East Carolina is the best team with a bad defense in the country.

It's true that the Pirates are 120th and last in the Football Bowl Subdivision in both points (43.27) and yards (481.45) allowed per game, a situation that was magnified last week in a 62-38 road loss to a Rice team that came in with a 2-8 record.

But the Pirates are far from being a typical team with a struggling defensive unit. In examining those listed above ECU in scoring defense, you have to go all the way up to Michigan at No. 99 to find another team with a winning record. The Wolverines are 7-4. Troy, at No. 106, is currently 5-5.

The Pirates, at 6-5, are the exception to the rule that bad defenses lead to a corresponding number of defeats. ECU is bowl eligible, a status none of the other bottom 21 in scoring defense can claim at this point.

What should have been expected from a unit that lost nine starters and its coordinator?

The ball control style that had the ability to give the defense lengthy rest stops on the sideline departed to South Florida with Skip Holtz. In its place is a spread passing game that can outscore opponents in spite of a tendency to make costly turnovers in some of the Pirates' blowout losses.

Those times of rest and consultation with the defensive coaches have been limited by an offense whose average time of possession is 26 minutes and 49 seconds per game. That's 116th nationally.

Let's not forget that the defense has stepped up at times. Pirate fans will remember true freshman backup safety Damon Magazu for the game-winning interception in overtime that preserved a 33-27 win over N.C. State. The ECU defense had stepped up to force a third-and-12 when Russell Wilson was picked off to end the game. The 21st-ranked Wolfpack is still in contention for the ACC championship with its 29-25 win in Chapel Hill last week.

The ECU defense produced multiple early turnovers that led to a romp over Memphis. The Pirates wouldn't want to trade places with the Tigers, who have gone on to a 1-10 record, would they? Memphis is one of ECU's neighbors in the lower echelon of scoring defense at No. 117.

The defense rose to the occasion late in the 44-43 win at Southern Miss as well. ECU redshirt freshman defensive end Matt Milner sacked Golden Eagles quarterback Austin Davis on fourth-and-10 with 1:55 left on Southern Miss's last possession. The Pirates made stops at UAB in outscoring the Blazers 27-7 in the fourth quarter for a 54-42 win that assured bowl eligibility.

We have many blessings to contemplate on Thanksgiving. One that Pirate fans should appreciate is a team that has used its effort, emotion and strengths to manage six wins. New Mexico, No. 119 in scoring defense, is 1-10. Eastern Michigan, at No. 118, is 2-9. ECU is remarkable in spite of its defensive numbers.

Ruff's take on Rice

Despite winning back-to-back Conference USA titles in 2008 and 2009, the cupboard was left virtually bare in terms of defensive experience when Ruffin McNeill's staff came in at ECU.

The Pirates ran into perfect storms of opposing offensive scheme, poor defensive play and their own turnovers in a 76-35 loss to Navy and in last week's debacle at Rice. The trip to Houston produced a mystifying outcome in terms of the two teams' prior performance levels.

"Offensively, they executed well," McNeill said of the Owls' attack. "Our defense did not execute well. We didn't get off blocks on defense. That's a fundamental principle on defense and we didn't do a good job of it. The kids watched film and they said the same thing.

"On offense we had two turnovers. I thought maybe we tried to get it back too quick. I thought our special teams played solid. We gave up one return, I think, past the 40. We did some solid things on special teams. The first return was botched a little bit, a mix-up on whose ball it was.

"I think the biggest thing they did on Saturday was they executed well on offense. They did a good job. They had a few plays in there that we hadn't seen before. They majored more in wildcat than we had seen and they did a good job of executing it."

What about the possibility that ECU took the Owls lightly? Rice had managed wins over North Texas and a Houston team hampered by an injury to quarterback Case Keenum. The Owls had lost three straight, including a 64-27 setback to a Tulsa team that the Pirates edged 51-49 at home in the season opener. Rice Stadium can accommodate over 70,000, as it did for Super Bowl VIII, but attendance for the ECU game was announced at 15,262. Rice's enrollment is about one-fifth of ECU's.

The Pirates were over 1,200 miles from the center of their fan base. It was hardly a situation that inspired passion for the matchup. Good teams can overcome such circumstances but ECU didn't on Saturday and the Owls administered an upset. To their credit they put together a solid game plan and executed it.

Still, the emotional intensity seemed to be several notches below the standard for the Pirates.

"That's always a part of it," McNeill said. "You hope the kids understand what you're talking about. You respect everyone but fear none. That's what we talk about. I haven't asked the kids (about taking Rice lightly). I don't know if that was part of it. I didn't feel that it was going into the game. We had great practices last week. I thought we prepared well."

ECU closed a 34-14 Rice lead to 34-28 in the last seven minutes of the first half.

"Going into the half, I felt we had given up some points defensively but we were right in it," McNeill said. "Then we came back out after the half and they marched it down. We just couldn't get the stop we needed. I think they felt like they had a good plan going in as far as running the football and keeping it away from our offense. They did a good job with that."

Rice ran for 410 yards and had possession for 38:46.

Defensive factors

First-year ECU defensive coordinator Brian Mitchell wanted to play an aggressive, attacking style but the approach has been simplified.

"Scheme, we're playing base," McNeill said. "We're not having them think too much because they are inexperienced."

Injuries are a part of the game, and for the Pirates they have been a big part.

