, while William & Mary's Musinski is averaging better than 25 yards per punt return, including an 83-yard touchdown.

Both teams boast accurate kickers, but the Pirates have a slight edge in the punting unit, where punter Jarad Preston has been a pleasant surprise.

Advantage: East Carolina

Coaching:

The name Jimmye Laycock is synonymous with William & Mary football. Laycock has built a solid tradition of I-AA excellence in Williamsburg, and the off-season move to change the defensive philosophy suggests that game has not passed him. Laycock has been linked to many Division-I openings in the past, including the vacant posts at Virginia and Wake Forest last year.

Logan has built quite a tradition for himself, too, and he's also no stranger to the coaching rumor mill. With two top-notch coordinators -- Doug Martin and Tim Rose -- Logan has built the most highly touted staff in Conference USA.

Advantage: East Carolina

Intangibles:

It's not every day that the Tribe has the opportunity to play in front of 40,000-plus. William & Mary will undoubtedly give a spirited effort on Saturday in a matchup of David versus Goliath.

The Pirates have a history of playing to the level of their competition, so the possibility of a stale effort exists on Saturday.

Advantage: William & Mary


What East Carolina must do to win:

  • Keep ground game rolling. So goes the ground game, so go the Pirates.
  • Inspired effort. If the Pirates come out stale, William & Mary is good enough to make them pay.
  • Avoid special teams blunder. A poor snap by freshman long-snapper Brandon Howard, set up a Tulane score in the Pirates last outing. The Tribe will readily accept any gifts the Pirates have to offer .
  • Limit Corley's scrambling. Quarterback David Corley could prove to be quite a nuisance on broken plays.
  • Get skill players involved. ECU showed just how dynamic it can be offensively by involving several of its skill players against Tulane. Leonard Henry, Marvin Townes, Art Brown, Aaron Harris, Arnie Powell, Torey Morris, and Derrick Collier all contributed in the rout of the Green Wave.

What William & Mary must do to win:

  • Move the Chains. The Tribe's best defense against the Pirates could be their offense.
  • Eliminate big plays. The William & Mary defense could be susceptible to "explosion" plays. The Pirates will definitely take their share of shots.
  • Create turnovers. The Tribe will need a little help from the Pirates to win on Saturday.
  • Big plays on special teams. Musinski is a talented return specialist, and if he makes a couple of plays on special teams, things could get interesting.
  • Spike the Pirates' water cooler.

Prediction:

The Tribe just may keep it close for a quarter or two, but don't expect much more than that. The Pirates have better athletes, more depth, and should waltz in this one.

Pirates 41, Bill 6 and Mary 3.


Send an e-mail message to Denny O'Brien.

Click here to dig into Denny O'Brien's Bonesville archives.

02/23/2007 02:05:40 AM
-----

©2001-2002-2003-2004-2005-2006-2007-2008-2009-2010-2011-2012-2013 Bonesville.net. All rights reserved.
Articles, logos, graphics, photos, audio files, video files and other content originated on this site are the proprietary property of Bonesville.net.
None of the articles, logos, graphics, photos, audio files, video files or other content originated on this site may be reproduced without written permission.
This site is not affiliated with East Carolina University. View Bonesville.net's Privacy Policy. Advertising contact: 252-349-3280; Editorial contact: editor@bonesville.net; 252-444-1905.