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quarterback Shane Carden sports his East
Carolina helmet during a practice session at
Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, AL, before
the Senior Bowl. Carden completed four of
seven passes for 70 yards and had a six-yard
run to contribute to the North's 34-13 win
over the South on Saturday. (Image:
Yahoo.com) |
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BASKETBALL |
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Pirates close with win |
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 It
was good to see Shane Carden
smile at the end of the
Senior Bowl on the NFL
Channel on Saturday. It was
a good memory to close his
college career. The East
Carolina quarterback took a
knee in the final seconds of
a 34-13 win for the North
team. ...
More from Al Myatt... |
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BASKETBALL |
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Pirates just short against
Tulsa |
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GREENVILLE Tulsa remained
unbeaten in the American
Athletic Conference but not
without a battle against
East Carolina in Williams
Arena at Minges Coliseum on
Saturday. The Golden
Hurricane improved to 14-5
overall and 7-0 in league
play as De'Andre Wright
assured the outcome by
hitting two free throws with
three seconds left. ...
More... |
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Next: ECU at Memphis
| Wednesday, 9 pm |
| TV: CBSSN
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The Season
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BASKETBALL |
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Mustangs turn back ECU |
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DALLAS Five Southern
Methodist players scored in
double figures as the host
Mustangs took a 77-54
American Athletic Conference
win over East Carolina on
Saturday afternoon. Terry
Whisnant of the Pirates
scored 24 points and
teammate Caleb White added
14 but it was not enough to
offset the balanced effort
by SMU. ...
More... |
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BASKETBALL |
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ECU makes history against
Cougs |
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 GREENVILLE
East Carolina and Houston
came into Wednesday night's
matchup with winless records
in the American Athletic
Conference but the Pirates
emerged with a 66-61
victory, their first league
triumph since moving to the
AAC this season. "That was a
big win for our kids," ECU
coach Jeff Lebo said. ...
Story
& photos... |
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Pictured: ECU's
Antonio Robinson
scores a layup
against Houston. The
senior guard had 8
points and was a
perfect 3-3 from the
floor with 4
assists. (Photo by
W.A. Myatt.) |
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FOOTBALL |
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Opportunity summons Lincoln
Riley |
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 OOOOk-lahoma,
where the wind comes sweepin' down
the plain,
And the wavin' wheat
can sure smell sweet, When the wind
comes right behind the rain
East Carolina
offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley
is singing a new tune today. ...
More
from Brian Bailey... |
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Audio: The Brian
Bailey Show |
 |
The Brian Bailey
Show airs on Pirate
Radio
 1250
on
 Mondays
at 6:30 p.m. Brian's
guests this week
were ECU assistant
basketball coach Ken
Potosnak (right) and
Farmville Central
football coach Scott
Gardner (left):
Replay
show... |
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FOOTBALL RECRUITING |
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ECU taps Texas for scholar/lineman |
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 In
the football-crazed town of
Corinth, Texas, which is
part of the Dallas-Fort
Worth metro area, they're
known for producing college
quarterbacks. In fact, the
last three signal callers at
one of Corinth's local high
schools, Lake Dallas, have
gone on to earn college
scholarships. ...
More from Sammy Batten... |
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By
Al Myatt
©2014 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
Review ECU's 2014 Football Season
VIEW MOBILE VERSION OF THIS PAGE
It was good to see Shane Carden smile at the end of the
Senior Bowl on the NFL Channel on Saturday. It was a good memory to
close his college career.
The East Carolina quarterback took a knee in the final
seconds of a 34-13 win for the North team. There was an element of deja
vu in the moment.
The last time Carden had dropped to a knee was with a
30-26 lead against Central Florida late in the final game of the 2014
regular season, a matchup the Knights
miraculously salvaged with a closing Hail Mary
to spoil ECU's Senior Night at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium by a 32-30 margin.
There was more disappointment to deal with in the ensuing
Birmingham Bowl. The Pirates significantly outgained Florida (536-339 in
total yardage) but couldn't make the production pay off on the
scoreboard in
a 28-20 loss at historic Legion Field.
