By
Denny O'Brien
©2012 Bonesville.net
All Rights Reserved.
GREENVILLE – To some
degree, the final result should not have come as a surprise.
If you were in
Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium the last time Virginia Tech visited, you witnessed
the defensive blueprint for East Carolina’s pass-heavy spread. Blitzing,
man coverage, and clogging the passing lanes were the Hokies’ recipe
that day, and it was no different in a 15-10 win Saturday.
And just like that long
afternoon in 2011 — one in which the Pirates managed only 112 offensive
yards — even an inspiring defensive effort wasn’t enough for ECU.
“They blitzed a bunch,”
Pirates Coach Ruffin McNeill said. “More than we’ve seen on film. We’ve
got to adjust to it and get the ball out of there hot when we need to
get it out of there hot.
"But they blitzed more
today. We knew that after the first few series.”
That it caught the Pirates
by surprise is somewhat concerning given the availability of that 2011
film. So is the fact that the ECU offense regressed as the game
progressed, with yardage totals shrinking by the quarter.
Credit that largely to the
in-game adjustments by Hokies defensive coordinator Bud Foster, who
outfoxed the ECU staff nearly from start to finish. Outside of the
Pirates’ opening touchdown drive, Foster completely dictated the game’s
tempo.
But it’s not like Foster
didn’t have some help. During the Pirates' final offensive possession of
the first half, they provided plenty of that.
Pirates quarterback Shane
Carden stumbled untouched to the turf on one run, preventing an extra
seven or eight yards. There was a needless sack on 2nd and two when a
straight run would have sufficed, with a false start that followed.
The end result was an ECU
punt when it appeared the Pirates might take a lead and momentum into
the locker room. It was the type of unforced errors from which it is
difficult to recover against a team with top flight defensive personnel.
Not to mention one with a
seasoned defensive coordinator with a proven potion for ECU's offense.
“The came out a little bit
differently,” Carden said of the Hokies defense in the second half.
“They played a little more man and were blitzing a pretty good amount.
“We started running some
different routes and different checks. Obviously they came out and
played us a little bit differently than we thought they were going to
play us.”
Three games into the 2013
season, the ECU offense has taken a concerning turn. Some of it no doubt
should be attributed to an upgrade in competition each week, but at the
same time some holes have been exposed.
For a system that relies
so heavily on the pass, there currently is no threat of a vertical game.
The absence of receiver Jabril Solomon clearly is hurting the Pirates’
ability to go deep and loosen opposing defenses.
That the Pirates have
demonstrated no answer to defensive pressure makes them vulnerable if it
can’t be corrected moving forward. One option might be to introduce more
max protection schemes or utilize a tight end as a safety outlet on
third downs.
A heavier dose of screens,
the read option, or even the occasional draw might help, too. Add to
that a stronger commitment to the run and you’ll have some needed
variety and balance.
The reality is, offensive
coordinator Lincoln Riley doesn’t need to change a thing to carve
through ECU’s mostly defenseless Conference USA opponents. The Pirates
can be their one-dimensional Air Raid selves and run most of the
league’s defenses into the ground.
If you haven’t noticed,
the conference doesn’t really have a defensive surplus.
But against higher caliber
competition, it’s clear that the status quo isn’t sufficient.
ECU has two weeks to
introduce some wrinkles for North Carolina.