Questions surface about offense

By Brian Bailey
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The East Carolina offense hit the snooze button one time too many on Saturday morning.

The Pirate defense dominated the first scrimmage of the 2015 fall campaign. The defense accounted for 13 tackles for losses and was in complete control all morning.

The quarterbacks were the most disappointing, going just 13-35 with three interceptions. Kurt Benkert, who I thought would be named the starter this week, was just 3-15 for 13 yards and an interception.

It's not uncommon for the defense to be ahead of the offense the first couple of weeks of August. Dig deeper, and the situation isn't nearly as dire as it may appear.

Several players told me afterwards that they were surprised that the offense faired so poorly in the scrimmage. That same offense apparently dominated the defense earlier in the week and had plenty of confidence going into Saturday.

"I'm disappointed," said Benkert after the scrimmage. "I just don't think we did a good job of playing 11-man football. We'll get back after it and correct the mistakes."

"It was certainly average, maybe below average," said first year offensive coordinator Dave Nichol. "We certainly have some work to do but I think we'll be okay."

ECU coach Ruffin McNeill knows it's always a double-edge sword. If the defense looks good, it's at the expense of the offense.

“The defense is usually ahead when you go into your first scrimmage,” McNeill added. “Today wasn’t any different. The offense is older and is starting to come around and I think this week you will see them catch up. We started to see a glimpse of that this week and things are coming back for them as a unit.

"In scrimmages like today, where it’s not a series of plays like in a game, you will see a defense having a lot of three-and-outs and then get off the field. I was proud of the way they played, especially getting three turnovers which helps our offense tremendously.

"Offensively, we just have to keep getting after it by playing each play, but they’ll catch up and it’s going to be fun to watch.”

The highlight of the scrimmage was Chris Hairston's 73-yard touchdown run on his only carry.

"I hope to have some more like that this year," said Hairston. "I owe it all to the guys up front though. They gave me a lane and I just ran through it."

Coach Ruff was quick to get Hairston, and many of his starters, off the field and on the sideline.

"I saw Chris (Hairston) break one early," said McNeill. "And then I got him out of the game. I’ve seen him run for about five years, so I know what he can do. I did the same thing with Zeek (Bigger), Isaiah (Jones) and some other guys.”

All scrimmages are closed but I did get to see the last half hour or so. Former South Central star Shawn Furlow had a nice run while I was there, but even in the short time I watched I could tell the offense was off a bit. Furlow had 52 yards on six carries.

Is there concern about the Pirate offense? Sure there is. You don't lose players like Shane Carden and Justin Hardy and just re-load.

Still, this offense will get better as camp continues. Playing against the Pirate defense on a daily basis will pay dividends down the road.

There is no need to panic. Look for the Pirate offense to rebound in a big way this week.

BB

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