"We've lost three of our best defensive players," said the ECU coach. "Marke Powell (defensive end) was one of the fastest players we had on defense, one of our best athletes. Justin Dixon (linebacker) was one of the strongest, most athletic and fastest people on our defense and (defensive tackle) Michael Brooks."

Pirates defensive tackle Josh Smith loved having Brooks when he was healthy because it made his job so much easier. It was Brooks who stopped N.C. State running back Mustafa Greene on second down in overtime for a yard loss the play before the decisive pick by Magazu.

ECU had an exceptional defensive front last season. C.J. Wilson, Linval Joseph and Jay Ross have all gone on to the NFL. Their ability made it easier for linebackers to make stops against the run and for the secondary to play pass coverage because of their ability to pressure quarterbacks. The defining play of the 2009 season to me was Wilson's block of a Southern Miss extra point and his length-of-the-field return for two points when the Golden Eagles were kicking for the lead with 7:35 left to play. ECU went on to a 25-20 victory that earned the Pirates a berth in the C-USA championship game against Houston the following week.

"The Linval Josephs, and those guys are not everyday people, the Scotty Robinsons, the C.J.s," McNeill said. "Those guys are different people now. I know that's what our fans are used to seeing but we don't have those guys. We've just got to keep plugging away, take the guys we've got and get better, recruit well and get guys in here that can do that but we don't have Linval Joseph. Those guys are not here any more and those guys don't come along very often."

Here come the Ponies

The 2009 Pirates, with all of their defensive talent, went 7-1 in Conference USA. The lone loss came by a 28-21 score at Southern Methodist.

The Mustangs make a return trip to take on ECU at 2 p.m. on Friday at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. SMU coach June Jones, whose offensive wizardry pushed Hawaii into the BCS picture, has his program in control of its fate in Conference USA's West Division. A win at ECU and it's on to the league championship game for the Ponies.

"It's definitely a challenge," McNeill said. "June is a great football coach. He's been in the NFL and he did a great job turning Hawaii around. ... They do a really good job throwing the football, spreading the field. June also has added more running game. Their quarterback is one of the best in the league."

Sophomore Kyle Padron has completed 240 of 406 passes for 2,975 yards with 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for SMU (6-5, 5-2 C-USA). Zach Line is running for 106.7 yards per game. Aldrick Robinson has 52 catches for 1,053 yards and 11 TDs. Cole Beasley (70 catches, 858 yards, 5 TDs) and Darius Johnson (60 catches, 588 yards, 5 TDs) also are popular targets.

McNeill said the Mustangs are improved on defense.

"We had a chance to watch the personnel that SMU has gotten in there and they've really upgraded," said the Pirates coach. "Their linebackers are athletic. They blitz 'em, drop 'em, move 'em quite a bit with an odd front type of thought process. Their top two defensive linemen are Marquis Frazier (6-foot-3, 298 pounds) and Taylor Thompson (6-6, 276). Both of them are big kids who can run around. Their secondary has some very good athletes but the strength of their defense is the linebackers."

Sophomore linebacker Taylor Reed leads SMU with 111 tackles and senior linebacker Pete Fleps has been in on 93 stops.

Schedule adjustments

The Pirates practiced Wednesday morning and had their team Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday afternoon. Chapel was scheduled for 2 p.m. today. Special teams have a 2:30 p.m. meeting as ECU follows its normal day-before-a-home-game routine. The offense and defense also have skull sessions this afternoon.

"Hotel and movies on Thursday night — and normal game day on Friday," McNeill said.

Senior Day

It really won't be a normal game day for the Pirates in the sense that the likes of Dwayne Harris and Jonathan Williams will be playing their final regular season home games. An unlikely scenario could get ECU a share of the C-USA East Division title for the third straight season but the Pirates' main motivation will be sending out the senior class in the proper manner.

McNeill summed up the keys to a successful Senior Day.

"We have to get our confidence back defensively," he said. "We have to do a great job on offense, recognizing their blitz and who's blitzing and make sure we do a good job with communication. Our quarterbacks need to get rid of the football on blitzes. We need to read the blitzes quick. We have to just decipher and be patient when they do drop back in zone.

"Our offensive linemen have to do a good job in communication. (Quarterback) Dominique (Davis) has to do a good job of reading and getting rid of the football.

"Defensively we have to do a great job of just flying around and making sure we're making plays. We need to do a good job coverage-wise but also we have to be aware of the run against SMU. With Zach Line running the football, we have to do a good job of playing the run, too. They do a good job with him in the mix."

ECU's seniors include wide receiver Javon Brumsey, offensive lineman Cory Dowless, the multi-talented Harris, defensive lineman A.J. Johnson, linebacker Dustin Lineback, defensive back Dekota Marshall, defensive back Justin Nunery, linebacker Melvin Patterson, linebacker Wes Pittman, offensive lineman Doug Polochak, running back Giavanni Ruffin, offensive lineman D.J. Scott, defensive back Travis Simmons, defensive tackle Josh Smith, offensive lineman Willie Smith, wide receiver T.J. Terrell, running back Norman Whitley and running back Williams.

"We need to get a win for our team," McNeill said. "Number two, we need to get a win for our seniors, their last day in Dowdy-Ficklen. Everything else would be after those two reasons."

McNeill has built a special relationship with the seniors in his first season as head coach at his alma mater.

"The guys have stayed the course," McNeill said. "They've been strong. I really appreciate them. They're in my heart forever because whatever I asked them to do, they did it. I'm very proud of 'em and I'm very honored to be around those kids."