Keys to the Game Friday, November 2, 2012 By Kevin Monroe

ECU vs. Houston
Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012 • 12 pm
Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium (cap. 50,000)
TV: FSN

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

East Carolina can defeat Houston on Saturday if it performs well in these key aspects of the game:

TEAM ACCOUNTABILITY

The Pirates have struggled at times this season with accountability. Accountability can mean a lot of things, but in this scenario, I mean each player being responsible for his role in the game. Coach Ruffin McNeill always says, “Do your job.” If each player is accountable for his job on every play on offense, defense and special teams, the team will perform better as a unit. Against Navy, the Pirates needed to be flawless in their assignments on defense in order to stop the Midshipmen’s rushing attack. They did not perform up to par on because each player was not accountable for his defensive assignment. Regardless of the coaches' schemes, when players go out and do what they are coached to do, they will be successful as a unit. Against Houston, ECU will face a vastly different type of offensive attack. The Cougars love to throw the football instead of running it like Navy.

PASS DEFENSE

The Cougars are averaging 512 yards per game offensively with 340 of those coming through the air. Their offensive scheme is very similar to the Pirates. They like to use an up-tempo approach. They spread you out from sideline to sideline and throw the ball all over the field. Houston had a slow start this season after losing its head coach (Kevin Sumlin to Texas A&M) and its all-star quarterback (Case Keenum to the NFL) in the offseason. They have since bounced back, winning four of their last five games and scoring at least 39 points in each contest.

Behind the strong arm of QB David Piland, who has thrown for over 2,400 yards and 12 touchdowns to seven different receivers, the Cougars offense has started to blossom. Piland has five receivers with at least 300 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns season-to-date. The Pirate defensive backs have been tested this year and have given up significant yards at times. They have also stepped up on occasion, picking off passes in key situations. The ECU front seven will need to get tons of pressure on Piland, who is completing less than 60 percent of his passes and has thrown 9 interceptions. If the defensive front can bring the heat, it will definitely help the ECU secondary.

TURNOVERS

This game is likely to be won by the team that gives the ball away the least. The Cougars have really struggled with turnovers this season. They have thrown 13 interceptions and lost 12 fumbles for a total of 25 turnovers. Defensively, the Cougars have picked off 11 passes and recovered 8 fumbles for a total of 19 takeaways. That is a -6 differential. The Pirates have thrown 10 interceptions and fumbled the ball 7 times for a total of 17 turnovers. Defensively, ECU has recorded 6 interceptions and 9 fumble recoveries for a total of 15 takeaways, a differential of -2. Both teams have turned the ball over more than they have taken it away, but the team that turns it over the least today will probably win this game.

BOTTOM LINE

The Pirates have a lot to prove to themselves and to their fans after their performance last week. They are still in great shape in the conference race, but their confidence has to be a little shaken after the beating they took at the hands of Navy. The only medicine for a bad loss is a good win.

E-mail Kevin Monroe.

PAGE UPDATED 11/02/12 01:16 AM.