©2002 Bonesville.net

The temperature was an August-like 94 degrees at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium on Saturday and, in a sense, that was appropriate, because the East Carolina football team looked a lot like it probably should have coming out of preseason practice.

The Pirates nailed Army 59-24 with a brand of football more recognizable to ECU fans than that played for the most part in a 1-3 start.

It took a tough week of practice but the Pirates may have found a pulse.

Turnovers that were so influential in the losses at Duke and Wake Forest appear to be under control. The Pirates were a plus-2 on turnover margin against the Cadets. The rushing defense that had been so abused at West Virginia held the Cadets below their season average.

True, Army is a struggling team, but ECU overcame the tendency to play on the level of its competition.

The Pirates brought a new focus into their second Conference USA game of the season, a mindset forged by practices Tuesday and Wednesday designed to raise the bar on the team’s mental and physical toughness. Instead of working the first unit offense and first defense against scout teams, ECU coach Steve Logan scrimmaged the two first teams against one another last week.

Ideally, Logan has sought to avoid letting his players beat each other up. Last week, the action got rough enough that one result was a broken arm for outside linebacker John Williamson.

Logan reduced scrimmaging in spring practice in 2002 because of knee injuries to H-back Damarcus Fox and defensive back Travis Cox. Logan once told me that the less physical style was more along the lines of how NFL teams prepare. It has worked for some ECU teams in some seasons but every team has a different personality and Logan perceived that this group had gotten a little soft based on the performance at West Virginia.

Logan prefers a more intellectual approach to the game but if grunt work in the trenches is what it takes, then he’ll deliver the marching orders. In contrast to the recent routines, the Pirates went out in full pads and tackled to the ground last week. It was full-speed football and it seemed to make a difference in the product on the field on Saturday.

ECU has been going out midweek in helmets and shoulder pads. The players hit but they don’t go to the ground. After getting physically beat at West Virginia, Logan felt changes in preparation were needed.

It may not have been what the players wanted but it was what they needed.

Quarterback Paul Troth didn’t get hit in the practices Tuesday and Wednesday but felt the faster, game-like conditions that were created helped him be better prepared for game day. Defensive lineman Hosea James thought the more-intense workouts served to bring the team together.

Logan said some players responded better to the challenges than others and those players got more playing time on Saturday as a result. It may be difficult for some players to have relatively light practices during the week and then turn up their competitive level in games.

ECU has discovered a need and addressed it. If players work hard enough during the week, perhaps they will appreciate the opportunity to perform on Saturdays.

The Pirates played with a greater sense of urgency against Army and it was good to see East Carolina playing East Carolina football again.

If it takes more war games during the week for the Pirates to continue playing at that level, so be it. It may not be Logan’s personality to be so physically demanding but he’s learned over the years to keep exploring to find what each particular team needs to be successful.

The mystery of why last year’s team was so inconsistent was never really solved but perhaps the basis for the lackluster early efforts that plagued this year’s team have been discovered.

ECU’s performance against Army got the Pirates out of the basement in the State Line Power Rankings. N.C. State’s status as the top dog will be challenged this week with a trip to rival North Carolina. Victorious South Carolina climbed past Clemson, losers of Bowden Bowl IV. Here’s how they stack up this week: