Keys to the Game Saturday, January 3, 2015 By Kevin Monroe

East Carolina vs. Florida

12 pm | Legion Field (cap. 71,594) | TV: ESPN

By Kevin Monroe
©2013 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.

The East Carolina Pirates will tangle with the Florida Gators today in the Birmingham Bowl on historic Legion Field. Florida will be ECU's toughest test of the year defensively. The Gators are big, strong and fast and can cause havoc on opposing offenses. This is not the same Florida of Tim Tebow’s era when the perennial SEC juggernaut was playing for national championships, but the Gators still have some of the top talent in the country.

Florida went 4-8 last year and 6-6 this season, an underachieving stretch for this storied program. Just getting to a bowl was a task this year. East Carolina matches up well against the Gators, but will have it hands full today. In order to beat Florida, the Pirates will need to follow this script:

MOVE THE CHAINS

Establishing the run and the short-to-mid-range passing game is going to be huge for ECU today. The Gators possess the best defense the Pirates have faced this season. Florida is allowing only 118 rushing yards, 194 passing yards and 21 points per game. Getting that run game going early will force Florida to respect the run and not put so many folks in pass coverage. If the Gators are focused on the running game they will have less people to blitz Shane Carden and less people in pass coverage. Even if the running game lacks success, it will force Florida to respect the threat of the run, thus opening up the throwing lanes for Shane. Picking up first downs against this tough Gator defense means moving the ball and creating opportunities.

STOP THE RUN

Florida runs the football well, averaging nearly 190 yards per game. The yardage is coming at 4.4 yards per attempt and has produced 21 touchdowns on the ground. The team's top rushers, Kelvin Taylor and Matt Jones, have 12 touchdowns between them and are each averaging approximately 5 yards per carry. ECU has been very good against the run, giving up only 107 yards per game. The Pirates must get off blocks, fill the rushing lanes and tackle well. Dealing with the size and athleticism of the Gator offensive line will be a challenge but the Pirates have seen big lines this season. The South Carolina and Virginia Tech offensive lines were very good and the Pirates performed well.

PLAY BIG

East Carolina played its best football the season in the games that had the most hype. When the Pirates played at South Carolina and Virginia Tech and hosted North Carolina early in the season, they played great football. This is another one of those games. East Carolina is challenging a high-profile program steeped in the tradition that comes with three national championships, including two in the last eight years. ECU will once again need to play big and fight for that respect that it seeks and deserves. It’s a big stage, with big time players for both teams. We will see which guys step up and embrace that spotlight today.

BOTTOM LINE

The Pirates last played football about a month ago, losing at home on Senior Night when Central Florida completed a Hail Mary pass as time expired. ECU's players have wanted to get that taste out of their mouths for a long time. This bowl game is the opportunity to do just that. If the Pirates can keep the chains moving offensively, stop the run defensively and play big in the biggest moments, they can win this battle. It should be a great game.

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PAGE UPDATED 01/03/15 05:43 AM.