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Pirates look to build on big win

By Al Myatt
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Coming back from an early 14-0 deficit to defeat Virginia Tech 35-28 at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium on Saturday was a huge step for an East Carolina football team that had dropped preceding games at Florida and Navy.

"I was proud of the boys and proud of the staff," said Pirates coach Ruffin McNeill. "I thought they really worked hard and were dedicated to the game plan last week. We knew it was going to be a very tough task, especially coming off a very physical game at Navy and Florida, too.

"We fell behind early. Bud (Foster, Virginia Tech defensive coordinator) causes that to happen. Some teams respond and I'm glad we did. I felt like we would. We've been tested on the road, reacting to different situations. ... I thought the kids did well. The coaches did a really good job on the sidelines of making adjustments. The kids did a great job of accepting the adjustments.

"Great to get a win. Pirate Nation was in full force and I was very proud of that, too."

ECU (2-2) looks to take some momentum from its fifth straight win over an ACC program into its American Athletic Conference contest at Southern Methodist on Saturday at 4 p.m., but there will be no purple smoke accompanying ECU's emergence from the locker room, no cannon firing after each Pirate score and no crowd yelling "First down" in unison as ECU advances on offense.

The environment will be less supportive for a game the Pirates need to control their fate in the AAC East Division race.

It's important to build on the win over the Hokies under the more demanding circumstances of playing 1,265 miles from home.

"You learn from each game," McNeill said. "The biggest thing is that all four sides – sideline enthusiasm and attention to detail – but offense, defense and special teams feed off one another. That's the biggest thing I take from that game is that we have to have that. With the competition that we play, nonconference and our conference top to bottom is going to be tough starting at SMU. We have to play on all sides of the ball to give us the best opportunity in each game. We found out and we talked about it after the Florida game and into the Navy game but I thought we did that well in spots.

"I thought our special teams, going against one of the best special teams programs in the country for about 29 years, I thought we did a good job there holding our own. Special teams, we need them to continue. I thought our offensive and defensive lines did a pretty good job as well, which we keep talking about that."

ECU punter Worth Gregory averaged 41.2 yards on five boots with three backing Virginia Tech up inside its 6-yard line in the fourth quarter.

McNeill wants reserves on the sideline to be into the game and supportive of teammates.

"That's why I always say four sides of the ball," said the Pirates coach. "The sidelines, the guys we take with us. That's why we travel 70 guys to conference games so that everybody who travels understands that their enthusiasm and attention to detail is needed. Florida and Navy went well. I don't know how many will be able to make it to Texas but we always on away games emphasize the bond and the tightness of the team on all four sides, sideline, offense, defense, special teams."

Former Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris is in his first season as head coach of the Mustangs (1-3), who have already scored more points this year than they did during a one-win season in 2014.

"He was a very successful high school coach in Texas," McNeill said of Morris. "He's a good ball coach. He's done it on the field at Clemson. I thought he took Clemson to another level there as well offensively. Up tempo offense, a lot of different formations. He uses his personnel extremely well on offense. You really have to prepare and make sure you get lined up correctly and ready to play the next play.

"Defensively, he's got Van Malone, a great player at Texas who I've known for a long time. He's the defensive coordinator who understands. Those guys will get some good recruits in there. They're already getting some in there at SMU. The program is committed to helping Chad at SMU. I think June (Jones, former SMU coach) was fighting for it but they made a big commitment to help Chad like all the other schools. Memphis has done the same thing. Houston, Tulsa. Everyone is doing that. Cincinnati.

"That was one thing I talked to Chad at the head coaches deal. He was really excited about the vision that they have for him and SMU. They have a lot of excitement there in the program. It's in a great location in the middle of Dallas, but on the field he's putting together an extremely tough offense to face. Their defense is sound and special teams are very, very solid as well as their enthusiasm in the community and within the university."

The play of James Summers at quarterback and Jordan Williams at buck linebacker were significant last week for ECU. Summers ran 21 times for 169 yards with two touchdowns including a 41-yard keeper that ultimately provided the margin of victory. Summers completed five of eight passes for 110 yards with one score.

"Those guys have done good jobs and understand the importance of being team players," McNeill said. "That's why we wanted them on our team before they got here, James and Jordan both. I thought Blake (Kemp) and Dave Nichol (offensive coordinator) and all the guys that helped James understand the offense were important. He's a very smart young man anyway. You've got to imagine Blake nor James in the summer or preseason camp thought they would be playing quarterback right now.

"Blake was the backup to Kurt (Benkert) and we had already told James to get ready to replace Justin Hardy (inside receiver) at that position out there. Justin was a quarterback and Zay (Isaiah Jones) and Malik (Gray). All those guys were quarterbacks so we had to make the move when Kurt got hurt (right knee injury). I thought he handled it well. Jordan came to us, special teams. Just like Zeek (Bigger) and Montese (Overton). Brandon Williams. Terrell Richardson. Those guys performed on special teams. Coach (John) Wiley is one of the best linebacker coaches I've been around. He got them ready to play. When Devaris Brunson (buck linebacker) went down, Jordan had to step up and he did. He came up with a big pick and was in on 13 tackles. I was proud of him coming through that way, making plays when his number was dialed, both those guys."

Hopefully, the win over Virginia Tech was a foundation, not a ceiling. Continued improvement is essential to league title aspirations.

"That's one of our goals," McNeill said. "Again, six years ago we talked about making sure we played our best game our last game the last game of the season. We're getting close. It takes time. You've got to be patient. You can't rush it.

"We want to get better each week. Then you back it up, better each day. Even more than that, better each rep, each turn, each repetition in practice every day get better. That's the driving point. We have to get that. The guys understand every play, every practice rep, you've got to get better. You've got to correlate to games."

McNeill recalled an adage from his strong safety days for the Pirates from 1976 to 1979.

"You practice how you play and you play how you practice," McNeill said. "That's still true today."

E-mail Al Myatt

PAGE UPDATED 10/02/15 02:46 AM.

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