There are two ways to view East Carolina’s performance during its 24-17 win at Middle Tennessee Saturday.

On one hand, the Pirates made far too many mistakes, executed poorly, and did almost everything they could to hand the Blue Raiders a Homecoming win. On the other, ECU toughed out a Conference USA road victory over a capable opponent despite not putting its best effort forward.

Both are true.

There is no denying that East Carolina didn’t look nearly as polished offensively Saturday. Despite padding the stat sheet with 511 yards, the Pirates didn’t execute with the precision you would hope after an all-out clinic in Chapel Hill.

That was especially the case in the red zone.

The Pirates closed out the first half with a drive that came to a screeching halt inside the one-yard line as time expired. It could have been avoided had ECU made better use of its available time outs or at least taken a couple of shots into the end zone through the air.

Another red zone appearance ended with a missed field goal from 35 yards out, representing an additional opportunity for ECU to put the game away.

The Pirates were sloppy outside of the red zone, too.

ECU fumbled away an early possession, enabling Middle Tennessee to take a 10-7 lead. Twice on the game’s final possession, the Pirates fumbled but were able to recover and keep control of the clock.

There were false starts – several of them – and passes that should have been picked off by Middle Tennessee defenders. There also was a delay of game penalty during a critical moment of the game.

Perhaps many of the Pirates' miscues can be attributed to a potential hangover from the prior week’s blowout win over North Carolina.

Whatever the case, the good news is ECU proved it can beat a decent opponent on the road without putting forward its best effort. At some point during any season, a good team almost always does that.

The fact that East Carolina was able to compensate for its numerous mistakes Saturday is a testament to how good the Pirates’ season can eventually be. Even so, they would be well served to tidy the ship before visiting Tulane.

Next man up

You’re always a play away from having your number called. That’s especially been true for ECU’s linebackers, a group that is quickly proving that it is the deepest on the Pirates’ roster.

When starters Jeremy Grove and Kyle Tudor were injured against Florida Atlantic, that meant introducing new starters in the heart of ECU’s defense. Brandon Williams and Zeek Bigger filled the role and were vital elements to a defensive plan that stifled Virginia Tech’s running game.

Add in Montese Overton, Derrell Johnson, Gabe Woullard, Maurice Falls, and Ty Holmes, and there is no shortage of combinations defensive coordinator Rick Smith can leverage. And there doesn’t appear to be a significant drop-off on occasions when Smith makes wholesale substitutions.

Traditionally this hasn’t been a luxury the ECU program has enjoyed. That’s a strong testament to an upgrade in recruiting by Ruffin McNeill and his staff.

Chart climber

With his eight catches and 85 receiving yards Saturday, Justin Hardy is now on a pace to catch 96 passes for nearly 1,000 yards this year. That’s counting the regular season alone.

Both numbers would inch him closer to Dwayne Harris, who is the clear leader in both categories for ECU.

Assuming Hardy stays healthy and returns for his senior season – which he clearly should – it wouldn’t take long for him to surpass both numbers next year. If he continues this pace, he could set career marks that will be difficult for future receivers to catch.

Special focus

One area in which the Pirates need a tune-up before traveling to Tulane next week is special teams. After a solid start to the season, ECU has had a slight drop-off here.

Against Middle Tennessee, ECU missed two field goals and had two Middle Tennessee punts downed inside the Pirates’ own five-yard line. The latter occurred because Hardy didn’t field punts, allowing the Blue Raiders to pin the Pirates deep.

The end result was missed opportunities to extend the lead and field position in dangerous territory. If the Pirates don’t tighten up in these areas, it could eventually be more reflective in the final score.