East Carolina closed out fall camp on Saturday with the team’s second scrimmage.
From all accounts, as the media is not allowed to watch the scrimmages, the offense and the running game fared much better than they did in the first scrimmage.
“We ran the ball hard downhill and got some great runs from our running backs,” said Pirate offensive coordinator Tony Petersen. “Our wide receivers made plays on the outside. If people want to play us in tighter coverage or in one-on-one, we have to take advantage of that because we have the height and the depth at wide receiver and the skill at quarterback. If we can make those plays, it forces them into situations where we can run the ball in the lighter boxes.”
The Pirates appear to be settled at the quarterback position, at least for the starter.
Reid Herring is going into the season as the clear cut starter at QB.
“Reid has separated himself,” Montgomery said. “I think the one thing that’s really separated him is the time in the system. He gets us out of bad plays. He has the ability to stop tackles for losses just with his mind right now. We’re growing Kingsley (Ifedi) and Holton (Ahlers) to that point, and they’re already starting to do it, but that’s third-year stuff. There’s no question Reid has a great arm, but just getting us out of the bad plays, he does a good job of that.”
Future Pirates show their stuff
While we are all getting ready for the 2018 football season I got a glimpse at the future on Friday.
The high school football season kicked off on Friday night. I had the chance to check out a pair of high profile ECU recruits in D.H. Conley’s C.J. Johnson and Elizabeth City Northeastern’s Traveon Freshwater.
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Both recruits were team captains and they embraced with a hug before the game. They smiled at one another, knowing the next time they met on the gridiron they would wear the same uniform.
Neither player would disappoint.
Johnson put Conley on the board early, taking a screen pass 78 yards for a touchdown. He also would score on an 80-yard reception later in the game.
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Freshwater, who is coming to ECU as a defensive lineman, scored three touchdowns in the first quarter. He was an absolute load running the football. He reminds me of former Pirate star C.J. Wilson. Wilson was a star running back out of Northside High School in Beaufort County. He came to ECU as a linebacker and then got bigger and stronger and was a standout on the defensive line. C.J. would bring home a Super Bowl ring with the Packers during his NFL career.
Credit former D.H. Conley star Ahlers for helping to lure many of these Eastern North Carolina recruits to ECU. Head coach Scottie Montgomery and the Pirates couldn’t have a better young person helping them recruit the state of North Carolina.
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The Pirates get back to work Tuesday morning with classes starting this week. This year the Pirates are going to an early practice schedule, with classes now in the afternoon.
“We’ve been trying to get the early practice schedule done since I go here,” said Coach Montgomery. “I think it’s going to be better for the entire program.”
I know it’s going to be much better for this reporter. The only time I can’t get anywhere is between 5:30 and 6:30. That’s when practice ended and media availability was before the change. So, I am looking forward to it.
ECU enters its “in-season” mode of practice with the start of classes.
Next week, it’s game week as the Pirates get set for the season opener with North Carolina A&T.
The long summer is finally behind us and it will soon be time for Pirate football.
BB
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