|
Keys to the
Game Saturday,
November 29, 2014
By Kevin Monroe |
|
East Carolina at Tulsa
8:30 pm | H.A. Chapman
Stadium (cap. 30,000) | TV: ESPNU
By
Kevin Monroe
©2013 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
East Carolina and Tulsa
will face off tonight in an American Athletic Conference contest. ECU
enters this game 7-3 against a 2-9 Golden Hurricane team. The Pirates
got a much needed victory over Tulane
last week at home after losing back to back games
at Temple and
Cincinnati. The ECU defense held
the Green Wave without a touchdown and the offense put 34 points on the
board. It was a total team victory.
Tulane isn’t as bad as
its record implies. The Hurricane opened the season with a
double-overtime win over Tulane and three weeks later lost an overtime
game to Texas State. Since conference play got underway in earnest,
Tulsa has played just about everyone tough, leading in the fourth
quarter before falling to Temple and losing only two game by more than
10 points. Last week the Hurricane rolled for 416 yards in offense
against Houston, the league's second best defensive team, and went into
the game's final four minutes tied before the Cougars responded with a
game-clinching drive.
Had a few plays gone
differently during the course of the season, the Hurricane could have
easily been .500 or better.
Playing on the road
could make this a tough game for the Pirates, but they should win if
they follow this script:
ESTABLISH THE RUN
ECU’s running game has
been very effective this season and it will need to get cranked up early
tonight. The combination of Allen, Grayson & Scott overwhelmed the Green
Wave a week ago and that type of performance is exactly what the coaches
want to see. This offense thrives when multiple running backs with fresh
legs are successful. Tulsa is giving up 218 yards rushing per game,
which ranks among the worst in the conference and in the country.
Running the ball early and often to keep the chains moving and put
points on the board is exactly what the Pirates need to win this game.
PRESSURE
THE QUARTERBACK
The Golden Hurricane
has only one senior starter on the offensive line, right guard David
Walton. Even though Walton is a senior, he has only 14 starts in his
career. The O-lineman with the most experience is tackle Garrett
Stafford with 25 starts under his belt. The Tulsa offensive line has
given up 25 sacks which averages out to more than 2 per game. The
Pirates are coming off of their best defensive performance of the year
and they can have another good outing tonight if they can put the heat
on quarterback Dane Evans. Through 11 games, Evans is competing only 56
percent of his passes and has thrown 16 interceptions.
OWN THE
RED ZONE
Too often this season
the Pirates have been great between the 20s and then the offense shrinks
in the red zone. Warren Harvey was 2-2 on field goal opportunities last
week, but he has struggled this season. ECU needs to put the ball in the
end zone when it gets close and not rely on field goals.
BOTTOM
LINE
This game showcases a
bowl-bound team against a down-on-its-luck opponent. The Pirates are
17-point favorites and should win, but once the game starts anything can
happen. The Golden Hurricane is gaining 260 yards per game through the
air and can put up points. If ECU runs the football effectively, puts
pressure on the quarterback and converts trips to the red zone into
touchdowns, it will win.
E-mail Kevin Monroe.
PAGE UPDATED
11/28/14 04:51 AM.
|