Inside
Game Day
Saturday,
September 28, 2013
By Al Myatt |
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Pirates deliver stunner
Al Myatt
©2013 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
CHAPEL HILL — Maybe there were
some clues before
East Carolina's 55-31 blowout of North Carolina
on Saturday but it came as a total shock to many.
It had to be a stunner for the
oddsmakers, who had rated the Tar Heels a two-touchdown favorite.
It wasn't what you would
expect for Military Appreciation Day unless maybe you were thinking of
something along the lines of General Custer's showing at Little Big Horn.
The Pirates had been unable to
get out of neutral after their opening drive in
a 15-10 home loss to Virginia Tech
on Sept. 14. ECU quarterback Shane Carden seemed almost shellshocked after
getting sacked seven times by the Hokies.
Carden also had been sacked
seven times in
a 27-6 loss at Kenan Stadium last year.
Virginia Tech's Logan Thomas
had passed for 285 yards against a Pirate secondary that looked like it was
playing hide and seek. So what kind of field day would North Carolina's Bryn
Renner have after passing for 312 yards and two touchdowns against ECU as a
junior?
The matchup had all the
makings of a nightmare for the Pirates unless you saw some telltale signs,
like the Hokies' 17-10 win at Georgia Tech on Thursday night.
Virginia Tech pretty much shut
down an offense that had propelled the Yellow Jackets past Duke and the Tar
Heels.
The Hokies defense had held
No. 1 Alabama to 206 yards of total offense.
So ECU's lack of production
may have been about the caliber of opponent as much as a failure of the
Pirate offense to execute.
While Georgia Tech's physical
triple option was tenderizing the Tar Heels last weekend, the Pirates were
resting and looking to redeem themselves from a disappointing showing
against their first ACC opponent of the season.
Practically from the opening
kickoff on Saturday, the Pirates played like Clark Kent after he emerges
from a phone booth.
Well, that is, if Superman
happened to change his fashion look to all black.
The ECU infomercial that
unfolded on the ACC Network over almost four hours was astonishing for just
about everybody but those embedded in the Pirate program.
"An awesome win," said Carden
after leading the offensive transformation with 32 completions on 47
attempts for 376 yards with three TD passes and one pick. He also ran for
three scores and even led the band in the postgame celebration.
"This one's for Pirate
Nation," said the ECU quarterback. "There were a lot of people, some of them
at our own university, that didn't have a lot of faith in us going into this
week, but we always did. Coach Ruff (Pirates coach Ruffin McNeill) said,
'Don't listen to the noise, good or bad.' ... We just played our hearts
out."
The Pirates had just one win
in 12 previous trips to Chapel Hill, the only successful venture coming in
1975 when ECU posted a 38-17 win on the emotional fuel provided by the
passing of iconic coach and athletic director Clarence Stasavich.
McNeill and his staff have
been saying that their recruiting has been getting better. There is also the
aspect of player development once recruits get to campus. Strength and
conditioning director Jeff Connors walked off the field with a sense of
accomplishment. He returned to ECU in 2011 after 10 years in a similar role
at North Carolina.
Evidence of Connors'
effectiveness was the Heels' meager rushing production, just 67 yards on 32
rushes. Connors also conditions the Pirates to perform in the fourth
quarter, when ECU outscored its host, 13-7.
There were a lot of positive
numbers for the Pirates on the stat sheet. Vintavious Cooper ran 35 times
for 186 yards and had eight catches for 70 yards. ECU had 603 total yards of
offense. The Pirates converted eight of 16 third downs and three of four
fourth downs.
ECU (3-1) was eight for eight
on red zone scoring chances.
Also huge was the zero under
the Pirates' sacks allowed column.
North Carolina drew nine
penalties for 94 yards. ECU was flagged just three times for 34 yards.
"I was glad we had a minimal
amount," McNeill said.
There was plenty to be glad
about. Pirate fans stayed in the northeast corner of the stadium to share
the joy long after the Tar Heel supporters among the crowd announced at
60,000 had found the exits.
Chancellor Steve Ballard
waited to give McNeill a hug as he walked off the field. The fourth-year
head coach had a game ball, which he planned to present to his dad, Ruffin
McNeill, Sr., in Lumberton.
"We're just proud of the
entire effort of the team," said Dr. Ballard shortly after a 48-yard pass
play from Carden to Lance Ray had completed the scoring with 3:33 to go.
"Ruff's been getting this team better every year and this is a culmination
of it. We come into Kenan Stadium and win, it's great for the whole
university. We're just proud of the team."
First-year athletic director
Jeff Compher is 1-0 against North Carolina.
"I know how much this victory
means to all of our fans and what it means to this program," Compher said.
"I'm just so proud to be here and be a part of it."
Cooper was asked what he
thought people were doing in Greenville.
"They're partying," said the
senior running back. "We can't wait to get back there and join them."
Saturday's elation was shared
by many who might have expected a bleaker afternoon against their in-state
nemesis.
Sometimes surprise parties are
the best.
E-mail Al Myatt.
PAGE UPDATED
09/30/13 12:52 AM.
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