Keys to the Game Friday, September 28, 2012 By Kevin Monroe

ECU vs. Texas-El Paso
Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012 • 7 pm
Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium (cap. 50,000)
TV: WITN

By Kevin Monroe
©2012 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.

East Carolina can defeat Texas-El Paso on Saturday if it performs well in these key aspects of the game:

PASSING GAME

Shane Carden had a setback in the second start of his career last week at North Carolina. The Tar heels turned up the heat on Carden in the second half and the quarterback was hurried or sacked on almost every possession. The North Carolina rush seemed to affect Carden’s decision making. The negative that came from last week’s game is that Carden started to look at the rushers instead of keeping his eyes down field and getting the ball out quickly. The positive was that he still did a great job of taking care of the football by throwing the ball away or taking sacks instead of throwing interceptions. The offensive line needs to play better as well. The 7 sacks from last week were partially on the quarterback, but Carden needed more time to make his reads. It is essential for the line to provide better protection this week. This offense is motored by passing the football. The running game was successful last week but, with the passing game suffering, only 6 points went on the scoreboard.

PASS DEFENSE

I discussed this key last week, but the Pirates had another tough day against North Carolina QB Bryn Renner, who completed 27 of 43 passes for 321 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Pirates seemed to be in position in the backend, but failed to make plays on the ball in the air. Tackling was also an issue — both touchdowns receptions were the result of broken tackles. UTEP is averaging 222 yards passing per game. Quarterback Nick Lamaison hasn’t been the most accurate quarterback this season, only completing 55%, but he has yet to throw an interception. Senior wide receiver Michael Edwards and sophomore Jordan Leslie are the Miners' top two pass catchers with 21 and 19 receptions, respectively. With the ECU secondary still a little banged up, the Pirates will need to once again rely on a committee of corners and safeties to make plays on Saturday.

PLAYMAKERS

The Pirates have a number of talented players but none better than wide receiver Justin Hardy. Justin’s route running and uncanny catching ability make him one of the top wideouts in Conference USA. Justin comes back to the ball really well and always seems to be open. Carden needs to rely on him heavily the rest of the season, specifically when he starts getting pressure from the defensive line and linebackers. Getting Hardy 10-15 touches a game spread among passes, runs and punt returns would be ideal. Wide receiver Lance Ray is another big-time performer that needs to step up. He is a speedy runner that has a knack for the big play in the passing game and in the kickoff return game. There were not many deep ball opportunities for the ECU receivers against the Tar Heels, but Carden must stretch the field this week to keep the UTEP defense honest. Running back Ta Cooper has proven to be a very dynamic runner over the first few weeks. He still has some work to do in the passing game and blocking, but his ability to find holes where there aren’t any is amazing. His efforts in the running game on Saturday will be a huge factor.

BOTTOM LINE

In the relatively short history of the East Carolina-UTEP series, there have been a couple of great games. The Pirates lead the series 2-1 with two of the games being decided by a total of 8 points. ECU won a 45-42 overtime thriller in 2007 and captured a 53-21 blowout victory in 2008, but absorbed an agonizing 22-17 loss to the Miners last season that was a factor in keeping the Pirates out of the postseason. In this year's matchup, turnovers will be key and controlling the offensive and defensive lines are crucial to success. This should be another great game as the stature of this young series continues to evolve.

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PAGE UPDATED 09/28/12 03:31 AM.