PRE-GAME ANALYSIS
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Keys to the
Game
Friday,
October 15, 2010
By Kevin Monroe |
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East Carolina vs. N.C. State
Saturday, Oct. 16, 2010, 12 p.m.; TV: CBS
College Sports
Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, Greenville, NC
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For the fifth
straight year, Kevin Monroe, color analyst for the Pirate ISP Sports
Radio Network, provides “Kevin’s Keys to The Game,”
his weekly breakdown of what East Carolina must do to beat its
upcoming opponent.
Monroe brings a unique perspective to the task as a
member of the broadcast team and as a former star defensive
back for the Pirates (1995-99). |
©2010 Bonesville.net
All Rights Reserved.
East
Carolina can defeat North Carolina State if it prevails in these key areas
of the game:
Home Field Advantage
For
the first time this season the Pirates will be facing an offense as potent
as theirs. The Wolfpack is scoring more than 37 points per game and is also
proficient on defense. The Pack leads the Atlantic Coast Conference and
ranks sixth nationally in 3rd down conversions, while its opponents are are
only converting at a 27.2% rate. On special teams, N.C. State has blocked 3
kicks and its place kicker is making field goals at an 83% clip. From the
outside looking in, East Carolina is in for an uphill battle. The feather
that ECU still has in its cap is 50,000 screaming ECU supporters. Nothing
can change a game more quickly than a hostile environment. Pirate fans need
to show up and show out on Saturday and be that indispensable 12th man.
Turnovers
Both teams
are passing the football a lot. State has attempted 40 or more passes in
each of the last 4 games and put the ball in the air 56 times in its 44-17
rout of Boston College last Saturday. As East Carolina has learned firsthand
recently, the more you throw the ball, the more opportunities there are for
turnovers. In the one game the Wolfpack lost this year— to Virginia Tech —
quarterback Russell Wilson threw 3 interceptions. After not having any picks
in the first 3 games, Wilson has had 6 in the last 3 games. The Pirates will
be down a man in the secondary with Derek Blacknall on suspension for an
illegal hit, so they will need to step up a notch on pass defense in order
to cause some turnovers. Creating some takeaways will help keep Russell
Wilson and the Pack offense off the field. N.C. State has a plus-4 turnover
ratio, which is one of the best in the country. As for itself in this game,
ECU can’t afford to turn the ball over at all.
Light it Up
The
Pirates — ranked 117th in the country in total defense — are about to face
the best defense they have seen all year. ECU looked better on defense
against the Golden Eagles last week, but still managed to give up 43 points.
Assuming the Pirates' defensive unit has continued to make strides over this
past week, it is still going to have to give its best effort of the season
to handle the Wolfpack offense. The Pirate offense needs to go on long
sustained drives that end in touchdowns. This will help keep the powerful
State offense off the field. ECU, which has demonstrated in three wins that
it is capable of scoring enough points to offset the team's defensive
deficiencies, must light up that scoreboard early and often in order to keep
the Wolfpack from controlling the momentum.
THE
BOTTOM LINE
East Carolina is the underdog, but N.C. State does have some flaws. The
Wolfpack has a pair of freshman running backs that had never played in a
college game until this season. Talented but young, they are still learning
skills that develop with experience, such as picking up blitzes and
maintaining ball security. State is also youthful in the secondary, with a
freshman and three sophomores manning the safety and corner positions.
Special teams for the Wolfpack has provided some great plays with 3 blocked
kicks, but the coverage units have been less than stellar. The Pirates had a
99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown at Southern Miss last week. Between
Dwayne Harris, Jonathan Williams and Michael Bowman, they have the studs to
do it again on Saturday. The experts have this game as an easy win for N.C.
State, but when Dowdy–Ficklen gets rocking anything can happen.
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Kevin Monroe.
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10/15/2010 02:52:52 AM
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