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Audio: Brian Bailey
Show |
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 The
Brian Bailey Show
airs on Pirate Radio
1250 on Mondays at
6:30 p.m. Brian's
guests were ECU
defensive
coordinator Rick
Smith
(left) and Mike
Steele:
Replay
show... |
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Audio: Coach Ruff
Presser |
  East
Carolina coach
Ruffin McNeill spoke
with the media at
his
weekly press
conference on
Monday (recorded by
Brian Bailey;
Bonesville file
photo):
Select
clip... |
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Pirates check out personnel,
systems |
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GREENVILLE — College football
doesn't have scrimmages like high schools or exhibitions as
NFL teams do and financial circumstances haven't always
allowed East Carolina a tune-up outing as the 2014 season
opener with North Carolina Central provided at Dowdy-Ficklen
Stadium on Saturday night. ...
More from Al Myatt... |
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Devaris
Brunson (34)
and DaShawn
Benton (6) have a little
fun after East
Carolina's
season-opening win over
N.C. Central Saturday
night in Dowdy-Ficklen
Stadium. Photo by W.A.
Myatt. ...
View W.A.
Myatt's
complete
gallery... |
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Audio: Coach Ruff Post-game... |
 East
Carolina coach Ruffin
McNeill met with the press
after the Pirates won their
season opener Saturday night
over N.C. Central (recorded
by W.A. Myatt; file photo):
Select
clip... |
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FOOTBALL |
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Kevin's Keys to the Game |
The first
game of the year is all
about fundamentals. No
matter the season, the coach
or the players, there are
certain things that have to
happen in order for a team
to win. Strategy and
schematics are important,
but none of that matters
without blocking, tackling
and protecting the ball.
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More from Kevin Monroe... |
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FOOTBALL |
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Reformulated defense may
surprise |
We’ve all
heard that offense sells
tickets, so it shouldn’t
come as a great surprise
that earlier this week, East
Carolina – which already
ranks first in attendance
among programs in non-“Power
Five” conferences –
announced that it has
surpassed the 20,000 mark in
season ticket sales again
this year.
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More from Brett
Friedlander... |
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FOOTBALL |
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Eye patch symbolizes blind
spots |
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Season openers have provided
some special moments in the
career of East Carolina
football coach Ruffin
McNeill. In his first start
at strong safety for the
Pirates at N.C. State in
1977, he made a
touchdown-saving tackle in
the final seconds of a 28-23
win. ...
More from Al Myatt... |
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FOOTBALL SPECIAL
FEATURE |
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15 Questions for
Davon Grayson |
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 Davon
Grayson (6-2, 196)
looks to rebound in
the 2014 East
Carolina football
campaign from a knee
injury that ended a
promising true
freshman season in
which he had 18
catches for 176
yards and four
touchdowns in six
games. The sophomore
outside wide
receiver is from the
talent-rich
Tidewater Virginia
area, by way of
Kings Fork High
School. ...
More from W.A.
Myatt... |
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Pictured: Devon
Grayson is back in
form after rehabbing
from an injury last
season that cut
short a spectacular
start in his
freshman campaign.
The Suffolk, VA,
product is listed as
East Carolina's
starter at the "Z"
position (outside
receiver) for
Saturday's opener
with N.C. Central .
(ECU Media Relations
photo) |
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By
Brian Bailey
©2014 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
View ECU's
2014 football schedule
With all due respect to North Carolina Central, the East Carolina
football season commences this weekend in Columbia, South Carolina.
ECU
was an easy winner in the
opener. The Pirates scored 52 unanswered points after giving up a
touchdown on a fumble by the offense. The defense threw a shutout. It
was the first game the unit didn’t give up a touchdown since
the 2008 win over No. 8 West Virginia.
After a slow start, the bigger, stronger and faster Pirates wore down
the squad from Durham. Only the Eagles' band had any energy after the
first quarter.
“I think the keys to our win were our dedication to the team and the
focus on the vision,” said ECU coach Ruffin McNeill
at his weekly press conference
on Monday. “From that game, I saw that, and I was very pleased.”
The Pirates’ first touchdown came off of a trick play. All-American
receiver candidate Justin Hardy took the ball on a reverse and fired
deep for teammate Isaiah Jones. Jones was so open he was lonely.
“I just wanted to concentrate on catching the ball,” Hardy said. “It was
so high and I knew it should be an easy catch.”
Hardy played quarterback his senior year at West Craven High School out
of necessity. He joked afterwards that he wasn’t interested in getting
any snaps on next week at quarterback.
“I knew he was wide open,” said Hardy. “I just let it fly and I got some
air under it.”
“I was excited for him,” said quarterback Shane Carden about Hardy’s
pass.
After the trick play, Carden and company went to work with a more
standard mode of operation. The game plan as always centered around
distributing the football to the plethora of wide receivers on this
team's depth chart.
“We’ve got a lot of guys who can really play,” said Carden after his
26-37 performance for 283 yards and three touchdowns.
Hardy caught two of those touchdown passes and continues as Carden’s
go-to receiver in this offense. He caught 8 passes for 87 yards and the
two scores.
Jones was impressive as well. He had ten catches for 150 yards and the
touchdown from Hardy.
“It was fun to get back out there,” said Jones after the game.
I’m one of the only reporters in the area that has covered both Isaiah
and his dad, former Pirate All-American Robert Jones, who was a part of
the ‘Dream Season’ of 1991. The elder Jones won three Super Bowl rings
with the Dallas Cowboys.
I joked with Isaiah that he was extremely nice, like his Mom and not at
all like his Dad.
“Dad was a linebacker,” Isaiah smiled as he explained. “They’re all a
little crazy.”
The craziness that is the ECU schedule hits full stride now, starting
with the visit to South Carolina. The Pirates follow that with a trek to
Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech, and then a home game against rival
North Carolina.
It all starts with a Saturday night special in the Palmetto State
against the 'Ole Ball Coach.'
“Coach Spurrier is one of the best coaches in this game,” said McNeill.
“I’ve followed him since his Duke days, to his national championship run
at Florida, to the league (NFL) and now. I know he’ll have his team
ready to go.
"Of course we’ll watch the
film, but it goes back to controlling what we can, and that’s our
preparation and how we plan.”
Spurrier is 2-0 all time in games he has coached against East Carolina.
The Gamecocks have also won the last two in the series, and lead the
overall set 12-5. The two teams have split the last six meetings.
I certainly don’t think it helped the Pirate cause that the Gamecocks
laid a big egg on Thursday night in their opener against a Johnny
Football-less Texas A&M squad.
South Carolina hasn’t started 0-2 at home since 1999. That’s the year
the Gamecocks were 0-11. South Carolina hosts Georgia after the Pirates
visit.
This East Carolina team knows it will have its hands full on Saturday
night.
On the flipside, I think the Gamecocks realize the same thing.
BB
