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Pirates generate some alarming numbers

By Al Myatt
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GREENVILLE — For a fan base that counts the hours to the start of the football season, there is a paucity of statistics this time of year. The only numbers generated since preseason camp started at East Carolina earlier this month were from a scrimmage Saturday at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

The stats were not too reassuring for a program whose offense averaged 35.8 points and 533 yards per game in 2014.

The offense yielded seven sacks and Kurt Benkert, who was named the starting quarterback Wednesday, completed three of 15 passes with an interception.

First-year offensive line coach Brad Davis appeared to have been simmering for several days when he answered questions after practice Thursday morning.

"We're nowhere near where we need to be," Davis said.

First-year offensive coordinator Dave Nichol didn't lay all the blame on the offensive front.

"Everybody's involved," Nichol said. "If the receiver doesn't look and we hold on to the ball and they're blitzing people, yeah it's a sack. We can only block five. Stuff like that. We're working through that."

There has been an urgency this week in fixing protections.

"We just had a couple of mental errors," said guard/center J.T. Boyd, a preseason All-American Athletic Conference performer by several outlets as well as an Outland Trophy candidate. "We've worked since then in the film room and on the field doing extra blitz pick-up to get those errors fixed.

"We've all got to attack the process every day, overcome adversity and just give everything we've got on every play. We feel like if we do that in practice it will carry over into the games and we'll have success from there."

Benkert was in the midst of competing for the quarterback job last week. He has obviously shown the coaches more than his scrimmage numbers would indicate. He's smart enough to realize he can't dwell on the negative personally when leading an entire unit.

Someone once said mistakes have value if you learn from them. The preseason is obviously a good time to learn.

"I was really frustrated, actually," Benkert said Thursday. "Obviously, 3 of 15 and a pick. That's terrible. I was frustrated and I realized I've just got to come out and show everybody it's not going to affect me at all. I've just got to put the ball in play more and I started doing that this week even better than I felt like I did before."

To look at the offensive performance is to see the glass half full. The defense threw some aggressive wrinkles into play and had a day.

"They were blitzing us and zeroing up a lot (man coverage with no help)," Benkert said. "Playing a lot of man. We weren't jelling that day."

Benkert realized in retrospect that he was trying to do too much.

"When we were out there on Saturday, when we weren't in a good play, I was like, 'Well, dang, I've got to figure out something to get us into," Benkert said. "This week I just kind of looked at what they did and took what they gave me instead of trying to make too much happen. We got behind the sticks Saturday, I was trying to make too many big plays instead of just take what they give me. I just really tried to focus on that this week."

Nichol said Benkert earned the opportunity to start. He was the leader coming out of spring ball and apparently maintained that position.

"It's a by-product of everything," Nichol said of the quarterback decision. "How they handle themselves, how they are around the team. There's a lot that goes into it. Like I've always said, I love our quarterback room. We've got really good teammates. You worry with certain kids if they're going to be detriments but our guys are all pretty good guys. And so we just felt it was time, felt Kurt was the guy and definitely wanted to give him more reps to get on the same page with everybody with the offense.

"It's a dependent position. Guys have got to make plays. Guys have to block. That's what's great about football. That's what we just talked to them about today, just executing better. I said it last week, our effort was fine. ... We've just got to go in the right spots. If you hit the guy selling hot dogs, it doesn't matter how hard you're going. We had some execution issues last week."

Blake Kemp completed 9 of 14 last Saturday although it was not clear if he was facing the first or second defensive unit.

"I thought it was pretty close," Nichol said of the quarterback competition, which initially included Cody Keith until he sustained a foot injury. "That's a good thing. They're all smart, heady guys who are motivated and want to win. That's what's tough at that position because you don't rotate 'em. We won't. We won't try to. You hope you don't. There's only one of 'em, you know. That's what makes it tough. They all can do some good things."

Ultimately, Nichol said Benkert's grasp of the system was a deciding factor. He was like a Siamese twin to Shane Carden as an understudy. He has sat in on offensive line meetings to get a better feel for that group and their blocking schemes.

