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'Play the next play'

By Al Myatt
©2015 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.

It was not a happy group of East Carolina football players that left Bagwell Field after a 24-14 loss to No. 21 Temple (7-0) on Thursday night. The Pirate supporters among a crowd of 39,417 at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium were frustrated, too.

One of Ruffin McNeill's tenets as ECU coach will be tested Friday night as the Pirates visit Connecticut for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

As Ruff says, ECU must play the next play. Keep moving forward in other words.

Aspirations for the American Athletic Conference East Division championship were dealt a big hit by the Owls, who scored twice in the final 3:31 thanks to the passing of P.J. Walker to Robby Anderson and a blocked punt.

The Pirates, 4-4 overall and 2-2 in the league, can still reach the six-win plateau for bowl eligibility. There are four conference games remaining and stranger things have happened than a division title for ECU, although it would take some help.

So play the next play.

With eight days between the disappointment of a second straight loss to Temple and the trip to UConn, there was some time off.

"It was good to get away from the game," McNeill said. "Those days were helpful I know for the team but for me personally. We kept a similar schedule we had (vs. Temple) as far as Sunday night practice and Monday night practice. We went a little bit later Tuesday. We normally start at 2:25 (p.m.). We went to 3. It doesn't seem like much but I felt like it was good mentally.

"Wednesday gave us that extra day that we didn't have last Thursday where we can go through a complete game rehearsal. We'll travel (today). The kids have done a good job. The coaching staff, they've done a great job, too, as well, getting the game plan in and getting ready to travel and knowing we're facing a Connecticut team that has played a tough schedule as well."

The tough schedule for the Pirates is a verifiable fact. The teams that have beaten ECU – Florida, Navy, Brigham Young and Temple – have a combined record of 24-4. Their losses – all on the road – have been to LSU, Notre Dame, UCLA and Michigan. Those four teams have an aggregate record of 23-5.

So ECU has been competitive with some solid opponents. The Pirates are still finding their way to a degree in the AAC. ECU won its Conference USA championships in 2008 and 2009 after joining the league in 1997. Titles can take time.

"This is a different league," McNeill said. "It's not Conference USA. The athletes are bigger. I heard Coach (Jeff) Lebo (ECU coach) talking last night about basketball. They found that the players in this league are a couple of inches bigger, taller and 15 to 20 pounds heavier. The football is the same way. I learned that against Connecticut."

ECU was favored by four touchdowns at home against the Huskies in a Thursday nighter last season and won, 31-21. UConn corner Byron Jones was a first round pick by the Dallas Cowboys in 2015.

The Huskies secondary still appears formidable, especially since ECU doesn't have the same degree of experience at quarterback as when Shane Carden was captain of the Pirate ship last year.

ECU also must deal with a dinged-up offensive front. Christian Matau, who had played center in recent weeks, is out for the season with a left arm ailment.

"Tre (Robertson, tackle) is coming back slowly," McNeill said. "We hope he's ready to go. ... One thing about Brad Davis (first-year offensive line coach), with anybody else at the helm I would be worried.

"We're fortunate to have Brad. He is a special, special guy. He's taught the front to play multiple positions. For example, J.T. Boyd can play center and guard. Garrett McGhin can play left guard or right guard. Kyle Erickson can play center or guard. (Coach Davis) has done a good job of developing guys at multiple positions to give us depth. So next man step up and be ready to go. Be ready versus Connecticut."

McNeill said ECU has worked on punt protection. One boot was partially-blocked by Temple last week and another was more substantially deflected, giving the Owls a 15-yard field that led to the last score.

The challenge for the Pirates this week may be more on mindset, getting past the disappointment of the Temple game and getting ready to go again. McNeill already has credited the resiliency of his players this week and the contagious effect it had on him as a coach.

"You've got to move on," McNeill said. "You've got to look forward. If you look backwards, that's where you'll go. If you look forward, that's where you'll go, so we're looking forward."

ECU needs to regroup with a complete team effort at UConn (3-5, 1-3).

"We have to have three sides of the ball playing all together in all the games and especially this next game," McNeill said. "There's a lot of season left. There's a lot of things we can accomplish as a football team. We've got to have great first-down efficiency, offensively and defensively. We need great third down success, both offensively and defensively. Not stop ourselves or hurt ourselves in drives. Critical makes at critical times. Stay away from the critical errors at critical times. Routine plays. Competitive plays. Let's continue to make sure we improve fundamentally. Never neglect the fundamental part of the game."

So block, tackle and, of course, play the next play.

E-mail Al Myatt

PAGE UPDATED 10/29/15 01:46 AM.

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