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Ruff puts new priority on 'head' coaching

By Al Myatt
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Being a Football Bowl Subdivision head coach can involve supervising game plans, maximizing recruiting, directing staff, responding to media, making appearances and in Ruffin McNeill's approach, being a father figure to over 100 young men.

This week the East Carolina head coach also has been just that, a head coach, shaping the mental side for the Pirate players as ECU looks to break a two-game losing streak at home against South Florida at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

He who hesitates is lost as the saying goes and after McNeill evaluated the tape from a 31-13 setback at Connecticut, he saw too much hesitation from the Pirates.

ECU needs to have one of those games where all three sides of the ball are playing well and feeding off one another.

"Execution is always big with any side of the ball," McNeill said. "We just talked about execution, do your job. Two things I told them relates to the ball. Take care of the ball on offense. Take it away on defense. I've got to take pressure off the kids. You saw guys hesitating on film because they were listening to me. There's too many don't and not tos. Just go. Let it go. Play. Play. Play.

"I've approached it that way. Do not hesitate. Just play. Hopefully, that will take some of the pressure off them. Just play. Don't worry about the nots or don'ts. You know, don't make a penalty. Too much don't and too much not to and now the guys are afraid to make a mistake and they become hesitant, which sometimes leads to more mistakes. Play smart but don't hesitate. ... You can see it on film. I have a group of coach-me-coach kids. They want to please and do exactly what I've said. I've talked to them.

"Clear minds mean fast legs. Cloudy minds means slow legs. Just make plays and have a good time at this game but don't hesitate. Execute. Do your job. Make routine plays but don't hesitate. That's how I've approached it. I'm going to keep doing that."

Injuries have taken toll

There have been mitigating factors for the Pirates, who are 4-5 overall and 2-3 in the American Athletic Conference.

ECU invested a lot in Kurt Benkert, the heir apparent to Shane Carden at quarterback before Benkert went out for the season with a knee injury relatively late in preseason camp. In an offense that depends heavily on a quarterback's judgment and execution, James Summers and Blake Kemp have each had a broad range in terms of consistency.

"It's tough," McNeill said. "James was going to be our Justin Hardy, like we've done with quarterbacks. We moved Isaiah (Jones) to receiver. Even though James has played quarterback and done a great job, you're talking about a guy who coming into the season was expected to play receiver. Blake was going to be our third-team guy. Those guys have stepped up and done more things than you could imagine. The position is one that is very important in this offense. I need to teach and educate everyone on that. The injuries that we've had, we've been banged up but guys are stepping up and fighting."

Injuries have been a factor in other areas, too. The offensive line, projected as a strength, has been forced into numerous personnel adjustments.

"Some young guys have had to step up and play more but it's one of those years," McNeill said. "You have game injuries and also the unforeseen injuries with Kurt Benkert, those kind of things. Non-contact. (Running back) Marquez Grayson has come back. Making a cut in practice. Those kinds of things that set you back but no excuses and no complaints. We've just got to find ways. I think you'll see that. The kids have done a great job of bouncing back (Tuesday) in practice. I was really proud of that. I had no doubt about it. Sunday was a good practice and (Tuesday) was even better."

Has schedule had cumulative effect?

The point has been made but remains valid that the Pirates have played a tough schedule. Florida, Navy, Temple and Brigham Young have a combined record of 26-5 with the losses to other nationally-elite teams – LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame and UCLA.

The loss to UConn doesn't fall in that category but the demands of the strength of the schedule without a bye week may have caught up with the Pirates, who will finally have an open date before visiting Central Florida on Nov. 19.

"There's a very small margin of error with the competition we play," McNeill said. "Our nonconference schedule, if you check the other teams' nonconference schedule, check ours. It was not very forgiving each week. You don't have a chance to get a lot of players work because the games are so tight. If we would have had a soft nonconference schedule, which we don't do here, then, yeah, we'd have some extra Ws in there, too.

"Our nonconference schedule was as tough as anyone's."

Exploiting copycat defenses

Opposing defenses have no qualms about borrowing from game plans that have worked against the Pirates. ECU went through a five-quarter span against Temple and UConn without scoring an offensive point.

"We have to take what they give us," McNeill said. "That comes with having that guy that can make them pay a little bit. That's what you keep reaching for each week. See what they're doing to you and make them pay. Don't hesitate. Teams are doing some things differently You see copycats. We just have to make them pay when we see them in that copycat mode. ... It's a matter of relaxing and trust what you see and don't hesitate once you see it. When you see it, don't hesitate when you do it."

Relying on established process

Retiring Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer was 25-40-2 in his first six seasons as head coach. Membership in the Big East and later, the Atlantic Coast Conference, has helped the Hokies. McNeill, in his sixth season at ECU, currently is 42-32 as a head coach, including a bowl win at Texas Tech as interim coach of the Red Raiders.

McNeill is confident in the process established at his alma mater.

"You look over the body of work, we've done it from the beginning," said the Pirates coach. "Losing the most lettermen in the country. Getting in the recruits in the last few years. We have an attitude of winning here. We have a high expectation. You have to be a little bit lucky and avoid the injury bug. ... At some point, you can say next man up and the next man up is not going to be as good as the first guy. We feel like we're very competitive at each position. When you lose your quarterback, that's a main position. Those kids are learning under fire. James' (Summers) learning has taken place, not in fall practice but in game weeks. So no excuses though. I think we've set a winning tone here, getting through those first two heavy years. We want to build a program.

"I was talking about coach (Frank) Beamer (Virginia Tech). I think in his first six years there, he was still under that realm. This is our sixth year here and we want to build a program and we've done it the right way. We're not going to microwave it, which I could go out and microwave it and get 10 JC guys in here and win for a season. I don't want to do that for our university. I like to build a program here. Winning is important. Expectations are high. I think we've committed that way. You have to have a little bit of luck, too, and avoid the injury bug.

"We have some guys we've lost to game injuries and some who are banged and nicked from unforeseen so we'll keep fighting and keep going. I'm disappointed in not coming through in these games but I'm not down on our kids. I'm not going to turn our back on our kids."

Getting off the adversity boat

This has been a week for the head coach to work on mindset.

"We talked about adversity and success," McNeill said. "There's two boats. There's the success boat and it's very heavy. A lot of people jump on the success boat. The adversity boat, there's not many people on that boat.

"I like the fact that we're going to be on that boat and we're going to find a way off of that boat, the adversity boat. I'm not afraid to fight off of that adversity boat. In fact, I welcome the challenge. It strengthens me to be on that boat. That's what we're made of here. That's what we've been built around here.

"I think we've established a winning thought process here. We're having a tough time right now, during these last two games, but we'll overcome it."

Weather could be factor

The advance forecast for Saturday indicates that adversity may involve less than ideal playing conditions.

ECU practiced Tuesday despite poor weather.

"It was messy but we got out," McNeill said. "We did a full practice. It was slippery and drizzly but we got through it. We did some work on the turf but the guys want to stay on the grass, which is a lot easier on their legs. We got a full practice in, which is good. We needed that one."

Positive outlook

McNeill said the players have been upbeat as they prepare for the Bulls.

"Magnificent," said the ECU alumnus of team morale. "They believe in me, believe in our staff, believe in each other and what we're doing. This staff works as hard as any staff I've been around. Any staff. This team has not had a bad full day of practice, maybe a bad period here or a play here. They've strained each day with coach (Jeff) Connors in the weight room, on the field."

E-mail Al Myatt

PAGE UPDATED 11/05/15 02:27 AM.

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