"I think his overall knowledge of the offense," Nichol said of the primary decision-making factor. "Again, it's good throughout the room. His skill set, his intelligence and then just kind of wanting to move forward. Kurt was the leader but if three were just exactly equal, we still had to name somebody because three guys getting reps, we weren't getting any better. At some point, you've got to give one guy the reps. We probably would have made a decision pretty darn quick anyway."

That may show some valid perception on Nichol's part. The Pirates didn't name a starter the last time there was a quarterback competition in preseason camp in 2012 until much closer to the season opener and then Rio Johnson was the choice, not Carden, the record setter to be."

Now Benkert, his teammates and Pirate Nation know it's on him when the season starts against Towson on Sept. 5.

"I'm going to have the nerves and all that but I know I've got 10 good dudes around me that are really going to help this team go," Benkert said. "We've got a good defense. I just feel like we're more of an overall team this year than we were."

Benkert hasn't lost confidence in the offensive front.

"Of course, I don't worry about anything when I've got them in front of me," he said. "I don't, especially with all the experience they have. It's one less thing to worry about. It's comforting."

Nichol said Benkert is passionate about competition.

"I try to get him to relax," Nichol said. "He's a real type A personality. It's like, 'Hey, Kurt, I bet I can beat you in 21.' He's like, 'Lets go, right now.' He's just got to relax in general sometime. I talk to him about that."

Last Saturday's scrimmage actually helped Benkert ease up a little bit.

"Honestly, I felt myself relaxing after the scrimmage because it couldn't get much worse than that," he said. "After that scrimmage I was like, you know what I'm just going to come out here and play and have fun and whatever happens, happens. It started paying dividends."

Benkert has also realized he needs to communicate more with teammates.

"Really just got to get everybody on the same page," Benkert said. "It starts with me. I have to start talking to guys more. Like, 'Hey, you can make that catch' or 'If it's this look, you can run this just a little bit different so we can get a little better position.' Just different little things."

Last Saturday was history and this Saturday is a mystery as far as head coach Ruffin McNeill is concerned. AAC officials will be on hand to call this week's scrimmage.

"After a two-a-day yesterday, I was pleased with the way we approached practice," McNeill said after Thursday morning's session. " ... I saw some things that I really liked. It wasn't the most consistent practice we've had, maybe to average out, it would have been. For what we expect, it wasn't bad. My grade, it was OK. There were some spots we were playing like we were supposed to.

"It's that grind part of camp that's around that 16th day that happens but this group will bounce back. This group is one that when you tell something to them or bring it up to them, they fix it. They're a quiet bunch. They're not like the bunch we've had in the past. They're a listening bunch, not really a very vocal bunch."

The quarterback position may have determined its starter but other spots remain up for grabs.

"I like the way we're progressing," McNeill said. "I like the competition at all positions. These guys are fighting for spots. I'm looking forward to seeing that continue. We got one (practice today). We'll scrimmage Saturday. I don't know how long we'll go. I'm interested in quality, not quantity. Meet the Pirates is on Saturday, a good chance to see Pirate Nation. Sunday will begin mock game week. We'll get some guys who have not been through game week before, we'll get that done starting on Sunday.

The scrimmage will emphasize some aspects of game day situations.

"Sideline communication," McNeill said. "Upstairs with our coaches. Get the phones situated. There's always that first game (preparation). We'll work on sideline discipline. It will be like a game-type deal coming on the field, getting 'em ready a week early how we approach the field on game day. Sideline order, where everyone will sit.

"Those types of things will be going on. And then the substitution packages on both sides. Looking for great communication with that. We're doing a great job with that right now. The last thing is just making sure we keep improving on fundamentals ... and making sure we limit our penalties. We've done a good job with that these past three days on both sides of the ball with penalties."

The unit matchups will feature some best on best.

"We'll go some ones on ones, twos on twos," McNeill said. "I'm going to get those guys out of there quick. Some guys that are running with twos and threes, I want to see in live action."

The scrimmage is closed so the release from the athletic media relations department and post-scrimmage interviews will be the sources from which the information-hungry fan base will determine if there is cause for concern this week.

E-mail Al Myatt

PAGE UPDATED 08/21/15 01:38 AM.

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