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Pirates seek to break Bud's shackles

By Al Myatt
©2014 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.

East Carolina averaged 40.2 points per game in 2013. The potent Pirates exceeded 50 points five times.

Against this week's opponent, Virginia Tech, ECU was on the short end of a 15-10 score last season. After a 22-yard scoring pass from Shane Carden to Bryce Williams in the first two minutes, the end zones were off limits to the Pirates.

Carden was sacked seven times and threw three interceptions as the offense managed just 204 total yards. That figure represents an average half for the Pirates in most games.

It can be different when Bud Foster is making the adjustments.

"He's very good at the game, what are they trying to do to us?" said Hokies coach Frank Beamer via the ACC football teleconference on Wednesday. "He has enough experience where he can get an adjustment going very quickly. There's none better. ... To me, he's the best defensive coordinator in the country."

There were 107,517 fans at Ohio State last Saturday night and a national television audience who would probably agree with Beamer.

The Buckeyes yielded seven sacks in a 35-21 Virginia Tech win that was capped by a 63-yard interception return by Donovan Riley with 46 seconds left.

The largest crowd to ever watch the Buckeyes went home disappointed. Ohio State had not lost to an unranked nonconference opponent at home since 1982.

The Hokies (2-0) have since surged to No. 17 in the Associated Press poll and No. 19 in the coaches' rankings. The conquering heroes host ECU on Saturday at noon (ESPN).

So who thinks the Pirates have a chance?

Well, Beamer, who seldom could be accused of providing foes with bulletin board material, sounds like he's expecting a battle.

Having played the Pirates three times in the Ruffin McNeill era, Beamer sees the progress that's been made. The Hokies rolled to a 49-27 win in Blacksburg in 2010. They took a 17-10 win in Greenville in 2011. A safety with 1:31 to go capped last year's 15-10 victory.

"Coach McNeill has really done an excellent job, both in recruiting and development of their team," Beamer said. "They really are a very, very good football team. Carden can really throw the football. Very, very accurate. He's got some excellent people there to throw to."

ECU managed just 46 yards on the ground against the Hokies last season.

Despite the loss of Will Simmons, Jordan Davis and Adhem Elsawi from the 2013 offensive front as well as the departure of 1,000-plus yard rusher Vintavious Cooper, the Pirates ran for 132 yards on 21 carries in a 33-23 loss at No. 21 South Carolina last week. That's a solid 6.3 yards per tote.

"They can run the ball better," Beamer said. "They've added a couple of guys there in the offensive line that's allowing them to run the ball better."

Familiarity with the opposition and preparing accordingly are reasons Beamer has built a successful program.

The Hokies lead the series with ECU, 13-5, but the Pirates have prevailed just once in the last 11 games going back to 1993. The ECU win in that span was provided by a 27-yard return of a blocked punt by T.J. Lee that lifted the Pirates over Virginia Tech, 27-22, in Charlotte in 2008. If you like omens, the Hokies also were ranked No. 17 at that time.

ECU's last win over a nationally-ranked opponent was on Dec. 5, 2009, when the Pirates beat Houston, 38-32, in the Conference USA championship game at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in the final game as ECU coach for Skip Holtz.

For the Pirates to record the first triumph over a ranked foe in the McNeill era, ECU offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley is going to have to avoid the dementor's kiss of Foster's defense. Riley better be ready to go to plan B and on through the alphabet as Foster adjusts. When the Hokies zig, the Pirates have to dial up a zag.

ECU will have to get touchdowns instead of field goals. An early 6-0 ECU lead at USC could have been 14-0.

"We played well on all sides of the ball," Carden said. "We've just got to score in the red zone. ... We expect to put up more points than we did. Those field goals at the beginning — we don't expect field goals, we expect touchdowns. (Kicker Warren) Harvey did a great job. I told him when he was making them to keep doing his thing and we'd try to get him some extra points."

McNeill sees Virginia Tech's effectiveness on defense as a combination of talent and schemes.

"Bud Foster has got some great players there," said the Pirates coach. "They do a great job. They're well coached."

After recently reviewing last year's tape with the Hokies, McNeill said missed opportunities were apparent, just as on the most recent trip to Columbia.

" ... In a game of any magnitude, not just last week's game or this week's game, you have to be able to make plays at certain critical points in time in the game," McNeill said. "We have to make sure we do our job at a high level. That's everyone on all three sides of the ball.

"Being able to make routine plays is very important in all games, but in this game particularly."

E-mail Al Myatt

PAGE UPDATED 09/11/14 01:00 AM.

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