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