View from the East Thursday, September 13, 2012 By Al Myatt

Many similarities between Pirates, USM

By Al Myatt
©2012 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.

There are parallels between the East Carolina and Southern Miss football programs that make the distance between the two Conference USA teams seem a lot closer than the nearly 900 miles the Pirates will traverse to take on the Golden Eagles at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Both teams come off road losses to ranked foes.

The most publicized similarity is an ongoing quarterback competition familiar to both programs. Rio Johnson, Shane Carden, Brad Wornick and Cody Keith vied for the position at ECU through spring ball and into preseason camp with Johnson emerging to start the season opener, a 35-13 win over Appalachian State. When Johnson struggled last week in a 48-10 loss at No. 9 South Carolina, Carden came in and directed a pair of Pirate scoring drives in the second half.

Like Johnson, Southern Miss backup Arsenio Favor saw very little action in 2011. Redshirt freshman Ricky Lloyd was involved in the position battle, as was Chris Campbell, who started in a 49-20 loss at then-No. 17 Nebraska the first week of the season.

True freshman Anthony Alford ran effectively in a reserve role against the Cornhuskers and has received the starting nod against the Pirates. Alford's head coach at Petal (MS) High, which played for the state 6-A championship last season, was Steve Buckley, who is now assistant head coach of the Golden Eagles.

Alford is also a baseball standout who signed with the Toronto Blue Jays. Coincidentally, Carden, who was named the Pirates' starter on Monday, also has baseball connections. His dad played for the Raleigh Mets in the Carolina League in 1963 and was part of a multi-player trade that sent Donn Clendenon from the Montreal Expos to the Mets in 1969. Clendenon became World Series MVP for the "Miracle Mets" that season.

Campbell completed six of 11 passes against Nebraska for 69 yards and a score. Alford ran for 84 yards on 15 carries in the season opener and poses a dual threat for the ECU defense.

The respective quarterback battles have been about replacing a guy named Davis.

Dominique Davis led ECU offensively for two seasons before earning a roster spot with the Atlanta Falcons. Austin Davis, who directed Southern Miss to the C-USA championship last season, made the St. Louis Rams. Neither Davis was drafted.

The Golden Eagles won the C-USA championship in 2011 and lost their coach, a situation the Pirates went through in 2009. When Larry Fedora left for North Carolina, the Golden Eagles brought in Ellis Johnson, a former ECU assistant who was defensive coordinator at South Carolina at the time. Skip Holtz left ECU after winning back-to-back league titles in 2008 and 2009. Incidentally, the former Pirate skipper will be directing South Florida against visiting Rutgers at 7:30 tonight (ESPN).

Ruffin McNeill is also a former Pirates assistant and is now head coach at ECU. His history with the program also includes a solid career as a strong safety from 1976 to1979.

The most significant similarity between the Pirates and the Golden Eagles this week is that both want to get off to a good start in league play.

Upon further review

McNeill reviewed tape of the South Carolina game and came to the same conclusion he reached after watching the Gamecocks live at Williams-Brice Stadium.

"I thought leaving the game they were a very good team," said the ECU coach. "After watching the film, I confirmed that and reaffirmed it. ... I also saw that we have a pretty good football team as well. Some things that we have to fix are obvious. We began working on that Sunday."

ECU had five turnovers against South Carolina — for the second straight year.

"Decision making has to be better," McNeill said.

Four of the turnovers in Columbia came via interceptions.

McNeill said the Pirates bounced back in terms of the team psyche after the loss at South Carolina.

"We're resilient," he said. "Just like our university. ... They were down. They invested a lot, as did the coaches. When you lose, it gives you that down feeling ... but you have to get over that. It's rough but it's a part of the business. ... Players and coaches moved on Sunday night. We had a good practice on Tuesday. ... The one thing we can learn is don't let one game beat us twice. Let's don't make the mistakes we made the last game. ... Make sure we hold on and build on those things we did well."

Fast track

Southern Miss has artificial turf on Carlisle-Faulkner Field at M.M. Roberts Stadium, also known as The Rock.

"It's called Momentum Turf," McNeill said. " ... It's a fast surface, which I know they want because they're a fast football team. I think we're a faster football team than the last time we went down to Hattiesburg. I think the guys will enjoy playing on that surface."

ECU topped the Golden Eagles 44-43 in a wild one at USM in 2010.

The Pirates shot themselves in the foot with more frequency than Barney Fife in a 48-28 home loss last season. Southern Miss used four non-offensive touchdowns to good advantage. The Golden Eagles had two lengthy interception returns for scores, took a punt return to the house and blocked a punt for six.

"One of the things you need on a championship run is luck," McNeill said. "I'm not afraid to talk about luck. You have to be injury free. You have to have the ball bounce your way. They definitely had it bounce their way and we caused a lot of it ourselves."

Mini-homecoming

Four Pirates played junior college ball in Mississippi.

Linebacker Chris Baker, receiver/returner Lance Ray, field corner Adonis Armstrong and strong safety Chip Thompson will no doubt have some support from family and friends.

"I imagine it's like it is for our kids at every home game, our North Carolina kids and those from the region," McNeill said. "Those (four) have rare moments when their family can see them play. I know it's exciting for them. I know they want to play well. I'm sure they want to win the football game for their families. It'll be a nice time to see their families. That will be nice for me to see them. I haven't seen those families since I went into their homes. It will be good to see them on Saturday after the game."

E-mail Al Myatt

PAGE UPDATED 09/12/12 11:18 PM.