Carden threw a pass on second and goal at the Gators'
5-yard line intended for Justin Hardy but it was picked off with 1:20
remaining by Vernon Hargreaves III, son of a former ECU assistant.
That marked a bitter end to a season that had incredible
promise at one stage.
Sure, coach Ruffin McNeill said to focus on the body of
work, not the last game.
The body of work included
a 28-21 win at Virginia Tech,
the week after the Hokies had taken a road win over eventual national
champion Ohio State.
The Pirates followed up with
a 70-41 home victory over North Carolina,
setting records for points and total yards by a Tar Heels opponent as a
record crowd cheered every play. The sky had a purple tinge by game's
end.
That outcome lifted ECU into the national rankings. With
wins
over Southern Methodist,
South Florida and
Connecticut, the Pirates
climbed to No. 19 in the coaches poll and No. 21 in the Associated Press
rankings.
Then came that trip to Temple and a hard lesson on how
turnovers can impact a game and a season.
Five lost fumbles by ECU in chilly, rainy and windy
conditions
left the Owls to hoot with a 20-10 win.
ECU moved the ball all over Lincoln Financial Field, amassing a 428-135
advantage in total yardage but took a deflating loss.
One characteristic that has developed under McNeill's
leadership is resilience. The Pirates underwent some self evaluation
before visiting Cincinnati for a Thursday night kickoff in 27-degree
weather. Dressed warmer than in Philadelphia, ECU overcame a 38-20
deficit to lead 46-45 with 1:02 to go on a 2-yard run by Carden. The
Bearcats answered by driving for
a go-ahead 47-yard field goal
by Andrew Gantz, his career longest, with 15 seconds to go.
A closing desperation play by the Pirates led to a
game-ending fumble return by Cincinnati that pushed the final margin to
54-46.
In the first of three games in 13 days, ECU
downed Tulane 34-6 as
Hardy became the Football Bowl Subdivision career receptions leader. The
Pirates traveled to Tulsa for a contest the day after Thanksgiving and
managed
a 49-32 win over a group
trying to save coach Bill Blankenship's job.
ECU still had hopes of back-to-back 10-win seasons when
UCF came calling.
Offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley, who has since
departed for similar responsibilities at Oklahoma, took responsibility
for the time management and field position issues that gave the Knights
the opportunity for their improbable triumph and a share of the AAC
championship. The last line of defenders in ECU's prevent alignment
failed to bat down the high-arching 51-yard scoring pass as time
expired.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and so are
perceptions of the past season for the Pirates. Regardless of outcomes,
ECU always competed.
Carden was named AAC Offensive Player of the Year. He won
the same honor in Conference USA in 2013. He passed for more yards in
2014 than Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota of Oregon.
The Senior Bowl is the premier postseason all-star game
and many of its alumni go on to the NFL. Carden and Hardy were there in
their purple Pirate helmets and reportedly made good impressions on the
pro scouts who were on hand in full force.
Carden completed four of seven passes for 70 yards and
had a six-yard run at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile. Hardy had one
catch for eight yards. Alabama quarterback Blake Sims was among the
elite, playing for the South. Nebraska receiver Ameer Abdullah played
for the North and was MVP.
Carden drove his team for a field goal in the third
quarter to break a tie at 10 and put the North ahead to stay. His
16-yard pass to Antwan Goodley of Baylor got the North into the red
zone.
If only indirectly and symbolically, the outcome provided
a positive ending for ECU's 2014 peaks and valleys. When the ball was
snapped for the last time this college season, it was grasped by a
Pirate.
ECU has had its share of tough results in postseason
excursions in Alabama. The circumstances Saturday provided an exception.
Carden and Hardy, players who were glaringly overlooked
in the recruiting process, went out as winners in the Senior Bowl. That
says a lot about the no-ego, no-entitlement program that produced them.
The duo leave some voids to fill but the Pirates have
proven again that they can develop players who can compete with anyone.
Review ECU's 2014 Football Season